Regional Focus
AsiA pAcific

Regional Focus - Asia Pacific
By David Williams

Could the booming economies of Asia be the place to study if you want to avoid the
economic downturn in europe and North America?
I
t certainly looks as if this could be the case Credibility while also developing their networks in a part
as many top business schools in the region But studying in Asia Pacific is about far more of the world that has become an economic
are experiencing a boom in applications. than placing yourself at the centre of an powerhouse.
“Our application volumes are up in a classic economic boom. Obtaining an MBA in the Karen Ma is Head of MBA Marketing and
counter-cyclical way,” says Jennifer George, region is becoming increasingly attractive as Admissions at Hong Kong University of Science
Associate Dean of Academic Programs at people realize they can get a top-ranked and Technology (HKUST). “We have noticed
Melbourne Business School. “They have risen business education for a fraction of the cost that interest in Asian business schools has
thirty per cent on previous years, in just the
same way as they did when we went through the
last economic downturn in 2001. People start
to want to improve their skill level in a tighter
market or decide to invest their redundancy
pay-out in an MBA.”
The counter-cyclical idea is based on the
observation that business schools do well in
times of economic difficulty as people attempt
to take shelter from the downturn while
simultaneously preparing themselves to be best
placed when the upturn comes. What’s different
about the situation in the Asia-Pacific region is
that the economies and employment
opportunities are continuing to boom.
“We have definitely received more
applications from people coming from North
America,” says Lawrence Chan, Director of
Marketing and Student Recruiting for MBA
Programs at The Chinese University of Hong
Kong. “People with decent jobs, some of whom
may originally have been from Asia, are coming
here because they see the opportunities in this
part of the world. For our part, we are really
pleased with the employment opportunities
taken up by our 2008 cohort, many of whom
have achieved their employment goals, while
some of our 2009 graduates have already
received offers.”
“Firms in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney
and Singapore continue to hire strongly and
activity has gone up compared to three years
ago,” agrees Professor Chris Adam, Postgraduate
Programs Director at the n Graduate School
of Management (AGSM) within The University
of New South Wales. “It is the people who are
going back to Europe or North America who
are seeing a cooling of the market.”
Hong Kong skyline from Victoria peak
144 TopMBA CAreer Guide www.topmba.com

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