University MBA programs help executives sharpen their skills in a competitive and time-short world

Latin Trade, August, 1999

In today's competitive business world, it's clear that education pays off -- for both students and their employers. Because the prospective student is a busy executive with a successful career and little time, universities are offering innovative executive education programs to accommodate them. And they are taking advantage of new technologies and changed working styles.

Mark Panus of Duke University puts it this way: "We have degree programs that work the way the world works. Our Global Executive MBA is a combination of face-to-face learning and Internet-mediated learning. It's not one or the other; it's the combination of place and space that makes it unique. This program mirrors the way executives are working today -- in global teams across time zones and continents and oceans."

Meanwhile, Fordham University's program has attracted considerable attention because it presents such a minimal time imposition while ensuring a first-class MBA from an internationally recognized university. Students can live anywhere in the world as long as they can attend classes one weekend per month.

The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is offering managers an intensive two-week "mini-MBA" program called "Leading Inside the Global Enterprise." It is preceded by "Global Prep," an Internet program introducing the faculty and the curriculum.

At Florida International University, students spend four days at the beginning of each academic year undergoing intensive team building and leadership exercises, even climbing 40-foot precipices. "Instead of being a group of strangers on the first day of class, they already have a sense of community when classes begin," says Sherry Moss, co-director of the MBA program.

Here's an overview of several programs:

Duke University

Duke University's top-ranked Fuqua School of Business is helping companies develop business leaders who understand global issues through its groundbreaking Global Executive MBA ([GEMBA.sup.TM] program). Representing a new paradigm of graduate business education, GEMBA allows executives from around the world to purse their MBA while they continue to work full-time.

Launched in May 1996, GEMBA was created to meet the needs of high-potential managers and executives of globally oriented corporations. The unique format combines residential classroom sessions on four continents with distance education via advanced Internet-based technologies. During the 19-month program, students convene with Duke's world-class faculty at sites in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.

While maintaining a high level of productivity in the workplace, they learn the core function areas of business, as well as how to integrate them and how to think and manage globally. And because they interact as part of global teams, GEMBA students are exposed to a wealth of ideas and approaches to each topic. They also build an international network of business peers.

"The experience level of these students is very high," says Mark Panus, assistant director of communications. "These are people who have been in leadership or managerial positions for 10 to 14 years. Students learn not only from the faculty but from their classmates, who share their wealth of international business experience with one another."

University of South Carolina

Latin American students who earn international degrees at The Darla Moore School of Business (DMSB) at the University of South Carolina excel in getting jobs at competitive global salaries. Global companies such as Xerox, Citigroup and Compaq frequently offer jobs to Latin American graduates of the school's MIBS (master of international business studies) and IMBA (International MBA) programs.

"All our MIBS students are bilingual, many are multilingual, and all our students from Latin America have had six-month corporate assignments in the USA," adds Louis Dessau, MIBS assistant director. "They're very marketable."

The MIBS program celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The occasion will be marked by parties Oct. 23 in Brazil and on Dec. 3 in Miami, with additional festivities around the world. The gala on-campus event Nov. 13 will feature Darla Moore, Wall Street financier and USC alumna, for whom the business school was named.

Executive Education also rakes a global and cross-cultural focus. Managers participating in DMSB's two-week program, "Leading Inside the Global Enterprise," take away the business frameworks, tools, and applications they need to run a business unit in another culture. It continues with a 12-month Intranet link to professors and fellow participants.

"This is the future," says Victoria Emerson, director of international corporate relations. "Eventually, all our global programs will be technology-enabled."

Florida International University

Every class that enrolls in Florida International University's program attends a unique residency session that turns 36 strangers into six tightly bonded teams who will work closely together for the first year. Before classes begin, the students spend four days working on team building and leadership skills.