Executive MBA cohort travels to Finland and Russia on 10-day residency, culmination of 18-month program

A group of 25 students in the Shenandoah Cohort of Virginia Tech’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program travelled to Helsinki, Finland, and Moscow, Russia, for 10 days this summer, a culmination of their 18-month program.

The residency, led by EMBA Executive Director Charles Jacobina, incorporated both business and culture.  Ambassador Ilkka Heiskanen provided an overview of the country at the U.S. Embassy in Finland and AMCHAM  (the American Chamber of Commerce) arranged briefings by Microsoft Finland, Coca-Cola Finland, and Mirasys Ltd. Cultural experiences included a Helsinki samba festival and a visit to Suomenlinna, one of the several hundred islands that comprise Finland, where the students had an opportunity to dine in a number of traditional Finnish restaurants.

In Russia, there were discussions on commerce, economics, and politics at the U.S. Embassy. The students also visited Aurora Investment Advisors, started by Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business alum James Cook, Transparency International, and Luxoft Ltd.  They toured Red Square, dined at a traditional restaurant, which featured Russian song and dance, and visited the largest McDonald’s in the world.

Prior to leaving Washington D.C. for their travels abroad, the cohort was invited to tour the Embassy of Finland.

High-growth companies are the focus of the program’s 10-day international residency trip, which has taken previous cohorts to Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Ireland, Scotland, Hungary, China, Vietnam, Spain, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Italy. According to Jacobina, the trip is aimed at giving students a first-hand look at strategies that have led to business success in other countries. “Students get to see how the local environment affects business and experience aspects of international culture,” he said.

The Executive MBA program, launched in the Pamplin College of Business in the National Capital Region in 2003, offers executives a graduate business program that accommodates professional travel and schedule demands without disrupting their progress toward earning an MBA. “The program is designed for busy, experienced professionals with or without business degrees,” said Jacobina.

Its broad curriculum seeks to provide an understanding of the major elements of business, examines the ethical and global implications of management, and prepares managers for making decisions in a rapidly changing world, he said. “Our program is designed to integrate theory and practice, enhance the executive skills required for participants’ career advancement, prepare them to take their learning onto a global playing field, enhance their personal confidence, and promote networking opportunities among them,” said Jacobina.

The program is fully accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Classes, all taught by doctoral faculty, are held every other weekend over an 18-month period at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church. Students are recruited for cohorts beginning each September and February.

Posted August 13, 2009