Alliance keeps firms up to speed

Four business schools in France, Montreal, Argentina and China have signed an agreement to establish a joint programme that will train students to thrive in the globalised economy.

The schools are EM Lyon, HEC Montreal, Belgrano University and Lingnan University College. They have formed the AEA Alliance, described by its founders as a cross-regional business school.

The alliance will train managers of international companies to develop the skills necessary to succeed in parts of the world where awareness of cultural differences and management traditions can give a competitive edge.

Alliance teachers will carry out joint thematic research programmes in association with regional companies and will rotate between the different schools for teaching and research.

The new partnership is a response to the constant pressure business schools face to keep their courses in line with the evolving world of e-commerce.

EM Lyon and HEC Montreal, which have collaborated for some years, decided a solution would be to create a global alliance of top-ranking management schools.

Following last week's establishment of the four-member alliance, schools in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and Europe, are expected to join, bringing the likely number of participating schools to ten.