BURBANK, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Woodbury University is partnering with Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. and Mercedes-Benz Auto Finance Limited in China to launch a customized MBA program under the newly established Carl Benz Academy in Beijing, China.
The three-year pilot program launches on November 14 in Beijing and will be delivered globally in Beijing, Berlin, and Los Angeles through an innovative blended delivery system of distance learning and face-to-face seminars. Other university partners in the academy, named for one of the founding fathers of the automobile industry, are Peking University in China and the Free University of Berlin (Germany). Starting with a specially-selected cohort of 35 students, it is anticipated that a new cohort of between 50 to 75 students will be added every year.
Woodbury University's School of Business, one of the oldest schools in California and the American West, will design and present customized course content as part of the program to offer automotive-specific business administration education to Mercedes-Benz China dealer employees and managers. The Woodbury portion of the curriculum will consist of organizational leadership, self leadership, leading a team, general marketing principles, automotive and luxury brand marketing, marketing innovation, and strategy. In October 2014, Woodbury will lead a business simulation that will serve as an optional final summation of the program in lieu of a thesis.
"Employers around the world are seeking new ways to meet their needs for an educated workforce that can adapt and thrive in today's dynamic marketplace," says Andre van Niekerk, Ph.D., dean, School of Business, Woodbury University. "Woodbury is pleased to collaborate with Mercedes-Benz and our Chinese and German university partners to develop the Carl Benz Academy to give Mercedes-Benz employees in China the tools essential to success at all levels of management and leadership positions."
"We are pleased to have Woodbury University's School of Business in a partnership with the other distinguished universities from Beijing and Berlin to build up the Carl Benz Academy," says Klaus Maier, president of Mercedes-Benz (China) Limited. "Bringing together the best, from three continents, will give our Chinese executives and managers valuable global insights and provide them with practical management tools to further the development and growth of their dealerships and the Mercedes-Benz brand in China."
Woodbury University has long partnered with Mercedes-Benz, most recently when the school's fashion marketing and fashion design students collaborated to assist in the launch of the automaker's smart car in China. Faculty and students in Woodbury's Schools of Business and School of Architecture also worked with Mercedes-Benz on customer segmentations studies and design concepts of its B-class sedan and its R-class vehicles, providing a California perspective on the brand's position in the American market.
Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and Institute of Transdisciplinary Studies, along with an MBA program, Master of Architecture, Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development, and Master of Organizational Leadership. A San Diego campus offers bachelor of architecture and Master of Architecture in Real Estate Development degrees.
SOURCEWoodbury University
