Master's on the move

Know your market. That's a fundamental rule in any business enterprise. McGill's first venture in Japan required some careful research, but finding out exactly what the customer wanted is paying off.

A few years ago, the Faculty of Management was looking for a country in Asia where McGill might offer its MBA program. Japan was not on the list, says Professor David Saunders, associate dean for the faculty's master's programs, because "I thought Japan was just too expensive." McGill would have to charge so much it might prove difficult to attract students.

After finding that Hong Kong already had around 50 foreign universities offering degrees in business administration ("Why on earth would we go in knowing we had 50 competitors on day one?"), and also eliminating Singapore, Korea and Malaysia, Saunders and Dean Wallace Crowston decided to take another look at Japan. After all, if Japanese companies sent employees abroad to study for MBAs, wouldn't they be happy to save money by having a prestigious North American program available in Japan?

The McGill team consulted Canadian embassy personnel and alumni in Tokyo, and learned a number of things. One was that companies sent employees abroad as much to learn about the culture as to study business, and that they were willing to pay top dollar if they were being offered something they considered important. Another was that Canadians and other expatriates working in Japan would likely welcome the opportunity to earn a McGill MBA by studying part time.

Based on this advice, Plan B was born, and in July, McGill began offering a two-year MBA program in collaboration with Sophia University at its downtown Tokyo campus. The courses, taught in English by McGill professors and identical to those offered in Montreal, are given on weekends.

So far, 43 students are enrolled in the program. One-third are Japanese, about 40% are Canadian and the rest are from countries all over the world.

Professor Michelle Buck, who teaches organizational behaviour, says that because of cultural differences among her students, not all of the concepts discussed "have the same resonance for everyone. For example, the Japanese live in a more collective society than we do in the West and might therefore have completely different ideas and experiences." But not all differences are East vs. West. Buck says there is just as likely to be spirited classroom debate between students from Canada and the U.S.

The Faculty of Management is very pleased with the response to McGill's arrival in Tokyo. Crowston says establishing the program in Japan is part of an international strategy encouraged by the faculty's advisory board. "We would like to offer the program in other countries of the world, notably in Europe and in Latin America."

Soon McGill may be open for business at a university near you.