Globalization of Business Schools: The Case of China

In line with the private sector, the business schools of the world increasingly seek to develop their relationships with China, a region they perceive as not only a tremendous growth opportunity but also a critical focal point in the global business environment, and about which their students and faculty must develop expertise to remain competitive. The authors introduce the upand down-side exposures of launching/operating either China-specific components of MBA programs or entire programs. They review five distinct avenues that business schools can employ to deepen their China-specific MBA relationships (outlining the advantages and disadvantages/risks in each), and they provide overall guidelines for increasing the potential for success – all based on a review of the literature, the authors’ own extensive China experiences, and select interviews with seasoned veterans of China’s degree-conferring business educational environment. (Note: This paper focuses on English-language business education, which the authors consider to be the relevant language for foreign business schools seeking China interaction. Business education in Chinese is a worthy subject, but one fit for another paper.)