Pacific Rim and cultural issues at heart of GEMBA 2006-10-11 19:05:22

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Pacific Rim and cultural issues at heart of GEMBA

2006-09-14

THE University of Southern California and its Marshall School of Business have long pursued strategies focused on the Pacific Rim, including teaching, recruiting, and research.

Consistent with this strategic orientation, three years ago Marshall launched a new and highly innovative Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program in Shanghai. Its partner in this venture is the outstanding Antai College of Economics and Management at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Marshall is very proud of this program and believes it is unique not only in China but in the world as well.

It is designed and taught in special ways that prepare current managers for future senior leadership positions and successful careers. Highlighted below are five key features of the GEMBA program, which makes it very different from other EMBA programs in Asia.

First, GEMBA is modeled after the same top-10 ranked USC EMBA program in Los Angeles. For the past 20 years, this program has been consistently ranked in the top 10 worldwide by Business Week and US News. This high standard of recognition permits USC to award the same MBA degree to GEMBA graduates that it gives to its other MBA students. Upon graduation, GEMBA alumni join USC's alumni association, which is devoted to lifelong learning and is very strong in Asia.

Second, like its Los Angeles counterpart, GEMBA is taught by the same senior faculty from USC who also come from around the world and possess considerable practical experience in consulting to global companies. They use this background to teach about the cultural, marketing and economic issues of both local and international management.

Third, the program is scheduled conveniently so that managers can fly in from around Asia. It meets over 20 months with 10 five-day modules.

Fourth, the curriculum is structured into themes that integrate disciplines, such as management with operations. Managers today face complex issues in a world that is not easily divided narrowly into separate silos of marketing and finance. While, like most MBA programs, all essential disciplines are taught in GEMBA, the teaching goes a step farther to integrate disciplines through the thematic structure, case discussion, team teaching, group projects and evaluation.

The program in Shanghai also features field trips to companies and lectures from Jiao Tong professors and executive speakers from surrounding companies.

Finally, GEMBA's global focus makes it the only EMBA program in Asia with three trips abroad lasting for five to seven days each.

One is in the beginning to Los Angeles and USC and the second is at the end to Los Angeles for leadership training and graduation. The third is for five days in Asia to visit companies and hear from senior executives. This year, the class visited Japan and the headquarters of Toyota, Mizuno, Rakuten, Goldman Sachs, Mitsui Fudosan, KDDI Corporation, Canon and IBM Japan. The tuition of the program covers all ground costs of these trips while participants pay their own airfare.

Here is what two managers say about the benefits of their learning experience:

Richard Chang (GEMBA Class III) - Chief Representative and General Manager, Perot Systems (Shanghai): "I'm leading Perot Systems here in China. GEMBA allows me to keep working, travel to support customers worldwide and earn a US MBA degree from my base in Shanghai. Additionally, I'm fostering great relationships with my fellow classmates and testing ideas with USC's tremendous faculty."

Shuhui Peng (GEMBA Class I) - General Manager, Parker Hannifin in Asia Pacific: "The business training which GEMBA offered has helped complete my transformation from an engineering manager to a business manager. The business knowledge and skills I have learned enable me to feel confident when participating in higher level business activities. GEMBA has already greatly contributed to my career advancement."

For more information, visit www.marshall.usc.edu/gemba. To attend an information session, please call the Shanghai office at 6293-2707.

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