News: Jul 08, 2011

Final presentation and examination for Executive MBA participants
Following two years of study at the School of Business, Economics and Law’s Executive MBA programme it is time for the final presentations and examinations for the programme’s 20 participants. The English-language part-time management programme is conducted during leisure-time, and is directed at managers in the private and public sectors. Both lecturers and participants come from different countries, which gives an international perspective on leadership and business culture, as well as tools with which to do business in the global market.

On the 16th and 17th June the programme participants will be presenting their examination projects that they have been working on over the last of four terms. The projects count for a quarter of the course, combining academic theory with experiences and investigations from their professional lives. There is a free choice of subject and this year will see how coaching can develop personnel in a multi-national organisation, how a bonus affects the motivation of the personnel and the use of social media as a challenge for HR.

In this year’s Executive MBA programme there are participants from seven countries, coming from different sectors, from the Swedish automotive industry to Mexican marketing. Among the employers are, for example, SKF, Volvo Buses, Roche, the Second Swedish National Pension Fund, Stena Recycling and Reitan Servicehandel. The participants, with an average age of 36 and who come from different functions, have studied in parallel with their professional jobs and meet on Thursday through to Saturday every third week at the School of Business, Economics and Law.

A good investment for the employer
Per-Olof Larsson is CEO for the School of Executive Education at the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg. He is of the opinion that the Executive MBA programme is an efficient way to prepare competent managers for greater tasks, and that the entire organisation is strengthened by the development of key employees. In addition new business opportunities are opened up through the network that takes root as the programme progresses.

” The majority of our participants are managers with functional responsibility. The Executive MBA programme is a generalised education that prepares the participants in order to take overall managerial responsibility for business activities in the home organisations. The participants can take the next step in their professional roles with self-confidence. Globalisation also entails that our Executive MBA programme in mid-career becomes even more relevant. Part of the course is undertaken in Asia, which strengthens one’s expertise in doing business in a global market”, explains Per-Olof Larson.

Strong personal development
”It has been a fantastic voyage to follow the participants’ development. A fundamental idea of the programme is that they should develop as individuals, and they certainly have done so. Today they definitely make more concious decisions in their management roles”, says Dr. Roger Schweizer, who is the programme director for the Executive MBA programme.

According to Roger Schweizer there is no doubt that the participants are today more confident in their managerial roles than when they started two years ago. He also means they have found a more holistic point of view towards management. An important area of focus in the programme is the challenges in change management.
“It’s no coincidence that many of the examination projects are concerned with precisely strategic change management”, adds Roger Schweizer.

For more information:
Contact Per-Olof Larsson, tel 031-786 5381, 0708- 98 16 00, per-olof.larsson@handels.gu.se

About the School of Executive Education at the the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg
School of Executive Education is a provider of university-based management development programmes, founded in 2008 as a carve-out of the executive education practice of the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. School of Executive Education delivers customized programmes for the private and public sector and one Executive MBA programme. The clients are spread out across the globe and programmes are delivered i.e. in Finland, USA, India, China and Singapore. The School of Executive Education designs programmes that combine academic weight with practical relevance, which helps the customers to implement strategies through the development of key employees.
BY: Åsa Kultje