Wharton News
Wharton Opens Office in Shanghai To Support Executive Education, Other Initiatives

The Wharton School announced the establishment of a Shanghai Representative Office to support faculty research on China, the further development of the Chinese language edition of Knowledge@Wharton, new executive education initiatives in China, and other China-related programs. The announcement was made on December 1 at a Wharton Alumni Meeting in Shanghai attended by more than 250 graduates of the school's various programs.

The decision to establish the office is the result of a school-wide initiative both to learn more about China and to establish a presence in the China educational marketplace. The office will be led by Phillip Y. Wu, a Wharton MBA graduate from the Class of 1995, who will serve as managing director.

"Wharton is very committed to China, and we are stepping up our presence there," said Patrick T. Harker, dean of the Wharton School. "As China has emerged as the fastest-growing economy in the world, the demand for leadership and business knowledge has increased exponentially. The Wharton School is proud of our long-standing relationships in China. This office will build on this history of close partnerships in China."

The Wharton Shanghai Representative Office will take a lead role in the marketing, design, and support of short-term executive education programs in China. Several contracts with major Chinese companies are now being discussed, and additional announcements will be made soon. The school does not plan at this time to offer an executive MBA program or a full-time MBA program in China.

Wharton's Shanghai office also will support the publication of China Knowledge@Wharton, launched in March 2005. The new publication — based on the success of Knowledge@Wharton, which has more than 500,000 subscribers in 189 countries — is designed to reach management leaders in the Chinese-reading population and develop special reports on China.

The Wharton Shanghai Office will include staff members focused on China Knowledge@Wharton, executive education, building relationships with Chinese corporate and government leaders, and supporting the growing number of faculty researchers in the region.

Recent Wharton Executive Education initiatives related to China include:

  • Shanghai Municipal Government Program: Senior officials from the Shanghai Municipal Government visited Wharton for a 3-week program on management and leadership in San Francisco and Philadelphia from October 16 to November 4, 2005, led by Wharton Professor Stephen Kobrin. The 34 participants represent some of the most promising government officials and executives of government-controlled industries. The program, in its second year, is designed to prepare these leaders to broaden their global view, learn from international best practice in management, and build the business knowledge and leadership capabilities to continue Shanghai's rapid rise.

  • Dazhong Transportation (Group) Co., Ltd. Partnership: Senior managers of this leading transportation company in Shanghai came to Philadelphia October 21-23, 2005, for a program on strategic marketing led by Wharton Professors David Reibstein and John Zhang. In addition to classroom sessions, the 18 executives also visited public and private companies in the transportation industry in New York City to learn about U.S. trends and best practices.

For more information about executive education programs in China, contact William Dunworth at 1 215 573 0867. For the Shanghai Representative Office, contact Phillip Y. Wu at 86 139 0163 2507.

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