In a research room of Yishen Building at National Chengchi University, a notebook computer and an overhead projector are laid on a desk. Research tables and statistics are projected on the screen. Graduate students from different countries are concentrating on their discussion. These students have the same interests and enthusiasm, although they come from disparate cultures. They are all International MBA graduate students at National Chengchi University.
The IMBA program at the College of Commerce, Chengchi University in Taiwan has a pioneering all-English academic environment with graduate students from more than 20 countries learning on an open and free campus.
“It’s a meaningful and unique experience in Taiwan joining this group which has people from many different countries with various cultures and backgrounds. ”said International MBA graduate student Reginald Goodridge of Liberia.
National Chengchi University is a leader among Taiwan’s business schools as well being in the Top Ten business schools Asia. The College of Commerce at Chengchi University was established in 1957 and its IMBA program began in 2001 and was the first International MBA program in Taiwan.
The IMBA’s program’s Director Dr. Samuel Chen indicated that Taiwan holds an important economic position in Asia. And, unlike other business schools, the IMBA program at National Chengchi University not only offers general management courses but also a specially designed “Management in Asia” course, the only program of its kind in Asia and a vital basis of the IMBA program.
Apart from the economy of Asia and the region’s cultural features, the “Management in Asia” course also includes research on the thought of Confucius, which dominated philosophy in the East over two thousand years, in order to make the IMBA students realize how the thought still influences the management in the economy and to enable an understanding of the uniqueness of Asia’s economy via the aspect of Eastern culture.
The countries of East Asia - China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore - each have their own cardinal economic positions. Chengchi University’s IMBA program offers “Taiwan, Japan and Korea -- Business Modeling Comparison”, “Cross-Straits Political and Business Environment”, “Chinese Business in Global Perspective” and “Small & Medium Size Enterprises”. Among the courses, “Small and Medium Size Enterprises” particularly emphasizes the features of Taiwan’s economic environment structure.
Dr. Chen also described the IMBA program’s newly established relationship with the Indian School of Business, Hyberbad and how it will enhance the school’s research position and provide even broader opportunities in the Greater Asia economy for students.
In order to provide real-world experience, National Chengchi University not only invites business leaders from around Asia to give lectures but has also opened three additional important exchange channels. They are “Leaders’ Forum” (interacting with local with enterprises), “Information Technology and Business Strategy-The IBM Experience” (for global managers) and “Case Study” of Practical Business Project.
Director Chen said the “Case Study” of Practical Business Project is a particularly exciting program that combines Chinese and foreign graduate students into groups for one semester and allows them to have practical training at local enterprises. When meeting any kind of challenge, they bring it back to the campus to get instructed by their IMBA professors and work out solutions. The College of Commerce of Chengchi University has collected these experiences into volumes to become case studies providing practical business solutions.
The spirit of these case studies is the same as same as Harvard University’s Business School. National Chengchi Univ. has been constantly sending teachers to get trained in HBS case teaching. In addition, the university is putting finishing touches on construction of the “Yuanta Lecture Room”, which is similar to the case study research rooms of Harvard and is sponsored by Yuanta Core Pacific Securities.
The campus is a warm setting in the city. Director Chen said IMBA students go hiking on nearby mountains with professors and classmates in the IMBA program. Also, professors who teach Human Resource Management for International Business host 3 or 4 informal get-togethers each year.
National Chengchi University, Taipei is a 100 hectare campus established in 1927. There are 14,894 students in total, with 8,974 students undergraduates, 5,043 for Master’s degrees and 877 doctoral students. The faculty consists of 279 professors, 205 associate professors, 94 assistant professors and 47 lecturers. The school motto is “親愛精誠” – Love, Truth & Fidelity.
政治大學IMBA 專訪
在台灣國立政治大學的逸仙樓研究室裡，桌上放著一台筆記型電腦及投影機，在投影牆上有著一些強調科學研究的表格和數據，幾位來自不同國家的研究生正在專注的討論，這群熱烈討論的學生，各個來自不同的文化，但卻有著相同的投入，他們就是政治大學國際經營管理碩士班的研究生。
在台灣政治大學商學院的國際經營管理學程IMBA，有著開創的全英語學術環境，來自世界五大洲20多個國家的研究生，在自由開放的寧靜校園中，釋放熱情的學習能量。
在政治大學IMBA就讀的研究生Reginald Goodridge說：「由來自世界不同國家的人，所組成的學習團體，無論性格、觀點或背景，這樣多元的組成下，集聚在一起，是一件深具意義的事，它是我在台灣所經歷的獨特經驗。」
目前，在台灣商學院的學術環境，政治大學商學院屬於領導的地位，而且，政大在整體亞洲商學院的排行在前十名。政大商學院創立於西元1957年，國際經營管理學程IMBA則是在西元2001年首設，也是台灣第一個國際經營管理碩士學程。
政大國際經營管理碩士學程IMBA執行長陳春龍指出，台灣是亞洲重要的經濟據點，有別於其他經濟區域，在政治大學的IMBA課程設計中，除一般的經營管理課程外，特別規劃獨立出「亞洲管理」（Management in Asia）的課程，此課程到目前為止，是亞洲僅見，也是政治大學國際經營管理學程重要的立基。
在亞洲管理的課程規劃中，除探討亞洲主要的經濟文化特色，也融合研究主宰東方兩千多年的儒家思想，藉以讓IMBA的學生瞭解儒家思想是如何影響經濟上的人事管理，並從東方的文化思潮出發，探索屬於亞洲的經濟體的獨特所在。
在東亞國家當中，中國、台灣、日本、韓國、香港和新加坡等國家，都各自佔有重要的經濟地位，政治大學國際經營管理開設「台、日、韓企業經營模式比較」（Taiwan,
Japan and Korea Business Modeling Comparison）、「兩岸政經環境實務」（Cross-Straits Political
and Business Environment）、「中國企業與全球發展」（Chinese Business in Global
Perspective）及「中小企業管理」（Small and Medium Size Enterprises），其中，「中小企業管理」（Small and
Medium Size Enterprises）更是凸顯了台灣經濟環境結構特色。
在未來的課程規劃，執行長陳春龍表示，目前已在構想將印度管理學院(Indian Institute of Management, IIM)納入合作對象，以進一步擴展至東南亞的經濟研究，同時連接兩岸三地，與亞洲各區域的研究生互動交流。
為了與實務界充分的互動，政治大學國際經營管理碩士課程IMBA，不僅邀請業界的企業領袖演講授課，更開闢三個重要的產學交流管道，分別是與企業界互動的「領導者論壇」（Leaders’ Forum）、全球經理人的資訊科技與企業策略-IBM之實務經驗（Information Technology and Business Strategy-The IBM Experience）以及親身投入企業實務（Practical Business Project）的「個案研究」（Case Study）。
針對企業實務（Practical Business Project）的「個案研究」（Case Study），執行長陳春龍指出，有一學期的時間會將中外籍研究生混合分組，同時輔導IMBA研究生前往企業界實習，並將實習企業單位的各種經營難題，帶回校園接受IMBA教授的指導，同時提出解決或突破的方案。目前政治大學商學院已經將歷屆的研究個案集結成冊，成為企業實務的重要研究文獻。
政治大學商學院「個案教學」（HBS Cases teaching）的精神與美國哈佛大學商學院相同，近年來，政治大學商學院不斷選派師資到哈佛大學接受個案教學的訓練。政治大學商學院院長周行一表示：「個案教學要看情境使用，情境對了，就是很好的工具。」目前由元大證卷捐助所建，與哈佛個案研究教室類似的「元大講堂」（Yuanta Lecture Room）也即將落成。
位於台北市郊寧靜的政治大學校園裡，徐徐的微風，和樹木搖曳時葉片間傳出的沙沙聲，讓人清醒。執行長陳春龍說，IMBA研究生會和教授一起去爬山，IMBA校友也會與教人事管理（Human Resource Management for International Business）的教授共同成立「人事管理論壇」（Human Resource Management Forum），每年定期會有三～四次的會面。
政治大學創立於西元1927年，截至西元2006年止，全校學生有14,894人，其中學士班8,974 人、碩士班5,043人、博士班877人。此外，正教授共有279名、副教授205名、助理教授94名、講師47名，校園總面積約104公頃，並以「親愛精誠」作為校訓。