March 4-5, 2008. Shanghai campus -- CEIBS President Zhu Xiaoming attended several school departments during the past two days for a series of informational briefings. President Zhu attended presentations by the MBA, EMBA, and Executive Development programmes, as well as the Dean’s Office, Case Study Centre, Human Resources, and Logistics departments. During these briefings, he was accompanied by CEIBS Vice President Zhang Weijiong.
The briefings series marks the first time for the CEIBS Management Committee members to formally meet directly with all school staff members. The two-day event is part of a process designed to prepare for the MC members to plan for the mid- and long-term development of the school.
During the investigation, each department director introduced staff members to President Zhu, then reported the current challenges and opportunities now facing that particular department. Individual staff members then briefed President Zhu on the key tasks, achievements and difficulties of that job. Staffers also explained their suggestions for overcoming challenges and making improvements, then sought feedback from the MC members. Speaking conversationally, President Zhu expressed his appreciation to the hard-working staff, congratulated them on their achievements and encouraged to continue seeking innovative solutions to improving CEIBS.
Commenting on the fact that the CEIBS MBA has been ranked No. 11 by the London based Financial Times for two consecutive years, President Zhu warned the school staff against complacence. He emphasized that the school continues to face a challenge in competing directly with the world’s first-class international business schools, and he stressed that CEIBS cannot progress further without continued hard work. Finally, he asked staff members to actively identify areas for improvement and to creatively develop solutions.
Members of the CEIBS Management Committee will be developing a short-term and long-term strategic development plan for the school in April. President Zhu will be urging every CEIBS department to actively contribute to this process. He emphasized that finance has become a key development direction for CEIBS, as noted by the launch of the CEIBS-Lujiazui International Finance Centre, and the organizing of the first Lujiazui Forum in May 2008, facilitated by CEIBS and hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the People’s Bank of China, China Banking Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, and China Insurance Regulatory Commission. With the new finance focus in mind, President Zhu asked the CEIBS MBA and EMBA programmes to design compulsory and selective finance-related courses, and recommended that the ED Programme design short-term finance-oriented training programs. He also asked each of the three programmes to make constructive suggestions on cultivating finance talents for Shanghai and China.
President Zhu also explained the relationship between “brand value” and return, urging school staff to participate in building the school’s brand in order to increase returns. This effort involves working innovatively, saving cost, and improving effectiveness. He stressed the importance of improving the service quality and put forward detailed requests to the Logistics Department concerning improving dining hall services and overall school security.
President Zhu made many other specific suggestions on the career development of the staff, asking them to use the school’s platform to continue learning and growing. He requested that the Human Resources Department focus attention on the career development of the staff in order to help employees to reach their full potential as they contribute to the school. Finally, President Zhu assured CEIBS employees that he would study the challenges raised by staff members in order to find the best solutions.
