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As the inaugural
class of OneMBA students travels from around the
world to convene in Washington, D.C. this September,
a new vision of global education - one created
through an international alliance - is being realized.
OneMBA is a global executive MBA
program designed to accelerate the global careers
of executives by teaching them how to manage,
source, sell and compete around the world. Its
distinctive format provides intensive exposure
to the practice of business around the globe while
minimizing the time away from their jobs.
OneMBA was created through an alliance
of business schools that transcends - while taking
advantage of - national boundaries. The partners
that designed and deliver OneMBA are in:
· Asia - The Chinese University
of Hong Kong
· Europe - Rotterdam School of Management
in the Netherlands
· North America - EGADE-ITESM in Mexico,
and the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill in the United States
· South America - Fundação
Getulio Vargas in Brazil.
The rigorous 21-month program begins
in September 2002 when a global class of approximately
100 senior executives from across the OneMBA campuses
will meet together in Washington. For the majority
of the program, they will study at their home
business schools as they continue to work together
during additional experiential learning modules
and as part of both a home-campus team and three
different global teams during the program. Distance
learning and virtual team assignments will also
keep them engaged throughout the program.
A goal of the OneMBA Program is to
be globally relevant and locally sensitive. Professors
teach the modules delivered in their own regions,
with core courses coordinated across all OneMBA
schools. The OneMBA Program consists of three
components.
In addition to the Washington, D.C.
session, three one-week experiential learning
modules are held in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Members of the OneMBA class worldwide come together
to study best practices in each region, to form
virtual teams and to network. In each module,
both developed and emerging markets will be visited
and studied, with leading local political and
business executives meeting with the OneMBA class
to share their perspectives on best business practices
in their own country or region. In addition, topics
that are either strengths or especially relevant
in a region or country will be addressed, including
logistics and sustainability in Europe; globalization
of finance and cultural marketing in Asia; risk
and uncertainty in Brazil; political and economic
transformation in Mexico; and knowledge management
and entrepreneurship in the United States.
Globally coordinated courses make
up the core of the program and occur over a common
time period on all OneMBA campuses. These courses
are jointly designed by faculty of the partner
schools and feature a major assignment in each
course for the geographically dispersed virtual
teams. Each virtual team consists of students
from across the partner campuses. Core courses
provide the foundation for the experiential learning
modules.
Advanced MBA courses specific to
the curriculum of each OneMBA partner school complement
the core courses. These specialized regional courses
focus on the particular business needs and challenges
of executives in that region.
OneMBA is designed for executives
with increasing international responsibilities,
living and working in each of the schools' regions.
The executives will be global managers of multinational
companies, as well as managers in regional and
national companies that are operating amid the
challenges of a changing international environment.
The admissions process focuses on executives'
potential to be global citizens and leaders. Participants
should have seven to 15 years of significant full-time
work experience and an undergraduate degree or
equivalent. Requirements for admission include
GMAT, a comprehensive essay and demonstrated proficiency
in English since classes will be taught in English.
Each school sets tuition and delivery format based
on regional market conditions.
A key benefit of OneMBA is the rich
interaction that occurs among the globally diverse
groups of executives and faculty. This global
network will increase managers' ability to create
value not only from the knowledge and regional
networks that are created, but also from the in-depth
global experience offered through the collaboration
of the five partner schools.
Alliances are complex to manage,
but the deep partnership created by the five OneMBA
schools has substantive benefits because it:
· creates more global options
for both students and professors
· shares resources and knowledge about
course development and research. No single school's
faculty dominates the curriculum
· develops additional scale to jointly
tackle complex and rapidly changing global business
educational challenges.
The result is a learning experience
that is infinitely richer and genuinely international.
During this 21-month learning journey around the
world of business, students will experience global
business education in new and unique ways. OneMBA
graduates will be equipped to balance the demands
for best local practice with greater global insight,
and ready to lead their organizations through
the massive change and opportunities created by
the emerging global economy.
For more information on OneMBA
visit www.onemba.org
Author: Penny Oslund, Director,
OneMBA
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