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6.2.3 Asia

In Asia, the MBA is becoming more in vogue. Asian candidates report amongst the highest GMAT scores in the world and are focused on developing excellent technical skills, often
at the expense of integrating fully in the social aspects of the MBA. But Asian recruiters are looking for well-rounded MBAs. Philip Cho of Lehman Brothers Singapore says, "We tend to focus less on academic or technical skills, and place emphasis more on communication, interpersonal skills and leadership traits.

T. Takenouchi of Copernicus Associates in Japan agrees, "We favour the many MBA holders who have strong interpersonal skills, as well as a good understanding of Marketing, Finance, or Strategic Planning."

China is the hottest market. "More and more MBAs are joining Chinese companies from international MBA programs and Asian MBA programs," says Michael Yang, General Marketing Manager, Motorola (China). "I think the attraction for these MBAs is not the starting salary, but the growing opportunity. For example, the average MBA salary growth rate is higher than 15% per year here in China." Yue Zhang is an Oxford MBA who works for TopMBA Careers in China. He reports that, "(They) are generating over 100 MBA jobs per month for TopMBA Careers and this is only likely to increase further. With visa restrictions in the US, we may even see a shortage of MBAs in China in the near future."

Sei-Woong Yoon, an MBA alumnus from IMD and CEO of Overture Korea, says, "A top MBA is a gateway to an international career for a young Asian. Before I took my MBA, I worked in advertising in Korea and had a totally domestic focus. Since my MBA, I worked with Saatchi & Saatchi in London, became a COO of Yahoo in Asia and now run Overture. My whole international managerial perspective was shaped by my MBA. Today I think such a global perspective is even more important." He observes the increasing importance of the MBA amongst Asian companies. "In Korea, our largest companies, like Samsung and LG, have well established MBA recruitment programs. Now we are seeing many more companies seeking experienced MBA managers. I think this trend will continue."

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Source: -
QS World MBA Tour - QS TopMBA.com International Recruiter Survey 2007
© QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. 2007
Website: www.topmba.com