Taking the lead
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The next step: taking the lead
During the second phase, participants build on their understanding of management fundamentals in order to move beyond a basic mastery of business administration. The objective now is to develop an ability to make a difference – through innovation, entrepreneurship, governance and leadership. This phase of the program consequently stresses the areas where future leaders must excel. There is a strong, coherent focus on the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.
The development of Integrative Leaders
Future executives cannot just be technicians in finance, or marketing, or operations research. They need to excel through functional expertise, displaying a comprehensive understanding of all areas and a capacity to get them to work harmoniously. They have to be leaders working across boundaries, be they functional, departmental, legal or cultural. In other words, they need to know how to design and implement bridges between separate worlds. A separate 70-session Leadership Competence Development program has been added to the curriculum in 2011.
Focus on Technology and Sustainable Business
MBA participants can choose from two elective tracks. The first, Management of Innovation and Technology (MIT), concentrates on how to successfully innovate through technology, how to capture value from this innovation, and how to bring new technologies to the market. The second, Global Sustainable Business (GSB), focuses on issues of sustainability, environmental management, as well as doing business in emerging economies.
International Field Seminar
All participants are required to participate on an International Field Seminar linked to one of the elective tracks. The 2011 Field Seminar destinations were Silicon Valley and China. The next 10 day seminar takes place in September 2012.
Consulting Project and Master’s Thesis
Following the elective courses, participants undertake a team-based practice project, from which each participant derives an individual master’s thesis topic.
Business Plan and Innovation Competition
The program ends with courses on Competing through Business Models and Writing a Business Plan, after which students compete with each other in an Innovation Fair. The winning team may be selected to represent ESMT in future international competitions.
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