Vietnam-Belgium university cooperation, ten years already...

SolvayBusinessSchool : Executive Education

The Solvay Business School (SBS) is the BusinessSchool of the Unniversité Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), one of the largest universities in Belgium, with some 20 000 students. The SBS is an integral part of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Politics and Economics.

At the heart of Europe

Founded in 1903 by the industrial Ernest Solvay, the School welcomes some 2 000 students each year, who participate in over 30 different programmes including the Bachelor’s Degree, the Master of Science in Management, the Solvay MBA and the Executive Education programmes. Located in the centre of Brussels, capital of Belgium and of the European Union, the SBS benefits from being at the crossroads of different cultures. Close to the major European cities of Paris, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt, Brussels is geographically at the heart of Europe, as well as being a point of contact for the Latin, German and Anglo-Saxon cultures. This is why the city has always been a meeting place for ideas in the fields of exact and social sciences.

Executive Education

Over the years, the School has developed a comprehensive range of executive training programmes, from general Management to course in highly fields such as ICT, Real Estate and Leadership. The programmes are designed to provide executives, from junior to top levels of Management, with real expertise and a comprehensive approach to international business, in order to improve not only the executive’s performance, but also that of his or her organisation. The SBS programmes also provide a valuable opportunity to participants and their companies to develop new contacts and networks.

Masters in Management in Vietnam

Since february 1995, the SBS has organised post-graduate programmes in Vietnam with the support of the French Community of Belgium: CGRI (Commissariat Général aux Relations Internationales) and APEFE (Association pour la Promotion de l’Education et de la Formation à l’Etranger).

These programmes are part of a long run cooperation view, in partnership with local universities: the Open University of Ho Chi Minh City (OU) and the National Economics University of Hanoi (NEU). It is an opportunity for Vietnamese participants to obtain an international standard level of graduate education in Vietnam at a reasonable cost. The ultimate goal of these programs is to provide students with in-depth and state-of-the-art knowledge on today's business management. The expertise of skilful teachers, the subject contents and the participative way of teaching are delivered to insure a tightly integration between theory and practice, making students right away operational.

In Vietnam, a transition processus to a market economy has been initiated since 1986 with the “Doi Moi”. The country needs good managers in every sector of the economy, in the private sector as well as in the public sector, in order to succeed this processus of transition. The SBS programmes in Vietnam are designed to meet these demands. Differents programmes have been launched: the Master in business management, the Master in public management and the Master in business and information system. A fourth Master in Marketing is planned for july 2005 in Ho Chi minh City.The aim is not to provide handbooks of successfull management, the programmes are designed to implicate students in a broader reflection about management. Instead of listing concrete solutions to specific problems, the programmes focus on a better understanding of the problems, which can help the manager to find an appropriate solution. This approach is particularly relevant in the specific context of Vietnam. Problems a country in transition like Vietnam is facing require appropriate solutions in order to smooth the transition, to insure a continuity between planed and market economies and to succeed the process.

The two years master programmes are aimed at managers in public, private or joint-ventures companies selected among many Vietnamese applicants. Admission is limited to students graduated from a university, having at least 2 years of work experience, with good English notions and passing the interview with the ULB - local partner Management Board.

About 15 Belgian teachers coming from the Solvay Business School of ULB but also from other French-speaking universities of Belgium make the journey to Vietnam for each of our programmes. Courses are usually held during ten days, 3 hours a day.

The different Masters designed in Vietnam

  1. Master in Business Management
  • The Master in Business Management (MBM) is designed to educate managers in business sector. The programme concentrates on providing knowledge and approaches for the management of an enterprise in a market economy.
  • Cooperation with the Open University of Ho Chi Minh City since 1995 and with the National Economics Univerity of Hanoi since 1997.
  • Programmes:

-Financial Markets - André Farber

-Social Law in a Transitory Economy - André Nayer

-International Strategic Management - Georges Wanet

-Accounting and Basic Finance - Jean-Paul Loozen

-Human Resources Management - Philippe Debroux

-Corporate Finance and Planning - Michel Allé

-Organisation & Management - Anne Drumaux

-International Strategic Marketing - Jean-Pierre Baeyens

-Public Finance & VAT - Roger De Fraiteur

-Innovation and Property Right - Bruno Van Pottelsberghe

-Business Law - Henri-Paul Lemaître

-New venture Seminar - Jean-Claude Ettinger

-Management Seminar - Anne Drumaux

-Banking - Eric Dekeuleneer

-Economic European Integration - Jacques Nagels

-Role of the State in a Market Economy - Daniel Vanhoutte

-Final Thesis

  1. Master in Public Management
  • The Master in Public Management (MPM) is designed to educate managers, policy-makers and civil servants working in the public sector. Its purpose is to provide in-depth knowledge about organization and management of the Government and the public sector. The programme investigates as well policies to develop and manage local territory.
  • Cooperation with the National Economics Univerity of Hanoi since 1999
  • Programme:

-Public Marketing - Etienne Graindor

-Organization of Social Security - Henri Miller

-Administrative Reform in Public Sector - Michel Herbiet

-Management Control - Jan Mattijs

-Information Systems in Public Management - Jean-Pierre Thiébaut

-Public Procurement - Jean-Marie Van Bol

-Modernization of Public Services - Michel Cornélis

-Human Resources Management - Alain Eraly and Anne Lenaerts

-Territory Management & Sustainable Development - Françoise Noël

-European Integration, Regionalism and International Relations - Mario Télo

-Local Development and tourism - Alain Schoon

-Role of State in Market Economy - Daniel Van Houtte

-Seminar of Public Policies Assessment - Jean-Louis Mazy

-Seminar of Strategy - Georges Wanet

-Final Thesis

  1. Master in Business and Information system
  • The Master in Business Management and Information System (MBIS) Programme is designed to equip managers with advanced knowledge on management in general and specifically on IT applications to management.
  • Cooperation with the National Economics University of Hanoi since 2003 and planed for 2005 with the Open University of Ho Chi Minh City.
  • Programme:

-Role of the state in market economy - Daniel Vanhoutte

-External information and internet workshop - Christophe Evers

-Information system strategy - M. Judkiewicz

-Practical aspects of high level Java based applications workshop - Collin Molter

-International datawarehouse - Thierry Van de Merckt

-Business planning and IT - Jean-Claude Ettinger

-Data modeling - Michel Allé

-IT development and technologies - Pierre Van Nypelseer

-Customer relations management - Elie Liberman

-Software solutions - B. De Cannière

-IT projects and operations - Pierre Motyl

-Final Thesis

  1. Master in Business and Marketing Management
  • The Master in Business & Marketing management is designed to educate managers from the business sector in order to develop their skills in managing business in the market economy.
  • The Master is planed for july 2005 in Ho Chi Minh City with the cooperation of the Open University.
  • Provisional programme:

-Strategic and operational marketing management –J.-P. Baeyens

-Global political and economical market environment –M. Hermans

-Sociology and behavioral psychology –M. Sylin

-Management accounting & control systems –F. Khrouz

-International law & market regulations –M. Crahay

-Market research, business information system and competitive intelligence - M. Tondeur

-Marketing and business communication, PR & advertising – N.

-Business and marketing planning –M. Aerts

-Human ressources management for better customer satisfaction

-Intercultural relationships énegociation –J.-P. Baeyens

-Domestic & international distribution & retailing – Cl.Boffa

-Internationa marketing strategies –P. Claes

-Sales & customer relationship management –M. Delahaut

-E-business management –M. Gruslin

“Ten Years” celebration

The cooperation between Solvay Business School (SBS) of Université libre de Bruxelles and Open University (OU) of Ho Chi Minh City began ten years ago. In January 1995, the first Master in private management was launched. After two years, another agreement was signed between SBS and National Economics University (NEU) to establish a Master Program in General Management. Cooperation between ULB and NEU was extended with the establishment of two other cooperative programs: Public Management and Business Information systems in 1999 and 2000 respectively.

The SBS desired to celebrate this first decade of successfull cooperation, hoping to celebrate next decades in the future. During ten years, SBS has acquired a real expertise, the quality of programmes has improved and the partnerships with local Universities has been strengthened.

The aim of the celebration is triple:

  • First, itconstitutes an academic meeting between Universities and between professors. Indeed, seminars will be organised with Belgian and Vietnamese orators presenting various subjects (see the programme).
  • Secondly, the celebration is an opportunity to consolidate again the partnership and to demonstrate the long-term vision of the cooperation. The officials of the programme, representing ULB as well as VietnameseUniversities, will be given the opportunity to present their vision.
  • Finaly, it is also a way to value the previous programmes since alumni will be invited to the celebration.

Programme of the day (8 march to HCMC, 11 march to Hanoi)

  • 9.00 – 14.30 : 6 Seminars

-Anne Drumaux: “Challenges for International companies in Vietnam: Ten years seminar results” - Professor A. Drumaux will present the results of the management seminar she organises for ten years. On the basis of the works of students, the professor Drumaux will present the challenges international companies in Vietnam are facing and will face in the future.

-André Farber: “Financial architecture and economic development”-Professor Farber will present first the components and foundations of a financial system and after the problematic integrtation of developping countries to the global capital market.

-Third Belgian Speaker : to specify

-Quan Hoang Vuong: “Empirical study of financial market in Vietnam” - Mr Vuong will present the results of his PhD, pointing the necessity of scientific studies to understand the financial markets in developping countries in general and especialy in Vietnam.

-Two Vietnamese speakers are still to specify : An academic and an alumni speaking about financial markets or Vietnam-Europe relations.

  • 17.00 : Academic session
  • 19.00 : Buffet for graduated, new intake and alumni

Sponsors

This celebration is made possible thanks to the financial support of:

  • The Ambassy of Belgium in Vietnam
  • The French Community of Belgium
  • The Vietnamese partner Universities

In addition, other sponsors are expected:

  • Vietnamese public companies
  • International companies
  • Alumni