College gets down to serious business of educating new entrepreneurs

As one of China's most prestigious academic institutions, Fudan University strives to offer students all-round education on management and business through its qualified EMBA programs, said a top official of the university.

"Our programs are very practical, and we encourage students to realize their full potential by putting the theory they learn into practice and build a sharp sense of the business world," said Yin Zhiwen, deputy dean of Fudan University's School of Management.

"We are not only cultivating entrepreneurs and decision-makers, but also an elite, well-rounded group of individuals."

Yin said that the university was one of the first colleges in China to offer a Chinese-language EMBA, which was approved by the State Council in 2002.

The curriculum, which focuses heavily on the Chinese market, combines five elements: knowledge, strategic thinking, brand creation and inheritance, and corporate transformation and innovation.

Each component requires students to undertake a range of activities such as case studies, panel discussions, fact-checking visits and trips to businesses. "The courses are devised and structured along international lines thanks to our close links with our overseas partners," said Yin.

"A faculty staffed by fantastic teachers from China and overseas guarantees that students will be equipped with both a cosmopolitan outlook and a solid grasp of China's reality," he added.

Guy Mills, CEO of Hong Kong-based insurer Manulife International Co Ltd, said Fudan University's program helped him to bring added value to the company.

"I have greatly improved my thinking ability and communication skills through the courses, which gives me a more profound insight into the China market," he said.

James Ling, director of the IT department at EPAM, a global provider of software engineering and IT consulting services, said the BI-Fudan MBA program - a partnership between Fudan's School of Management and BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, Norway - helped him to become a manager with solid business awareness, rather than a mere software engineer. "The program has made me much more mature and self-confident. I am now able to deal with problems in stressful, fast-paced environments. The program is also a good opportunity to make new friends," said Ling.

Key programs of Fudan University

The Fudan-Washington University EMBA program

The Fudan-Washington EMBA program is a product of collaboration between Fudan's School of Management and the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

It was up and running after being given the green light in 2002 by China's Ministry of Education and Office of Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. It is the first international EMBA program ever to be approved by the Ministry of Education. It aims to train China's best global managers to become leaders in the global business community. Since 2006, the program has maintained a constant presence among the top performers in the FT global EMBA rankings.

The Fudan-BI MBA

Approved by the Office of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council in 1996, the Fudan-BI MBA is a partnership between Fudan's School of Management and BI of Norway.

Together, they have made it their mission to groom professional managers for global competition.

Its curriculum has been designed with accuracy and precision to meet managers' needs for better management skills and stronger leadership as they climb the corporate ladder from intermediate to senior levels. The program is focused on training managers to think strategically and integrates cross-functional theoretical knowledge in a systemic manner. The enrollment is independent, whereby applicants don't have to sit the national entrance exam. Semesters begin twice a year, in May and November. All courses are taught in English and based primarily on interactive case studies, with an emphasis on teamwork and experience-sharing.

The Fudan-HKU IMBA

The Fudan-HKU IMBA program is run by Hong Kong University's Faculty of Business and Economics and Fudan's School of Management to train outstanding business talent with a cosmopolitan outlook.

This IMBA program is chiefly meant for well-educated professionals with some working experience and potential for managerial roles. By means of its leading curriculum, the program aims to enable students to master the comprehensive knowledge of management and skills necessary for global business operation. Armed with strategic management perspectives, graduates will become the high-caliber talent needed by local and global economies.

(China Daily 10/21/2016 page16)