Course challenges EMBA students to tackle unfamiliar problems, make mistakes in a risk-free environment and gather an all round perspective
The big difference I see is between taking a degree and getting an education. Just listening to lectures does not really change you and the way you look at the world, or what you do in that environment.

When Kathleen Slaughter takes her seat at this year's graduation ceremony for the Richard Ivey School of Business EMBA programme, she can be sure of two things. That everyone receiving their diploma, commemorative ring and due applause will have undergone a profound transformation. And they will be ready to embark on the next phase of their careers knowing that they have an education, a support network and the all-round perspective that qualifies them to join the business elite.

“Each year, the biggest change I see in graduates is in their perception of possibilities,” said Professor Slaughter, the school's associate dean for Asia and an expert in management communications. “Mostly that's to do with the integrated nature of the programme, but they also have this new level of self-confidence and personal value.” She said some students came to the course with clear objectives, while others were not so sure of what they would gain. But whatever their expectations, one of the words most commonly heard in conversation with any of the 31 members of the graduating class is “transform”.

Professor Slaughter said this was because the course gave executives the chance to debate, speculate, question each other, challenge the professors, tackle all kinds of unfamiliar business problems and make mistakes in a risk-free environment.

The classroom and the separate study groups brew them into debates on every issue relevant to running a successful business, making it possible to share experiences, voice opinions and reflect on management principles and corporate practices in a new light.

“Many businesses now seem to penalize people for making mistakes, but if you are afraid of that, you don't do anything,” Professor Slaughter said. “That is why we teach and then give an opportunity to apply and reinforce through case studies and interactive discussions, so people can develop themselves as well.”

She was reminded of the importance of this approach, and of how it had helped to set the Ivey programme apart from many others, during a recent trip to Dubai. Leafing through a newspaper, she came across an article about further education in Hong Kong. Its basic conclusion was that there were ever ore degrees to choose from, but few of them were taught in a way that encouraged students to develop greater analytical ability and judgment. “The big difference I see is between taking a degree and getting an education, “Professor Slaughter said.

“Just listening to lectures does not really change you and the way you look at the world, or what you do in that environment. You need something to take you out of your comfort zone and cause you to think.”

For this reason, the “cross-enterprise” method o f teaching, used by faculty members, ensured that no business issue was viewed isolation, she said. It was always given a context within the company, industry and the ever-changing competitive environment. The task for each professor was to introduce the theories, outline a problem and then facilitate discussions, which was often where the “real learning” took place.” A business theory without a context is almost meaningless,” Professor Slaughter said. “Don't underestimate the getting of the information, but it is the interpreting applying and questioning of it that stretches people and makes sure they really have to think.”

To illustrate this point, she recalled one alumnus, an operations manager at the time, who went into the programme knowing that, in his own company and field of expertise, no one could touch him. Within just a few months, he came to realize that he had been looking at the business world through a microscope. Only when he learned to step back, appreciate other perspectives and see the true impact his department could have on sales, information technology, finance and long-term management objectives, did he recognize how restricted his outlook had been.

His experience proved that even someone who had been working 15 or 20 years for the same organization could still gain dramatic new insights, if they accepted the challenge.

To ensure that the EMBA remains current, Ivey regularly updates its case studies and introduces new modules.

“We also do short executive education courses and write up cases on leading organizations in many different industries, so it is not bragging to say we know what is going on in the business world,” Professor Slaughter said. “We are constantly getting feedback from students and asking ourselves what we need in the programme to help people hit the ground running.”

As an example, she saw a new “crossing borders” module would be introduced this year, initially at the school's Canadian campus at the University of Western Ontario. It will focus on everything from transfer pricing to reformulating marketing strategies, understanding the political environment, and integrating technology with a subsidiary or partner when entering a new overseas market. Emphasizing the importance of the cross-enterprise concept, five different professors will be involved in teaching the course.

“Nowadays, everything is integrated,” Professor Slaughter said. “You can't separate issues such as doing business in China or corporate social responsibility. Wherever you are doing business, you are also talking about what you are doing ethically and in terms of corporate social responsibility.”

Class of 2008
There are 31 members in this year's graduating class, and when they entered the programme, in August 2006, their average age was 39. they are form 11 different countries and had an average of 16 years' working experience and 11 years' managerial experience when they began. In terms of prior qualifications, 23 had a bachelor's degree, four had a master's pr equivalent, there were three PhDs, and six had not taken an undergraduate course.

Valedictorian sees long relationship ahead
The most helpful aspect of the course was the Ivey approach of looking at business issues using cross-enterprise perspectives
Andrew Hui
Business development manager (overseas)
Hong Kong Jockey Club

Becoming the valedictorian of a graduating EMBA class is no easy feat, but it is one that Andrew Hui, business development manager (overseas) of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, has achieved.

He graduates this month at the top of his class, and he is proof that balancing all areas of work, study and personal life is achievable, even for the busiest among us.

“I became a father shortly before the course and had a second baby in the middle of the course,” Mr Hui said. “The Hong Kong Jockey Club was very supportive of me going to study, as was my family, so it was easier to balance my time- if you really want to take an EMBA, most people will be able to find the time to do it.”

Mr Hui has a deep relationship with the Richard Ivey School of Business, dating back to 2003 when he started an Executive Development Programme with the institute. He was no impressed with the course that he decided to take his EMBA with the school.

“I knew that Ivey Business School takes a lot of care in putting together the class. The diversity of the class was extremely good,” he said. “For example, in my class we had people from a variety of backgrounds from HR, manufacturing and investment bankers to people in law enforcement. The breadth of experience and different perspectives this brought to the class was good.”

For Mr Hui, the structure of the course and the way in which it was taught were particularly effective, and offered him a unique way of learning from the experience faculty staff. “For me, the most helpful aspect of the course was the Ivey approach of looking at business issues using cross-enterprise perspectives. This meant that none of the issues we looked at were purely functional, as most of the issues had implications across many different aspects and functions of organizations. It was really helpful to look at issues from various perspectives and different points of view.”

One of the key factors that students of EMBA courses look for is an ability to directly transfer what they have learnt on the course to the workplace. Mr Hui explained that even before completing the course he was already using new skills.

“I was able to do several projects on the course that related to the company that one of my classmates was CEO of. So we were actually applying a lot of classroom concepts to real life and seeing them work for his company. It was a great experience to see things implemented can to see things work.”

Mr Hui's graduation will not be the end of his association with the Richard Ivey School of Business: “I have a long association with the faculty at the school and I can see this developing into a very long relationship.”

Programme meets career aspirations
One thing I treasure most is the networking. The class was like the United nations- but not of nations, of industries
Micky Lo
Managing director
Head of Asia-Pacific information and technology risk management
JP Morgan

Micky Lo Chun-tung, managing director, head of Asia-Pacific information and technology risk management at JP Morgan, had three criteria in mind when he started looking for the right school where he could study his EMBA. They were: practicality, applicability and the knowledge that the course would meet his career aspirations.

“The first thing I looked for was to ensure that the programme was practical, not just purely academic,” Mr Lo explained. “I wanted to apply techniques and tools l leaned from the course in the real world. So the practical approach [of the Richard Ivey School of Business] was a key issue in my selection.

“Secondly, I wanted to make sure that what I learned could contribute directly to my business was very important.

“And thirdly, I wanted the programme to really support my career aspirations, which are to continuously improve my leadership capabilities and be able to advance progressively in my firm.”

The Richard Ivey School of Business met all three of Mr Lo's criteria, and he specifically pointed to the modules of leadership and change management as being extremely beneficial to him.

“These modules helped me to understand more about myself. Certain exercise in the classroom helped us to analyze our own behavior and show us what behavioral characteristics we would exhibit in certain situations. This has really helped me to understand and assess my colleagues in different situations and adjust my responses and reactions to them,” he said.

The ability to network with other professionals in his class was also a major draw for Mr Lo, who rated this as one of the major benefits he gained from the Richard Ivey School of Business, and an aspect of the course that he would be able to take with him throughout his career. “One thing I treasure most is the networking. The class was like the United nations- but not of nations, of industries. We had leaders from different industry sectors who brought different perspectives with them when we did case studies.

“It was good for me as I usually deal with people from the financial and IT sectors, so hearing opinions from those in manufacturing, retail and other sectors really opened my scope of horizons in understanding different aspects, angles and issues,”Mr Lo said.

He said that taking the course would directly benefit his career because JP Morgan had a philosophy of continuous staff improvement. “Going through this class will certainly exhibit my commitment to self-improvement.”

In particular, Mr Lo found that the curriculum structure was unique.

“It is flexible and the school gave me the entire course curriculum in one calendar, o I could then plan my work life around the course accordingly. It's very good and I don't see this being offered by other programmes,” he said.

Practical approach scores high marks

A unique aspect of the Richard Ivey School of Business EMBA programme is its course structure, which focuses on a practical approach to learning. For Bonnie Brooks, president of the Lane Crawford Joyce Group, this was one of the most appealing aspects of the course as it provided students with the skills necessary to bring real value to the organizations they work for.

“I found the work stimulating, and the case work forces one to fully analyze the situation at hand, make decisions quickly, take a position and defend it,” she said. “The practice of doing this for more than 200 cases really gives a great deal of experiences.”

One of the main reasons Ms Brooks decided to take the EMBA programme was that her position in her company required her to keep up-to –date with the latest business trends.

“I am in a leadership position within our group, and I felt it was my obligation to ensure we were up-to –date in all areas of the business, including planning, strategic modeling, technology and analytical capability.

“I also believe that continual learning at my age is important. A link to the academic world keeps you modern and challenged.”

Ms Brooks pointed to a particular exercise that she undertook on the course as being one of the most exciting. “In the Management Science Programme study team assignment, we used data from one of our businesses on size of garments and sell-through rates to establish new models of size and unit distribution. Sales did increase as a result of the new model,” she said.

A unique aspect of the course, Ms Brooks said, was that the strategy of the school was different to other schools.

“[The Richard Ivey School of Business] positioning statement summarizes it as ‘cross-enterprise leadership'. This strategy ensures that people with different sets of skills and areas of expertise have the opportunity to work on many issues from varying roles and points of view inside each of the firms in the case work, which helps to develop and broaden one's awareness, comprehension and skill sets quite successfully,” she said.

Ms Brooks explained that the course would continue to be of great assistance to her long after her graduation.

“The benefits of the EMBA will probably continue to be felt for years to come as the subjects were relevant, valuable and easily employed in every aspect of what I am doing today, to prepare for a more successful tomorrow. And that's what I think is expected of management,” she said.

When ask that aspects of the course were the most enjoyable, Ms Brooks replied: “I enjoyed all aspects of the course.”

SCMP
31st March, 2008