Why not do business USA-style?
Words | Lesley Symons With the dollar still weak to the pound, studying at some of the world’s best business schools Stateside has never been nearer. So how does an intensive business course push you? Our writer reports back from the front line AS THE GROUP of us attending an intensive executive programme at the [...]
Words | Lesley Symons
With the dollar still weak to the pound,
studying at some of the world’s best
business schools Stateside has never
been nearer. So how does an intensive
business course push you? Our writer
reports back from the front line
AS THE GROUP of us attending an intensive
executive programme at the Kellogg School of
Management in Chicago take our seats for the
welcome lecture, the professor asks how many
of us are not from the States. A significant 62% of us raise
our arms. Either the marketing department is running an
unstoppable campaign abroad or the US dollar to sterling
rate is still a godsend to Brits. So, however good their
marketing team, I suspect it’s the latter that’s behind the
allure. Nearly 50 of us (a mixture from Europe, Asia and the
Middle East) had made the long-distance trip to study at
one of the top North American business schools.
My company had enrolled me at Kellogg for a one-week
improved performance course. Just entering the prestigious
college, which is set on the lake in beautifully manicured
grounds, makes one feel more intelligent. Joking aside, it
made me feel more valued by my business. For a $7,000
(about £3,700) investment on their part, you get to
participate in a learning experience that stretches you and
has huge rewards. It also helps to meet people doing similar
jobs to yours, who are having the same difficulties in an
environment where many challenging issues are dealt with.
As you would expect here, the tutors are first class.
They have not only educational experience but real-life
commercial acumen, which overcomes the response you
want to give fresh-faced consultants: “Hmm, but you’ve
never had to deal with these sort of problems, have you?”
Each day starts at 7am for breakfast, with lectures
starting at 8am and running through to 9pm. Cap that
with copious amounts of reading, studying and working
together in groups to solve the various case studies and
the result is an extremely intense course. So it helps that
the accommodation and food (all meals are included in the
costs) are excellent. Generous sustenance helps you get
through the gruelling schedule.
An executive education course is a great refresher
for best practice or a previous MBA. Otherwise, it offers
a good overview of corporate strategies and is a highly
recommended way of taking your problems from the office
and sharing them with liked-minded individuals. You return
to the office with new energies and fresh outlook on your
business, even your life – and hopefully some new contacts
from around the world.
A word of caution: it’s important with this kind of course
that you research the backgrounds of the professors to
ensure that they have the commercial wherewithal to
deal with the subject. Writing books is great, but without
the day-to-day experience of working in – if not actually
running – a business, it’s like firing blanks.
The five-day course cost $7,300 (including board and
food) and was based at Kellogg School of Management,
2001 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA,
+1 (847) 491 3300; www.kellogg.northwestern.edu
