Henley Business School

Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 0°52′57″W / 51.56306°N 0.88250°W

Henley Business School, at University of Reading

The Henley Business School at the University of Reading is an English triple accredited business school. It was formed by merging the previously independent Henley Management College, formerly the Administrative Staff College, with the existing business school of the University of Reading. As a result of the merger with the University of Reading, it now occupies two sites: Greenlands Campus, near the town of Henley-on-Thames, the original site of the Henley Management College, and Whiteknights Campus in Reading.

History

Greenlands campus on the banks of the river Thames

1945-1981: The Administrative Staff College was set up in 1945 at Henley-on-Thames as the civilian equivalent of the Military Staff Colleges. It offered short courses in problems of advanced management. The College was offered the use of Greenlands by the 3rd Viscount Hambledon in 1946, and was bought outright from the family in 1952. In its formative years, the College was influenced by the management consultant and writer Lyndall Urwick, the academic Hector Hetherington, the civil servant Sir Donald Banks and the businessman Sir Geoffrey Heyworth (later Lord Heyworth);[1] its curriculum was designed by its first Principal, Noel Hall. From the beginning, its intention was to bring together executives from Her Majesty's Civil Service, private business and nationalised industries to help develop their skills for promotion to senior management.

The ICMA Centre Thomson Reuters Trading Rooms

1981-2008: In 1981, the College changed its name from its original title to Henley - The Management College. This was changed again to the Henley Management College when it was awarded a Royal charter in 1991. By 2002, the College achieved triple accreditation status from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS).[2] The Greenlands campus of the College is located on the banks of the river Thames near Henley-on-Thames, on a country estate and former home of the WH Smith family.

2008-date: In 2008, the Henley Management College merged with the University of Reading to form the Henley Business School. It consists of the School of International Business and Strategy; School of Organisation and Behaviour; School of Marketing and Relationships; School of Business Informatics, Systems and Accountancy which includes the Informatics Research Centre; the School of Real Estate & Planning; the ICMA Centre; and Executive Education Programmes. While the MBA and corporate learning activities are offered from the Greenlands campus, all undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses are offered from the Whiteknights campus of the University of Reading. A former country estate of the Marquis of Blandford, the 130 hectare Whiteknights campus is made of conservation meadows, rare tree collection and a large lake. In 2009 the School moved into a new building in Whiteknights, with facilities for lectures, conferences and visitors.

Academics

At its Greenlands campus, the Henley Business School offers an MBA for executive managers, in addition to corporate and executive education programmes with students from approximately 100 countries. The Henley MBA is designed for experienced, practicing managers, and aims to enhance their leadership skills or prepare for a senior management position; the average age of programme members is 38 years. It is offered in full-time (12 months), executive (2 years) and distance learning (3 years) modes. The Henley Executive MBA in Project Management is only offered under the distance learning mode.

The Henley Business School offers its undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes from its Whiteknights campus. 30 different programmes for undergraduates (BA/BSc) and postgraduates (MA/MSc) are offered in finance and investment, management,marketing and real estate and planning. It also offers PhD and DBA programmes in all these areas.

Reputation

Henley Business School is one of the largest providers of business education in the world, and the third largest provider of MBA education.[3] Its full-time MBA programme has been ranked at 42 globally and 12 regionally by The Economist in 2012.[4] The full-time MBA programme was also ranked first worldwide for potential to network and student quality.[5] The executive MBA (EMBA) programme has been ranked at 53 worldwide by the Financial Times in 2012.[6]

Alumni and affiliates

At any given time, Henley has around 7,000 students and programme members from more than 140 countries (directly or through its affiliates), ranging from the UK and Europe to Asia and Africa, from North and South America to Australasia. As the oldest business school in the UK, it has over 35,000 alumni.

Henley has several affiliate campuses abroad. Each local campus could vary in what it offered, with each having some local customisation. A number of countries have a full local campus, with local teaching staff and local accreditation (the Henley Business School South Africa, for example). A number of others, which Henley lists as countries they serve, have an office without local instructors. Students in those countries must either travel abroad or use the distance learning mode to complete their degrees.

References

  1. ↑ Brech, Edward, Andrew Thomson & John F Wilson, Lyndall Urwick, Management Pioneer: A Biography, Oxford University Press, 2010
  2. ↑ "http://www.henley.ac.uk/about/hbs-business-school-rankings.aspx". Henley Business School. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Henley Business School - School and Program Profile". Top MBA. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Which MBA? - Henley Business School". The Economist. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  5. ↑ "Henley's Full-time MBA rises 15 places in the Economist Which MBA? world rankings". Henley Business School. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
  6. ↑ "Business school rankings from the Financial Times - EMBA Ranking 2012". The Financial Times. Retrieved 18 October 2012.

External links