We are focusing on being more tech and data-driven in our curriculum, says CKGSB Professor Dr Li

China is one of the leading economies of the world posing huge entrepreneurial and job opportunities for the aspirants. These opportunities have turned the country into a education hub as well. Many students from India and other global locations move to China to pursue higher studies, including MBA. One of the leading colleges offering MBA is Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB).

We recently caught up with Dr Li to find out what he learned during his 10-day trip to India and to ask for his advice, as Academic Director of CKGSB’s Global MBA Program, on why Indian students might want to consider an MBA program in China.

Dr Li marries a stellar academic background in both Engineering and Marketing. A BS in Electronics from Peking University, followed by an MS in Biomedical Engineering and a PhD in Marketing from Columbia University, he has a cutting-edge business experience, which includes consulting for the likes of Tencent, Baidu and Yonghui Group.

Q: What was the purpose of the trip to India?

A: Last November, CKGSB took its first group of entrepreneurs to India. It was a chance to experience the people and the culture, and to build understanding. Chinese entrepreneurs want to learn how to interact with Indians. There are a lot of people, it’s a big country, and the streets are very busy. We saw the air pollution, though we actually took that as a positive signal, it’s a sign of an economy developing fast.

Q: India is looking to develop its internet business but still doesn’t have some of its most basic infrastructure in place. What can it learn from how China developed its online sector?

A: In India, the roads and highways are probably not ready yet. At the time when China was first developing, most of the conditions were not ready yet either. But for people like Alibaba’s Founder Jack Ma, Tencent Founder Pony Ma, they were creative in getting around these issues. So India, can possibly follow some of those strategies or even improve on the Chinese strategies. In terms of the Indian students, such experience would be very valuable for them, because China already went through many of the infrastructure challenges.

Q: India, like China, has produced many engineering graduates. As an engineering graduate yourself, what special strengths can someone with an engineering background bring to an MBA programme?

A: MBA education has changed tremendously in the past 10 years. Nowadays, we are seeing a very different market, a lot of tech and internet companies. Even for the traditional companies, they are trying to transform themselves into tech companies. Also, for those important management skills, they are very hard to learn just in business school. They can only really be learned in a real company. So what can business schools nowadays offer to students? When engineering students enter business school, we know we can teach them finance and accounting, things that they have never heard about before. For future managers, it’s indispensable that the manager knows both sides, the soft and the hard skills. So that’s why CKGSB is also shifting our focus to being more tech driven, a data driven education. In the recent intakes of CKGSB students, a large part have come from the tech or internet industry, and they demand content and classes related to the online economy. So, we as educators are adapting our content to suit that need.

Q: In your experience working with or teaching Indians, what differences have you observed when compared with students from other countries?

A: At Columbia University, I had many professors from India. One of my favorites and a regular co-author, was Professor Asim Ansari. He is very respected and well-known, and a very nice person. I also interacted with students from India and I taught some in classes at Columbia. At CKGSB, we have had some Indian students in our MBA class, and also on the exchange programme, so I’m quite familiar with them.

Compared with Chinese students, Indian students tend have much better English skills and they are very good at presenting their work. Both Chinese and Indian students are good at Maths and Engineering, but Indians, you see on the job market, they are doing much better. During the tour, we observed that the young people in India tend to be more confident. When they interact with the West, that’s a big advantage.

Q: What elements or features of the CKGSB MBA are particularly relevant to Indian students?

A: From what we observed in India, the spirit, and the confidence are more evident there than in China. I don’t think there is a lack of entrepreneurial mindset. India’s economic development is probably 10 to 15 years behind China, so they definitely have more opportunities than China now. If you want to work hard and bring the Chinese experience back, maybe they will be even more successful. We went to India because many Chinese companies are looking at it as a very attractive opportunity. And there are a lot of Chinese people in our business school who are looking for collaborations in India. They find they can’t get suitable people to work with, but they want to make entrepreneur friends in India. And so any student who comes here, they naturally become the next ambassador to bridge the gap and they will more easily get support from Chinese entrepreneurs.

Q: As one of the world’s fastest growing economy, a source of major economic disruption that is playing a growing role in global markets, it is clearly vital that students learn about China. Why would you recommend they actually study in China?

A: That’s a question we ask our students and ourselves – what is the unique value we can offer to students that come from outside of China? It’s true that some American schools and other Asian schools also offer China-related courses and programs, but you have to come to China to learn about China. You have to be here to appreciate the differences, the uniqueness, the opportunities and the challenges.

Q: How should Indian students prepare to ensure they get the most out of the CKGSB Global MBA program?

A: China has a very different business culture compared to India. Someone new to China should be open and tolerant to this. There will be culture shocks, so they should be mentally prepared for that. I would strongly recommend that they learn some Chinese prior to arriving. Yes, we offer an English education, but there are still a lot of things that can’t be 100% conveyed. CKGSB provides Chinese language course for MBA students twice a week. As for the language, you don’t have to be fluent, so long as you start and open your mind to it. Thinking about the long term, if you can master the Chinese language well, that’s a huge advantage, perhaps even bigger than the degree.

Want to know what Dr Li has to say about the type of students best-suited to pursue MBA at CKGSB? Click here