Rotman MBA students visit Ismaili Centre in Dubai

“The International Study Tours have become an integral part of the Rotman experience as they allow students to study in the emerging economies of the world and experience, first-hand, the differences in business practices as compared with Canada,” says Richard Powers, Associate Dean and Executive Director, MBA Programs. “The countries chosen to visit, such as India and China, reflect the increasing importance that these emerging economies will have on the global business patterns.”

This past January, while one group was visiting China, a second group travelled to Dubai and Turkey. One of the many highlights for this group was a visit to the Ismaili Centre in Dubai. The centre was officially opened in March 2008 by His Highness the Aga Khan, the Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. The centre, a domed structure inspired by traditional architecture in Egypt and Syria, is the only one of its kind in the Middle East.

After a tour of the centre, students heard about the work of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), which is an international development agency dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world. Karim Khoja, a Canadian, explained his responsibilities with Industrial Promotion Services Asia which manages the Fund’s industrial and infrastructure projects in Central Asia including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“Students were very inspired by the work of Mr. Khoja and his colleagues and how they use entrepreneurial and business solutions to create economic opportunities for some of the world’s poorest people,” says Rotman Professor Walid Hejazi, who led the study tour. “While most MBA students are focused on pursuing careers in the private sector, many who participated on the trip have now expressed an interest in exploring other options.”

”We are glad to learn that the trip to the Ismaili Centre and the presentation of the work of His Highness the Aga Khan / Aga Khan Development Network enabled in inculcating a new paradigm towards selection of career options in the minds of the of the students. One of the objective of the Centre is to lend itself to expand the intellectual, cultural and moral horizons of the society and it has succeeded to achieve exactly the same with the students” says Aziz Merchant, member of Ismaili Centre Management Board.

Dubai Photo Gallery
http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/galleries/dubaitour09/#
http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/index.html

via http://newswire.ascribe.org.