Hong Kong's very own ‘Ivey' league
The Richard Ivey School of business reveals why its high-level program is the answer for Asia's leading business executives

Classes at the Ivey School are enriched by its students' diverse background

Choosing a business school can be a difficult process for everyone these days. There are the complexities of accreditation, rankings, teaching format and curriculum to take into account, all of which are further complicated by the sheer number of business schools in Hong Kong, each boasting that their course gives executives the edge.

So what is the real secret to choosing a good business school? “Rankings and accreditations are helpful, but I think the real criteria that people should look at when selecting a program is its power to transform,” says Prof Kathleen Slaughter, dean of the Richard Ivey School of Business of the University of Western Ontario in Hong Kong.

“You want to select a program that will change your line of slight when you complete it. Some people have been working in the same organization for 15 years but have no idea of what goes on in marketing of finance. A good executive education program must give you these insights and get you into other parts of the business.”

And it is this transformation to which the Ivey School has dedicated itself to since1922, and locally since1998.

Making a case for cases

The key to gaining a strategic view of a business, according to Prof Slaughter, is their case-based teaching method. Ivey Business School is the second largest producer of cases in the world, only after the Harvard School of Business, and the number one producer in Asia.

“Everyone uses cases to explain how business leaders made certain decisions. Where we distinguish ourselves is by turning actual cases into stories, handing these to our students and then asking them ‘What are you going to do?'

“Business is not an exact science, so how can you teach something using lessons or saying there is a perfect answer to one problem? Case study is a much more intense style of learning, and the point of it is to get you to think,” Slaughter argues.

To help reinforce this teaching approach, students discuss cases at a class level then break up into small groups to focus on the fine details. They then take it to the individual level with project work.

The case-based learning process is further complemented the students' diverse backgrounds. Richard Ivey's program attracts executives from various fields and business functions, and of different nationalities, age and experience levels.

Program integration

Another advantage of taking up an executive program at the Ivey School of Business is that it is integrated with the University of Western Ontario, and not a satellite or affiliate program.

All classes in Hong Kong are handled by the school's own full-time professors, many of whom are advisers to the world's top companies.

“This is a major advantage for us in that we control our own faculty and program,” says Prof Slaughter. “We have control over the content, we know who is teaching and what they are teaching. We are in a unique position here in Hong Kong in that we offer a truly integrated program.”

In addition, the school is the only case-based business school in Hong Kong to have its own facility at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Besides locality, this poses a number of advantages for students.

“One of the other reasons people come to these programs is to establish a network. It is very difficult to establish a network when you are doing something online or by a satellite program. Also, without a dedicated facility where you are spending a lot of time with people in your class, you don't get the sink time or the think time, both of which are important,” explains Prof Slaughter.

Yet despite the above credentials clearly singing out the Ivey School as one of the top business schools in Hong Kong, Prof Slaughter is the first to say that the school isn't suited for every business person out there.

“If you are looking to fill out your CV and move up in your company by getting an MBA because everyone in top management has one, and you're looking to do it through a handful of part-time courses over four years, then this isn't the program for you,” says Prof Slaughter emphatically.

“However, if you want a life-changing experience, one that actually changes the way you approach problems, then this is definitely the program for you.”

Hong Kong Business
February 2009