Ray Han
Finance and Administrative Director, Greater China
Mercury Interactive, Smith Executive MBA China '06

I have 10 years of accounting and consulting work. I needed to expand my international knowledge and experience. It is for this reason that I applied to and enrolled in the Smith Executive MBA program in Beijing. Smith faculty surpasses all local and international MBA programs in Beijing. In fact, Smith faculty are among the best in all of China. Smith faculty have real-world business experience combined with extensive international management experience. As a result, my Smith EMBA classmates and I are learning about businessacross many international business disciplines.

The Smith EMBA is invaluable because the Smith curriculum is directly applicable to the workplace. For example, I recently worked on a consulting project and I was able to draw on my Smith classroom experience and bring a new perspective to this workplace project. The Corporate Finance class taught us how to evaluate a public company'a skill I did not have before. I wanted to stay in China to pursue my Executive MBA. For me, the Smith Executive MBA was the answer.

Quentin Lam
Director, Field Operations
Otis Elevator China, Smith Executive MBA China '06

Even before the Smith School began its program with Otis Elevator, the Smith School was contributing to thesuccess of Otis.

When I worked with [Otis China President] Bob Isaman inNew York, we heavily recruited Smith MBA graduates.

Establishing lasting partnerships with corporations is the future of management education. Few managers have the time to find programs outside of the corporate environment. The Smith-Otis Executive MBA program gives Otis executives a balance between work and time in the classroom. As an American educated in the U.S., I can see clearly how the program is impacting my Chinese classmates. The Macroeconomics class, for example, provided many new concepts and perspectives that had not been introduced to my Chinese colleagues. The introduction of "global thinking" gives program participants a different business perspective. The best class for me has been Systems Thinking. I've learned that problems can not only be approached from an analytical point of view. Systems Thinking taught me new ways to think about solving problems. We are able to tour specific business challenges into the broader processes within the company, and this helps us ensure that the solution fits the entire system. I initially thought going to graduate school would involve listening to lectures about case studies but Smith faculty make the classroom experience interactive and interesting! This method gives me a better understanding of the course material. It forces participants to ask the right questions and identify the answers in the process.

Xu Zheng
General Manager, IBM China Northwest Branch
IBM, Smith Executive MBA China '04

I had three goals in mind when I enrolled in the Smith Executive MBA program: to earn an advanced degree from a prestigious international university, to broaden my international experience, and to establish solid professional relationships with other executives. The Smith School's Executive MBA degree has allowed me to achieve my goals.

Smith's faculty is outstanding. They have given me a global view of technology. Smith faculty has extensive international experience. Smith professors show participants how to examine many different types of business situations. This new and different perspective has made me an even more valuable employee at IBM because I have learned how to approach business in a systemic way. Lastly, the caliber of other program participants is excellent. I interact and engage with other senior executives in every class.

Sharon Li
Sales Director
Pearl-in-Palm Information Technology Ltd.
Smith Executive MBA China '06

With 11 years of IT sales and marketing experience, it was time for me to enter an Executive MBA program. The all-English component of the Smith program was a big advantage for me because the faculty and textbooks mirror the curriculum of the Smith Executive MBA program in College Park, Maryland. The Smith Executive MBA program gives me a global business perspective - which is critical. It will allow me to advance within my current company. The Smith Executive MBA also gives me the opportunity to interact with other senior business executives and to expand my network in Maryland and throughout the United States. The Smith curriculum is immediately applicable to my day-to-day business responsibilities. With the skills I learned in Professor Judy Frels' International Marketing class, I was able to implement a marketing strategy for my company. The Human Capital Management class helped me improve communication with my boss, other executives and my team. The Smith Executive MBA program is a difficult and demanding workload - and it is also extremely rewarding. There is a Chinese proverb that says we should learn throughout our entire lives - the Smith Executive MBA program keeps me learning.