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One of the great contradictions discovered
by IESE Business School's faculty and staff is that
a more adverse economic climate does not necessarily
diminish a hunger to learn among the world's top CEOs.
In fact, the more turbulent the environment,
the greater executives see the need to hone their skills
and to reflect deeply on how the latest developments
are affecting their companies.
Since 1994, IESE has offered both open
enrollment and in-company executive education programs
for senior executives in alliance with other of the
world's leading business schools, including Harvard
Business School and the University of Michigan. Each
year, hundreds of managers are drawn to the school's
Barcelona campus to learn from leading U.S. and European
faculty, who provide a well-rounded international view.
"The acid test of any program is
how applicable the material is to the participants,"
Rory Simpson, IESE's Director of International Executive
Education explains. "Our programs are designed
to provide take-home agendas so that each individual
can take immediate action the moment they get back to
their professional responsibilities They endeavour to
generate a dynamic mode of thinking that is prerequisite
for success in a changing environment."
Testifying to the school's effectivenessin
this domain, Business Week magazine recently ranked
IESE among the world's top 10 executive education providers
and number one overall in terms of in-company programs.
In 2001, IESE topped the Financial Times Executive Education
rankings in the category of "Relevance in the Workplace."
IESE Prof. Pedro Videla, who directs the
program Renewing Global Strategy offered in conjunction
with the University of Michigan, notes that today's
highly-interconnected world requires more globally-focused
thinking than ever.
"A cross-Atlantic perspective provides
an unparalleled opportunity to think creatively about
international business. And the diverse pool of faculty
who lead the Renewing Global Strategy program provide
just that," said Videla. The program, held each
summer at IESE's campus in Barcelona, covers a range
of key topics within the context of international business
including finance, human resources and leadership.
Enabling participants to see beyond their
own experience or business discipline is one of the
chief benefits of participating in an IESE program.
"Renewing Global Strategy opened
my eyes and made me aware of what is happening outside
my own business discipline.," said Marcel van Berkel,
Global Business Intelligence for DSM Melamine and participant
in Renewing Global Strategy Program in 2001. "The
program helped me not to copy what is happening somewhere
else but to really think "out-of-box" about
what brings my company to be the first in its business
discipline."
While taking a very practical, hands-on
approach, the programs introduce the latest management
concept to participants. IESE and collaborating faculty
present the latest research gathered in the management
field, along with specific sector data.
IESE professor and Internet guru Prof.
Josep Valor notes the value of an academic setting for
acquiring this kind of new knowledge. Valor, who holds
two Ph.D. degrees from MIT, leads the program Strategic
Management in the Information Age, which introduces
CEOs and their IT directors to new strategies for using
technology within the firm. The program is held in collaboration
with faculty from MIT.
"Many of the programs on this subject
tend to be run by consulting companies who are as interested
in selling their product as they are in content,"
Valor said. "IESE's program does not have this
motive. The subject is looked at from an academic point
of view to provide a practical and conceptual framework
for decision-making on the strategic direction to take
with regards to information technology."
The Strategic Management in the Information
Age program transcends the obvious," says Valor.
"If you limit yourself to studying the success
stories such as Amazon.com or failures like boo.com
you fail to understand the real implications behind
developments in IT and how to harness its enormous potential.
The program provides a framework for this kind of thinking."
Similarly, IESE's program Achieving Breakthrough
Service provides managers with a highly-effective strategic
model for improving customer service and loyalty. Offered
in collaboration with Harvard Business School since
1994, the program is offered in both Barcelona and Miami.
The Barcelona-based program provides a European focus,
while the Miami program focuses on service issues pertinent
to Latin American firms.
Caroline McHugh, UK Service Manager for
BUPA and a recent participant in the Achieving Breakthrough
Service program in Barcelona, noted, "The rationale
and debate provided me with a more in-depth appreciation
of the concepts and some tangible tools which have certainly
helped me to improve my performance and that of the
business."
The school's newest program tackles the
complex world of business building within large corporations.
Transforming Multi-business Corporations, is a joint
IESE/HARVARD 3-day seminar held in Barcelona. Designed
jointly by Prof. Joan Ricart of IESE and visiting professor
Pankaj Ghemawat of Harvard Business School, the program
analyzes how managers in large organisations can deal
with many of the driving forces behind the changing
environment.
As the business landscape continues to
shift and transform, IESE Business School will continue
striving to meet the needs of managers all over the
globe, says the school's dean, Dr. Jordi Canals.
"IESE Business School has a unique
spirit, due in part to its mission of service and emphasis
on human values, and in part to the extraordinary professionalism
of its faculty and staff," Dr. Canals says. "These
advantages put us in an excellent position to contribute
to the advancement of management education."
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