Sino-German EMBA Program Graduates Third Cohort: MBA News

The Sino-German EMBA program offered by Mannheim Business School and the School of Economics and Management at Shanghai’s Tongji University celebrated the graduation of its third cohort at a ceremony at the end of last week.

At the ceremony, Mannheim Business School’s president, Jens Wüstemann, congratulated the small group of 13 graduates on completing the EMBA and successfully navigating the time management challenges it poses – the “impossible task of maintaining a balance among the magical three-point matrix consisting of your professional life, your private life, and the EMBA program.”

EMBA with Tongji University emphasizes flexibility

Mannheim Business School established its EMBA program with Tongji University in 2011 to provide an option for students who wished to concentrate on the established Sino-German business landscape, with a view to its future growth. Consisting of six modules lasting 9 to 11 days apiece that are split between Mannheim and Shanghai, the EMBA is designed to be as flexible as possible – students can complete it in anywhere between 18 and 42 months, depending on their existing commitments (you can read an interview with an alumnus of the program here.)

In an interview with Metro Shanghai, Wüstemann reflected on what he had learnt since the EMBA program’s inception. He noted that the partnership between Mannheim Business School and Tongji University has been attracting a student body that is split evenly between the two countries - roughly 40% from each - with the remaining 20% hailing from elsewhere.

For the German or European student, Wüstemann reiterated the benefits of studying at Tongji University for those working in multinational firms with an eye on the business opportunities presented by China’s economic expansion. Of course, doing business in China is not without its risks, as an event at the school last year testifies, but all the more reason to better understand the market’s landscape and climate.

For the Chinese student, meanwhile, he outlined how he felt the EMBA’s approach could add to an existing skillset: “If I could think of some opportunities for improvement, they [the program’s students from China] could be a bit more creative in class. China in general is becoming more innovative, and you can see this in a lot of industries. So instead of following ideas, Chinese leaders should strive to develop new ideas,” Wüstemann said, adding that business school provides a great environment in which to develop, discuss and test out new ideas and approaches.

Mannheim Business School president points to similarities

However, Wüstemann was also quick to point to the similarities between the EMBA program’s European and Asian students, despite their cultural differences:

“I believe that in our globalized society, there are no 'Chinese students' or 'German students.' Having said this, we are all the result of cultural influences. Therefore, there exist cultural differences, such as in character and mindsets. But there are also many similarities between the Chinese and Germans. Students from both countries seem to be extremely eager to learn. Many have strong engineering or mathematics backgrounds,” he said, adding that industries in Germany and China also bore some similarities.

The graduation ceremony, held at Mannheim Business School, doubled up as a chance to welcome 2015’s incoming cohort. Looking ahead, Wüstemann wants the EMBA program to be one of the first to apply the digitalization of business to a Sino-German business context in its teaching, in recognition of the fact that development in this field is a challenge to all multinational firms, regardless of their particular spheres of interest.