Links with international institutions give rise to hopes of top-30 ranking

Emphasizing an international perspective has been embodied as a value of the School of Management of the century-old Fudan University as China is experiencing further globalization of its economy. China Daily reporters Wang Hongyi, Matt Hodges and Wang Ying in Shanghai explore the efforts of the country's leading business school to gain world recognition.

Benefiting from the globalization of China's economy and the blending of West and East, China's business schools have seen their development mushroom over the past three decades, and their performance has been recognized by the rest of the world.

In the 2014 Global Executive MBA rankings recently released by the Financial Times, China's business schools have shown significant improvement. One of the most highly ranked is the business school of Fudan University, which has four programs listed in the top 100.

The four programs at Fudan's School of Management mainly target Chinese executives and managers.

"With the rapid economic development of China, more business elites who not only have global vision but also have a deep insight of the local environment are urgently needed right now" said Lu Xiongwen, dean of the School of Management, adding that the school's achievements are closely connected to their adherence to international practices and ability to tap experiences from around the world.

"For more than two decades, we have been learning from the world and also working to establish wide partnerships with the world's leading business schools. This allowed us to constantly absorb excellent resources from overseas and climb to a higher level in terms of expertise," Lu said.

In July, Fudan's management school announced a double business degree program in partnership with the London Business School as its latest effort to further explore international practices.

The two-year Global Masters in Management program features a combination of teaching modes and real-life experience from both East and West. In addition to having direct exposure to China and the West, students will also experience running real businesses through group projects with some of China's leading companies acting as mentors.

Fudan's management school has also carried out many other cooperative programs with prestigious schools throughout the world. For example, the school launched an International MBA Program in partnership with the MIT Sloan School of Management. The English-language program aims to cultivate professionals with an international perspective and entrepreneurial spirit, who are well-adjusted to the demands of economic globalization in China and the rest of the world.

The school has also worked with Washington University to launch an Executive MBA program, which aims to prepare senior professionals in China and other parts of Asia for global leadership.

"To have a deep understanding of the international rules of the business world is key for both entrepreneurs and those working in multinational enterprises. That's the reason we emphasize an international perspective, which also embodies our school's values," Lu said.

Lu hopes the school will enter the top 30 in global rankings in the coming three to five years.

Figures from the education department show that more than 1 million students enroll in the country's business schools each year.

Business schools are looking to their own solutions for further development as deepening globalization and technology innovation reshape the patterns of world business and management.

The rise of Asian business schools should accommodate local needs, said Hellmut Schuette, vice-president of the China Europe International Business School. In the future, Asian business schools should have a wide knowledge of the international community, he added.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 11/11/2014 page4)