The business school of Canada's prestigious University of Western Ontario uses a new approach to help students adapt to the rapidly changing face of the global economy

“Cross-enterprise leadership provides future leaders the skills to adapt to the societal forces swirling around them such as globalization, competition and technology.”

The University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business produces more Asian case studies than any other comparative institution. It also claims to be one of only four business schools in the world that teaches each of its courses according to the case method, which was developed at the Harvard School of Business.

The school set up a campus in Hong Kong in 1998 and offers an 18-month Executive MBA and several executive short courses. There is a two-week residence in Hong Kong, during which students are housed in a hotel near the campus, and a one-week residence in Canada. All other classes are on weekend afternoons. They run two or three weekends in a row, followed by a three-or four-week break.

Ivey's curriculum emphasizes general management and quickly evolves to reflect changes in the business world. In 2006, it introduced what it calls training in “cross-enterprise leadership”, the first break form the functional disciplines model that has dominated MBA teaching since the 1880s.

Under the traditional approach, the core curriculum of an MBA was built around such functional disciplines as accounting, finance and marketing. But under Ivey's approach, students must deal with problems that don't fit neatly into these categories. They have to analyze issues from various perspectives, reflecting the real world. To accommodate this shift, Ivey introduced team teaching by faculty from different disciplines.

“The world is changing at a relentless pace, and business education needs to innovate in order to serve the needs of tomorrow's executives,” says carol Stephenson, dean of the Ivey Business School. “Cross-enterprise leadership provides future leaders the skills to adapt to the societal forces swirling around them such as globalization, competition and technology.”

Most of the participants are around 38 years old, with an average 15 years' work experience- 10 at the managerial level. Fourteen nationalities are represented in the current class. Local students account for 39% of enrolment, followed by mainland Chinese with 14%, Macau 5% and Taiwan 3%.

The Hong Kong program is a minor image of the one in Canada except that it uses more Asian cases. Students can transfer between two programs.

Ivey's faculty is drawn mostly from top North American universities. One professor did his PhD at Beijing's Tsinghua University, while professors often fly from Canada to teach their modules in Hong Kong.

Tuition for the August intake is HK$620,000 (US$79,415), which includes transport to and from Canada and accommodation and meals during residencies.

Review Asia (P.104)
March 2008

“Distance and blended learning offer convenience for the student and theories can be taught quite effectively,” says Kathleen Slaughter, associate dean for Asia at the Richard Ivey School of Business. “Unfortunately, what is often missing is the real world application of the theories. There is no shortage of ways to get information, but what business is seeking is management talent that has the ability do deal with ambiguity, communicate effectively and problem-solve collaboratively. Only face-to face learning can develop these areas.”

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March 2008

According to Mark Staudenmann, president of the Hong Kong chapter of the Richard Ivey Alumni Association, a diverse student body can significantly enhance the learning experience because of the different perspectives that people from different backgrounds can shed on issues.

“In today's business world, it is not about what you know but who you know.” He says. “An EMBA from a top school like the Richard Ivey School of Business will give you access to an extensive network of alums. Those who sit with you in class are of outstanding qualification and quality. They bring their individual and extensive expertise into the classroom.”

ReviewAsia (P.100)
March 2008