Скачать или смотреть A handful of top Russian business figures have created an MBA program that tackles the issues they f

(1 Oct 2009) HEADLINE: Russian school teaches bribery, bureaucracy
CAPTION: A handful of top Russian business figures have created an MBA program that tackles the issues they faced themselves: bribery, relentless bureaucracy, imperfect laws. Produced by Andy Braddel. (Oct. 1)
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NB. THIS IS A VOICEOVER TRANSCRIPT, NOT A FULL SHOT LIST.
This is the Russian Harvard, a brand new state-of-the-art business school in Moscow.
At the opening ceremony president Dmitry Medvedev called it a proud day for Russia and thanked the billionaire businessmen who had funded the project.
Among them was Roman Abramovich, soccer team owner and formerly Russia's richest man. He donated 64 acres of prime land for the campus, which has its own helipad.
The Skolkovo School of Management is Russia's first business school to offer an MBA program in English which prepares students for working in emerging economies.
"We'd like to change the whole model. It doesn't make sense for us and nor are we interested in competing with Harvard. That's a business school of the past, I have to say that. But a business school of the future has to be different"
Wilfried Vanhonacker, Dean of Skolkovo School of Management
The 16-month MBA course, which costs $74,000, will tackle issues such as corruption, bribery and bureaucracy, essential for working in developing markets. That's one of the reasons American student Julia Davis decided she wanted to join the program.
"Several CEO's, either from Russian companies or from other countries around the world come and tell us about their own experiences in working in emerging markets. And as part of that conversation we learn how they address corruption and we learn how they address motivating their employees."
Julia Davis, Skolkovo student
One company which could really tell the students of the hazards of doing business in Russia is the Swedish furniture giant Ikea, one of Russia's largest foreign investors.
In 2004 the company had to appeal directly to Vladimir Putin when local officials held up the opening of a new store.
Earlier this summer Ikea announced they are freezing future investment until Russia's unpredictable bureaucratic system improves.
Former Russian lawmaker Vladimir Ryzhkov says the students have come to the right place if they want to learn about corruption.
"My message would be for students very simple. Guys, you are in a very much corrupt country, you are in a very much authoritarian and non-democratic country, if you want to do business here unfortunately you must pay bribes"
Vladimir Ryzhkov, historian and former Russian lawmaker
Dmitry Medvedev has made fighting corruption a focus of his presidency.
And with Russia ranked alongside Bangladesh and Syria on a global corruption index the program at Skolkovo is likely to be popular for some time to come.
Andrew Braddel, the Associated Press, Moscow

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