Synergy effect:“Kyiv – Zurich”

On October 24, 2013, the MIM-Kyiv business school concluded an agreement with the Lorange Institute of Business (Zurich, Switzerland) on a joint top-ranked executive MBA program. This means that those who have successfully done the MIM-Kyiv MBA program will be able to receive a Lorange Institute of Business MBA diploma. They will thus simultaneously obtain two top executive qualifications recognized both in Ukraine and Switzerland.

“For MIM-Kyiv, this is another confirmation of what we were already convinced of: the programs we use comply with the highest international standards,” MIM-Kyiv President Iryna TYKHOMYROVA pointed out in a comment to The Day.

In her words, this step will boost again the market value of MIM-Kyiv trainees. “Our graduates have gained new opportunities. And their opportunities are their value. Should they wish to work in a globalized milieu, cooperation with the Lorange Institute of Business will provide them with additional options,” she said.

MIM-Kyiv and the Lorange Institute of Business have been negotiating for more than four years. But, according to Ms. Tykhomyrova, the active phase of the negotiations, which actually meant validation (the schools assessed the extent to which their philosophies, courses, and quality standards coincided), lasted for nine months.

So from January 1, 2014, onwards, practically every MIM-Kyiv MBA trainee will be able to do two additional modules in Zurich, defend their thesis, and receive the graduation diploma of one of the world’s most prestigious business schools. The only precondition (in addition to being able to pay for the course) is fluent command of English).

What pleases Ukrainians is the fact that while a full MBA course at the Lorange Institute of Business costs 69,000 Swiss francs (76,869 US dollars), the two MIM-Kyiv modules will be much cheaper, Ms. Tykhomyrova told The Day. Yet she has not yet disclosed the price. “I wouldn’t like to name the amount, but I know for sure this will be much cheaper than the nominal cost of course over there,” she says. In other words, Ukrainian managers can receive a Swiss diploma and, what is more, experience and connections which international business education (this option is, from our experience of communicating with MIM-Kyiv graduates and instructors, by far the most important for the people who choose MBA) provides at a “shareholding price.”

“Our trainees are to do two two-week-long modules in Switzerland in two years, write a thesis in English, and defend it at our place. One does not need to publicly defend a thesis in Zurich to obtain a Lorange Institute of Business diploma. They have concluded that our approach to education, our system of evaluation, the procedure of admission, and, naturally, our instructors meet the best international standards. It is the main thing,” Ms. Tykhomyrova told The Day.

Besides, as the MIM-Kyiv press service emphasizes, this business school views this agreement with the Lorange Institute of Business as continuation of its traditions of internationality laid down 25 years ago. It will be recalled that MIM-Kyiv was the first in the former Soviet Union to offer an MBA program in line with international standards. This happened as long ago as 1989 (!).

REFERENCE

The Lorange Institute of Business is a private business school. It is situated in Zurich, Switzerland, and was founded quite recently – in 2009. But, in spite of being young, it has already been awarded the most prestigious accreditations by such reputed business education institutions as EFMD and AMBA. The teaching methods here differ from the classic ones: the education organization is not didactic, and the program is communication-oriented. The institution’s philosophy is that it is a place to enter into contacts that will prove useful throughout a lifetime. “We have a vision of a new way of learning – tailored to the real needs of the 21st century. Learning which… suits your personal needs and can be pursued while you work in your current position,” Peter Lorange, the business school’s founder says in the chapter “About Us” on the Lorange Institute of Business official website, “We broaden your view of business challenges and solutions and present the latest in practice and theory. And we challenge you to discover your limits.”

Professor Peter Lorange is a legend of modern business education, who headed the Lausanne-based IMD, one of the world’s best business schools, for 15 years. In is under his guidance that IMD became a true center of global business and research, a place that exclusively trains company executives who work worldwide. Four years ago Lorange abandoned IMD and opened his own business school named after himself.