It Takes a Global Village: A Network Approach to Providing Executive MBA Students with a Truly Global Experience

There is wide agreement among business school faculty and administrators about the necessity to provide a global view and perspective to all management students, particularly those in Executive MBA (EMBA) programmes. All business today is global by definition: competitors from new and emerging markets are laying claim to an increasing global market share in a broad set of industries; consumer requirements are more diverse and exacting across different markets, imposing harsh demands of variations in product or service attributes and value propositions; supply chains are considerably more complex and extensive, including many more countries and requiring strict observance to cost, quality, and ethical issues; the source of innovation can reside in organizations far from those one knows best or normally interacts with; and the role of governments and other institutions is ever more prevalent wherever we operate or seek customers.