Entrepreneurship to me means identifying a market opportunity, taking action, taking risks, and managing limited resources to grow a business and generate profits.
With the “always on” news cycle and pervasive social media tools, there is an increased demand for business leaders who can quickly analyse crises, generate alternatives, make decisions and develop action plans. These skills will become even more important as more and more Chinese companies expand globally and operate in more international markets.
These are the type of skills that we teach at Ivey to our Executive MBA (EMBA) students and Executive Education clients, including leading companies in China and Hong Kong.
Free access to information, rapid technological change and increasing global competition in every industry is requiring everyone in business to think and act more like an entrepreneur.
Ivey’s 100 per cent case-based teaching simulates the real world by having students take the role of decision-makers in over 150 real-world business cases – which are often taught by the professor who wrote the case.
Students analyse complex problems, generate alternatives and articulate their decisions and action plans. It is a great way to learn in a safe environment where you are challenged by other executives and our professors, who facilitate discussions and presentations.
Most importantly, making and articulating a decision involves taking a risk, which is one of the hallmarks of being an entrepreneur. Of our executives, 30 per cent change jobs or are promoted during the programme and are able to take on those roles better prepared to handle crises.
The Ivey EMBA is all about active participatory learning. We often take executives who are specialists and teach them cross-enterprise leadership and general management. These are critical skills for both starting a new business and growing an existing one.
During the programme, graduates will analyse and make recommendations on over 150 real-world business cases and, most importantly, be able to apply the lessons when they return to work.
Our graduates are excellent decision-makers and leaders who can quickly understand a situation, analyse the problem, generate alternatives, make decisions and take action.
As told to Michael Taylor
