december-2011

120—GW
B U S I N E S S S C H O O L S
NEW YEAR – NEW MBA?
An MBA will further your career, now more than ever. We introduce
Europe’s best business schools which will change your work life forever
Mayan prophesy may say
2012 is the year the
world ends (along with
the Hollywood movie 2012), but
if you’re relying on doomsday
predictions to avoid progessing
your career come January, then
it’s your employability that will
be making an apocalyptic exit.
Post-recession, being ahead of
the competition is critical.
Is it time to consider an
MBA? The Master of Business
Administration is a highly
respected qualifi cation, which
demonstrates how serious you
are about your job. Expect
intensive programmes but rich
rewards, with salaries of
£40,000 upwards upon
graduation.
One size doesn’t fi t all, so
choosing your course carefully
is crucial. Individual
programmes emphasise
diff erent aspects of business
development such as project
management or fi nance.
But rather than undertaking
an MBA in the place you live,
why not widen your experience
and study abroad?
London
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben
and Beefeaters: London is
undeniably one of the world’s
most exciting cities to visit. But
it’s also a leading world centre
for many industries, with
considerable job prospects,
including banking, insurance,
aviation, media and technology.
And you’ll get a chance to
practise speaking English, the
international business language.
STUDY AT: Royal Holloway,
University of London
QUALIFICATION: MBA in
International Management
COST: Last year £16,940 (2012/13
TBC), deadline 31 July 2012
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS: The capstone
business consulting module
of the programme sees
students work in groups acting
as management consultants,
addressing real business problems
set by industry partners.
Says course director Justin
O’Brien: “The MBA in
International Management puts
an emphasis on theory and
includes an intensive induction
module exploring the
philosophy of management.
“Royal Holloway also enjoys a
very high academic reputation,
ranked 88th in the world and
13th in the UK by Times Higher
Education in 2011, with some
departments ranked alongside
Oxford and Cambridge.”
Harry Potter fans will discover
that the Founders building on
campus is nicknamed
“Hogwarts” because of its
appearance, and has been used
as a location by fi lm-makers.
www.rhul.ac.uk/management/
home.aspx
Athens
While Judgement Day fanatics
are expecting their salaries to
cease in 2012, why not go to
Greece – the birthplace of
civilisation – to increase yours?
Rich in ancient monuments,
Athens is a wonderful city to
study in, with the bonus of lovely
warm weather. Despite the
economic crisis in Greece, the
country benefi ts from a recently
established strategic
partnership with China,
allowing it to emerge as a new
“silk road” that connects China
with Europe.
STUDY AT: Athens University of
Economics and Business
COST: €12,000, deadline
31 May 2012
QUALIFICATION: International
MBA
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS: Maria
Doukaki, Marketing and
International Relations
manager, says the course
curriculum is personalised and
tailored in order to meet the
specifi c needs and goals of each
individual student.
“Focusing on the individual
client rather than on what can be
taught means that students are
not only satisfi ed, but get much
more mileage from the time and
money spent at business school,”
she says. “They also face better
career prospects since they can
stand out better in the global job
market among the sea of
indistinguishable MBA
graduates.”
Maria highlights too that the
study fees are extremely
reasonable when compared with
those elsewhere.
www.imba.aueb.gr
Zurich
The lovely old town around
Augustinergasse and its
atmospheric historic churches
make Zurich an attractive city to
stay in. But it’s not just a pretty
face, being strategically situated
in the middle of Europe and
favoured as an HQ by many
international companies,
Zurich off ers excellent
onward employment
opportunities. And if you like
smooth operators, the Swiss are
renowned for effi ciency in
whatever they do. German is
also the offi cial language here.
QUALIFICATION: MBA
COST: CHF32,500, deadline
1 August 2012
STUDY AT: Swiss Business School
UNIQUE SELLING POINTS:
Academic dean Bert Wolfs says:
“Our curriculum is very practically
oriented and innovative. When
we introduced the course
Business Values and Ethics in
2002, everybody asked us why.
Since the fi nancial crisis of
2008, people understand the
importance of ethics.
“Also, students do real
company projects and fi nd that
faculty members have not only
academic qualifi cations but also
industry experience.”
The student groups are
highly international, with 60%
of them from abroad, and the
stress is on leadership and
strategy skills.
www.sbs.edu/programs/
graduate/mba