14th March 2015, MBS GEMBA student delegation arrived in Dubai and kicked off a 9 day residential workshop and study tour. As a global emerging market, and the major business hub in the world, Dubai’s rapid economic development, strong business competition and multicultural environment attract the attention of the whole world and would definitely help the students to expand their global vision and inspire their innovation thinking. The 9 days’ residential workshop combined with interactive, blended learning methods, including: face-to-face workshops, group work, practical assignments and hands-on projects with genuine clients, business simulations, webinars, case studies, and problem-based and computer-aided learning, which brings a global perspective for these senior businesspeople including director and partner level professionals, of 11 nationalities and residing in 10 countries, including five in China.
(The GEMBA student delegation visits UAE prime Mister’s office and photographs with the chairman of Emirates Competitive Council)
A welcomed reception was held at MBS Dubai Centre on the first day, Middle East Centre Director of MBS. Randa Bessiso delivered a welcomed speech and expressed her best wishes to students with a wonderful and fruitful study tour at Dubai in the following days. Dr. Ayoub Kazim, Managing Director of the Education Cluster of TECOM Investments was invited to the event and addressed an opening speech.
GEMBA+
In addition to the workshop, MBS is showcasing Dubai, the UAE’s global competitiveness credentials and introducing the group to high profile businesses and thought leaders in their fields through a range of extra-curricular experiences includes industry site visit, one to one career coaching and CEO panels etc.
As the highlight of this extra-curricular activity, the GEMBA student delegation visited prime minister’s office of UAE led by Dubai Centre director and was given a speech by Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Secretary General of Emirates Competitiveness Council （ECC）. Students learned a lot about the UAE’s success in creating a globally competitive economy, reflected in the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness rankings and in the successful bid to host the World Expo 2020.
(GEMBA+ CEO panel discussion hosted at Dubai Capital Club)
20 March, the high level networking event of GEMBA+ was hosted at the Capital Club Dubai. The CEO panel and roundtable discussion brought together senior business leaders from the UAE with MBS faculty, alumni and GEMBA students, to explore critical business issues. The panel discussed issues from leadership in a multicultural environment to business planning in an uncertain world and the advantages and disadvantages of taxation in the region.
Developed by MBS in the 1960s, the famous “Manchester Method” focuses on group work, practice-based learning and reflection. The school takes the students to some of the world’s business capitals, get them working in multinational groups on global business issues. The unique MBS Global Executive MBA programme is delivered across 4 different locations worldwide, with each course tailored to provide specific business insights and facilitate global connections. Due to Dubai’s unique business culture, the two core modules “Financial management& Business Simulation” (taught by Professor Bob Ryan and Professor Nick Collett), along with “Managing and Leading People in Organisations” (taught by Professor Mike Bresnen) are designed to deliver at Dubai specifically. Commenting on the course, Professor Mike Bresnen said: “Dubai is the meeting point of many cultures so organisations here have to be truly global in their approach to managing people. It’s the perfect place to explore the challenges of leading and managing in a multicultural environment.”
Under the supervision by MBS professors, GEMBA students successfully applied cutting edge business theories and analysis tools into practice and transforming to be a better business leader. The Global Executive MBA programme combines academic theory with practical tools which enables the students have a good performance on applying their learning into practical case-studies based on their own organisation’s business challenges.
From workshop to GEMBA+ activities, MBS’s characteristic of innovation and creativity reflects on every detailed arrangement. For example, at the GEMBA Dinner, with purple background, every table was named as a famous sightseeing place in Dubai such as Sailing hotel, palm jumeirah, alongside with hot business management topics for students to discuss. Students were very impressed by this spiritual feast. It is no doubt that the event brought an ideal platform for students to expand their global network and deepen the communication with excellent business leaders in Dubai.
