Australian ANU offers Asian business course

Australian ANU offers Asian business course

CANBERRA (Reuter): The Australian National University (ANU)
yesterday launched what Trade Minister Bob McMullan said was the
world's first Master of Business Administration course in Asian
business.

"The ANU is the first course to offer an MBA course
specifically designed to prepare Australia's and Asia's future
business leaders to do business in the fastest growing economies
in the world," McMullan said in a speech at the programme's
launch.

In recent years Australia has focused its foreign, trade and
defence policies more sharply on fostering links with the fast-
growing Asia-Pacific region.

The course, which will be taught largely on the university's
Canberra campus, includes three months of practical experience
with an Asian-based company.

McMullan said the course matched moves announced in the
government budget in May to fund a programme promoting Asian
language study in schools.

That program aims to have 60 percent of Australian students
learning an Asian language by 2006.