Executive MBA

Dubai Programme
A leading EMBA delivered by Cass in Dubai
 Cass Business School delivers one
of the world’s top-ranked Executive MBA
programmes in Dubai in collaboration with the
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Our EMBA is designed to meet the needs of
business executives in the Middle East and
the surrounding regions. In addition to a
general EMBA, the Cass Executive MBA
offers a regional specialism in Islamic
Finance, the first of its kind in the world.
Accredited by both AMBA (Association of MBAs)
and EQUIS (European Quality Improvement Scheme)
and consistently ranked amongst the world’s elite
programmes by the Financial Times, the Cass EMBA
Dubai programme is one of the highest-calibre
programmes delivered in the region.
The Dubai International Financial Centre
The DIFC is the world’s newest international financial
centre. It aims to develop the same stature as New
York, London and Hong Kong. It primarily serves the
vast region between Western Europe and East Asia.
Since it opened in September 2004, the DIFC has
attracted leading firms from around the globe as well
as its region. A world-class stock exchange, the Dubai
International Financial Exchange (DIFX), opened in the
DIFC in September 2005.
Executive MBA Dubai
The Cass Executive MBA (EMBA) Dubai
programme is a top ranked two-year, part-time
programme for committed and ambitious managers
in the Middle East and the surrounding regions
who want to accelerate their career development
whilst remaining in full-time employment.
Learn, Work, Apply
Delivered in collaboration with the Dubai International
Financial Centre (DIFC), the EMBA offers you direct
access to the very latest business-tested thinking and
provides a platform for you to learn, work and apply. So,
you can apply the latest business models and practice
at work immediately, as well as utilise class discussions
and MBA assignments to address work or industry
based issues.
A General or Regional Focus
In addition to a general EMBA, we offer a carefully
structured specialism in Islamic Finance – designed
to meet the growing demand for training in this sector
from the Middle East. See page six for more information.
Networked into the City of London
The City of London remains the dynamic location for
so many global businesses and Cass is best placed to
build links with them. Our Dubai students will be able to
take advantage of close connections with our London
campus where Cass has built strong relationships with
financial and global institutions based in and around
The City.
Leading corporates, such as BBC World Service, Bank
of New York Mellon, Financial Times and the London
Stock Exchange have supported their Executives on
our programmes and form part of the Cass network.
“ Cass has the best programme for the region and is
tailor made for its development. Getting a world
class Executive MBA without having to leave home
for a long time was the perfect choice for me.”
Omar Hazineh, CEO, Segway of Jordan
03
Dubai students can choose to have direct access and
first hand exposure to our City of London networks,
by taking electives at our London campus (additional
costs for flights and accommodation will be incurred).
A High Calibre Cohort
Our Dubai cohorts provide access to a diverse and high
calibre business network. Our Executives come from
an impressive range of companies. Abu Dhabi Islamic
Bank, Kuwait Financial Centre, Accenture, SAP, Ernst and
Young, HSBC and DIFC have all supported Executives
on our programme. And the flexible monthly workshops
mean that we attract top flight Executives from as far
afield as London and New York, as well as from in and
around the Middle East.
Course Delivery
The Cass EMBA is delivered via a number of different
learning channels providing considerable scope to
combine your study, work and personal commitments.
Face-to-face workshops: You will be expected to
attend monthly workshops (Thursday-Sunday) for each
module. The workshops will be delivered by visiting
Cass Faculty at the DIFC’s Centre of Excellence and
will involve lectures, group discussions, presentations
and activities.
E-learning: To help you study between the regular
workshops, you have access to a customised Virtual
Learning Environment called CassLearn. This includes:
interactive learning materials; academic support via
Q & A and discussion forums; coursework submission
and tutor feedback; Cass electronic library resources;
and student cafe/network for exchanging ideas and
sharing experiences. CassLearn is available to all
Cass MBA students and creates a three-way
interaction between students, academics and
our administration teams.
 Programme structure
04
The Executive MBA Dubai programme is structured
over two years and is broken down across three
key elements; core modules, elective modules,
and the Business Mastery Project.
The core modules give you the fundamental skills
and knowledge you need to be a world-class business
leader. Elective modules give you the flexibility to
specialise your studies, focus on your particular
business needs or broaden your skill set. The Business
Mastery Project, conducted over a period of five months,
is a major piece of self-managed business analysis
which enables you to put into practice what you have
learned on the programme.
Programme content
Core modules
Core modules are studied by all students on
the programme and cover the following topics:
Block 1: Business Methods and Principles
Accounting Principles
Quantitative Methods
Marketing
Block 2: Business Systems and Organisations
Business Information Management
Business Strategy
Organisational Behaviour
“ The Cass EMBA Dubai is a great opportunity
to learn, develop your potential, practice
business abilities and realise your business
and strategic ambitions.”
Mohammed Sabunchi, Head - ICT Infrastructure,
Dubai International Financial Centre
Block 3: Business Economics and Finance
Business Economics
Corporate Finance
Principles of Finance
Block 4: Corporate Management
Corporate Governance
Human Resources Management
Operations Management
Elective modules
Your choice of electives and Business Mastery Project in
Year 2 can bring a more specialist focus to your learning,
or broaden your skill set into new areas. For example,
you can choose the Islamic Finance specialism or
choose from a broad range of areas in energy, finance
or general management within the General stream. With
Cass’s focus on international business, you can choose
to take electives on the London programme, or you
can select the International Symposium in Shanghai,
and learn about business in one of the fastest growing
economies first hand. The offerings are constantly being
developed to reflect emerging issues and changing
business needs. The list of electives is, therefore,
indicative and subject to sufficient demand. In addition,
overseas electives will incur additional course costs for
travel and accommodation.
Students taking the specialist Islamic Finance
stream will be required to take all three electives
in their chosen stream. Students on the General EMBA
will select three electives from the general stream.
 05

General stream Islamic Finance stream

We will run a select number of electives in Dubai based Islamic Banking and Finance
on demand from the following list: Islamic Economics
Islamic Law of Business Transactions
Applied Corporate Finance
Business Dynamics Business Mastery Project
Consulting The programme concludes with a major piece of
Dubai Symposium self-managed business analysis that takes place over
International Cass Symposium: Doing Business in China five months. The EMBA Business Mastery Project is an
(delivered in China) opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and
International Real Estate and Development Analysis analytical skills they have acquired over the first year-
Investments and Derivatives and-a-half to a real problem of their choice in the wider
Leading Change in an Increasingly Complex World business world. The results of your work must provide
(delivered in South Africa) insights and conclusions that are of real value to the
Mergers and Acquisitions business studied. For more information on all modules,
Relationship Management and Marketing the Business Mastery Project and programme structure,
Risk Management please visit www.cass.city.ac.uk/mba/dubai
Sports Business

Within the general stream, you can build a concentration

around Energy, Trade and Logistics:

Energy Derivatives and Risk Management

Oil and Energy Economics and Trading
Oil and Energy Trading and Logistics

Programme structure
The programme runs over approximately two years and is comprised of four blocks of core modules and one block
of elective modules. These modules are studied sequentially; one per month. Each core module block is followed
by an exam period. The programme then concludes with the Business Mastery Project.
Assessment

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment

+ +
Business
Mastery
Block 4
Block 2

Block 3

Block 5

Project
Block 1

16 Months 3 Months 5 Months

 Islamic Finance stream
06
In addition to a general EMBA, we offer a carefully
structured specialism in Islamic Finance - the first
of its kind in the world.
As an internationally recognised business school
head-quartered in the City of London – the world’s
leading financial centre and the largest home to Islamic
Finance outside the Islamic world – we are well-placed
to meet the business education needs of professionals
in this expanding sector.
Demand for Sharia-compliant finance has rocketed
in recent years, fuelled by a dramatic growth in
liquidity that extends well beyond the oil producing
countries. Indeed, there are now an estimated 270
Islamic banks operating globally, with total assets
exceeding $265 billion.
Financial institutions and asset managers are
increasingly introducing new products, compliant with
ethical and cultural principles, in Islamic countries.
These products are especially prevalent in: property
development; project finance; structured finance;
mutual funds and, more recently, in sukuk (Islamic
bonds). The future points to an even faster potential
for growth and expansion.
Elective modules give you the
flexibility to specialise your studies,
focus on your particular business
needs or broaden your skill set.
This growth has highlighted new challenges for the
sector in terms of applying appropriate regulatory
and legal infrastructures, and meeting the need for
financial and legal expertise. And it is increasingly
recognised that Islamic fund managers operate in an
international environment where they face challenges
such as competition with international standards,
branding, international marketing and growing
organisational complexity.
Who is the Islamic Finance stream
aimed at?
This stream is aimed at Fund Managers, Investment
Consultants and Advisors, and a wide range of
professions in banking or in the financial services
sector more broadly, who take a close interest in Islamic
Finance both at retail and wholesale levels. Whilst
equipping you with the main tenets of Sharia-compliant
financial dealings, the modules allow you to view
Islamic Finance in a holistic fashion and in the context
of the modern and global financial system, of which it
is increasingly an important part. The Islamic Finance
stream is also ideal preparation for the SII Islamic
Finance Qualification (IFQ).

Your Career Development
The main advantage of studying for the Cass Executive
MBA Dubai is that you will be working at the same time
as you’re learning. Remaining in a work environment will
have the added advantage of keeping you well versed
with developments in the commercial world, as well as
giving you the chance to apply your studies to your work
situation straight away.
If you are looking for career acceleration with your
current employer, you will be able to use your learning
in your corporate environment, as well as enhance your
skills and practical experience by using your studies to
help with current projects.
If you are studying for your MBA because you want to
embark on a new career path, you will have access
to students, academics, business leaders, industry
Name: Amir Maghami
Current Employer: Simatech Shipping LLC
Job Title: Managing Director
Amir Maghami works in a family business and realised
the things he had learnt in his undergraduate degree
had very little relevance to his work or to the realities
of a business environment. He wanted to broaden his
horizons and work on his management skills.
“Being able to integrate core business function
theories to what I do everyday was the primary reason
in deciding to do a Cass EMBA. Apart from a better
understanding of the core functions of a business –
such as corporate accounting, marketing and corporate
07
experts and policy makers with whom you can
exchange ideas and build corporate networks.
Over your two year EMBA, you will benefit from a
number of additional professional development
sessions to enhance and expand your professional
and personal skills. The courses offered vary from
cohort to cohort but will broadly cover areas such
as team building, leadership, negotiation and
presentation skills.
Your personal development doesn’t end once you
graduate. As a Cass alumnus, you are entitled to take
one free elective per year (subject to availability).
governance – the main advantage of doing an EMBA is
the ability to look at the world around me differently and
see things in a much more strategic manner. I chose
Cass because I knew of it and its good reputation.
The Cass EMBA has been truly useful and beneficial
to me. I learned something from every module and
have been able to improve my own business based on
my newly acquired knowledge. The relevance to the
business world in general has been extremely useful.”
 Our faculty
08
Cass has one of the largest finance faculties and
the largest actuarial science and insurance faculty
in Europe and we were awarded 5 (out of a possible
5*) in the UK’s last Research Assessment Exercise.
This leading edge research feeds back into all
our programmes.
The Higher Education Funding Council of England and
Wales gives our business and management teaching the
highest rating of ‘excellent’, which is one of the reasons
why we are annually rated amongst the world’s top
business schools.
Below are a selection of the faculty who will be teaching
on our Executive MBA Dubai programme.
Professor Roy Batchelor
(Course Director, Dubai EMBA Programme)
Specialist area: Forecasting and Risk Management
Roy Batchelor is Professor of Banking and Finance
at Cass Business School, and Director of the Cass
Executive MBA Dubai Programme. He is an authority
on forecasting for business, economic and financial
decision-making, and his research is published in
academic and business journals. He is a regular invited
speaker at the annual US Forecasting Summits, and
has conducted training courses and seminars on recent
developments in financial markets for professional
audiences in major financial centres around the world.
In 2009 he was elected a Fellow of the International
Institute of Forecasters. He has acted as economic
adviser to London stockbrokers Smith New Court, the
London International Financial Futures Exchange, the
World Gold Council, international market research
company Canadean, the European Commission and
the Bank of England.
Professor David Sims
Specialist area: Change Management, Leadership
and Organisational Behaviour
David Sims is Professor of Organisational Behaviour,
Head of Faculty of Management, and Director of the
Centre for Leadership, Learning and Change. His
research and consulting interests are in the relationship
between leading, thinking, learning and storying. David
was Head of the School of Business and Management
at Brunel University for five years before moving to
Cass. He is very interested in the processes by which
people learn how to manage, and was the editor for
five years of the International Journal, Management
Learning. His textbook, Organizing and Organizations,
(London: Sage) with Yiannis Gabriel and Stephen
Fineman, is in its 3rd edition.
Dr Hassan Hakimian
Specialist area: Development Economics and
Middle Eastern Economies
Dr Hassan Hakimian is a Senior Lecturer in Economics
at Cass Business School. Dr Hakimian’s specialism is
in the area of Development Economics with special
reference to Middle Eastern economies. He has taken
particular interest in economics of human resources and
globalisation. He has published in various academic
journals and acted as consultant to several international
institutions and aid agencies such as the World
Bank, the ODA, Ford Foundation, Sida, and Food
and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
Dr Gianvito Lanzolla
Specialist area: Strategic Management
Dr Gianvito Lanzolla is currently a Senior Lecturer in
Strategy at Cass Business School. Before joining Cass,
Gianvito served for three years on the faculty of the
London Business School. He has undertaken consulting
and executive coaching in Europe, the Middle East,
India, and the USA and has worked for a wide range
of organisations including Alghanim, Microsoft, BSkyB,
Times of India, Allianz, ING, British Telecom, IBM,
Vodafone Group, Vodafone India, Nokia, Sony-Ericsson
and Anglo American. He is also a regular commentator
for CNBC.

Professor Meziane Lasfer
Specialist area: Corporate Finance, Corporate
Governance, Empirical Asset Pricing
Professor Meziane Lasfer has been at Cass since
1990. His expertise lies in the areas of asset pricing,
corporate restructuring, debt financing, dividend
policy, fundamentals of stock returns, ownership
structure, R & D, short-termism and SMEs. He has
written extensively on corporate finance, capital
markets and corporate governance issues and his
research is widely reported in the financial press.
Dr Rob Melville
Specialist area: Balanced Scorecard
Before joining Cass, Rob Melville worked as a
computer auditor and systems auditor in government,
industry and financial services. His areas of expertise
are balanced scorecard, control self assessment,
controlling information systems, corporate governance,
the impact of IT on auditing, internal auditing, IT
governance, the internal audit role in strategy and
corporate social responsibility.
Professor Scott Moeller
Specialist area: Global Investment
Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions
Scott Moeller is an Honorary Visiting Professor in
the Faculty of Finance and Director of the M&A
Research Centre at Cass Business School. A former
senior executive at Deutsche Bank and Morgan
Stanley, he brings high level experience in global
strategic investments and finance to his role. While
at Deutsche Bank, he held roles as the Global Head
of the corporate venture capital unit, Managing Director
of the Investment Bank’s Global eBusiness Division
and Managing Director responsible for worldwide
strategy and new business acquisitions.
09
Professor Gulnur Muradoglu
Specialist area: Finance and Development Economics
Gulnur Muradoglu is a Professor of Finance at Cass.
Her wide-ranging expertise covers multiple aspects
of accounting, markets and financial modelling, with
a particular emphasis on emerging markets. She is
on the Editorial Boards of the following journals:
Comparative Economic Systems, Finance Letters
and Emerging Markets Finance and Trade.
Professor Stefan Szymanski
Specialist area: Economics and the business of sport
Professor Szymanski is a graduate of the University of
Oxford, Hertford College, where he gained a first degree
in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He began his
teaching career at London Business School before
moving to Imperial College in 1993. Professor Szymanski
is also an economics professor, with many published
articles on the business of sport, particularly football
and the Olympics. With this professional interest
in sports economics, he aspires to launch a sports
business research centre at Cass in the future.
Janet Walker
Specialist area: Successful Management Accountant
Janet Walker has extensive practical financial and
management accounting experience. She lectures in
Financial Reporting and Accounting Principles to MBA
and MSc students. She also runs her own successful
business, developing and presenting Financial
Awareness training for major corporate clients. These
companies include The Walt Disney Company, F & C
Asset Management plc and Linpac UK Limited.
You can find out more about other
members of Cass faculty by visiting
www.cass.city.ac.uk/facman,
www.cass.city.ac.uk/facfin, or by visiting
www.cass.city.ac.uk/research and selecting
Cass Experts Online.
 Why Cass?
10
Cass Business School is part of City University
London. We are recognised as one of Europe’s
leading business schools, consistently ranked
amongst the best in the world and have a truly
international perspective. Our reputation comes
from 40 years of broad-based research and
education that has enabled us to help shape
the way today’s business world thinks.
Our academic focus is organised across three
broad based faculties; Finance, Management and
Actuarial Science and Insurance. We offer a variety of
programmes that are developed in response to business
needs. These range from Undergraduate, Specialist
Masters, top ranked MBA and PhD programmes, to
highly respected and tailored Executive Education
courses. Practical application lies at the heart of all of
our programmes of study and this allows our students
to develop the skills and capabilities that today’s
leading employers value.
Our aim is to offer an environment where students,
academics, business leaders, industry experts and
policy makers can exchange ideas and constantly
develop current business thinking. Our City of London
headquarters, on the doorstep of one of the world’s
leading financial centres, enables us to do just that,
offering students unrivalled connections and access
to major City institutions, internationally recognised
practitioners and world respected academics alike.
Being so close to a centre of international business
also allows us to assess theoretical approaches against
practical realities. With extremely experienced full-time
researchers and contributions from more than 100
doctoral students, our work is valued and used around
the world by a range of organisations and corporations.
In turn, we are able to attract renowned business
practitioners to contribute to, and help deliver, our
programmes. The combination of specialist expertise
and broad international experience ensures that
“ The students are considered to be an integral part of
the development of the MBA in the region, hence we
have exposure to opportunities that other students do
not benefit from. The devotion of Cass to bring a diverse
mixture of students to a programme ensures that the
learning experience is of a superior nature.”
Tom Hodgson, Assistant Director, Deloitte Corporate Finance
all aspects of the EMBA Dubai, from programme
structure to programme delivery, are of the highest
possible quality.
The MBA network
Networking is fundamental to business success, giving
you the vital contacts, advice, information, trends and
leads you need to compete with the best. It begins on
day one of your degree and continues for life, supported
throughout by the Cass Alumni Relations team.
The majority of MBAs on the Dubai programme live in
the UAE, but we have people that come from the UK,
Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Bahrain, Jordan and even New York.
They have work experience in a wide range of fields,
from consultancy, IT and banking to pharmaceuticals,
manufacturing and the media.
As a Cass MBA alumnus you will have the opportunity to
network with over 6,500 MBA alumni and 25,000 Cass
alumni pursuing their careers worldwide. Use our online
alumni directory to make connections and stay in touch
with your fellow alumni in the UAE and surrounding
regions. You will also find other regional alumni
associations invaluable in helping you to develop your
personal and professional relationships into a global
network of contacts. These have included:
• a student and alumni dinner reception in Dubai
with a presentation by Usama Fayyad (Ph.D).
ex Chief Data Officer & Executive VP, Research
and Strategic Data
• a lecture by Ian Luder, the Lord Mayor of the City
of London and Chancellor of City University, on
the growing role of Islamic finance in the Western
banking world
• the Dubai Symposium with student and alumni
receptions which attract an international mix of
business leaders and Executives from Europe and
the Middle East.
How to apply
Entry requirements
To be considered for the Cass EMBA Dubai, candidates
are required to have:
• either a good university degree or substantial and
relevant work experience and/or professional
qualifications as an alternative to a first degree
• a minimum of three years’ full-time work
experience after graduation
• if English is not your first language you need a
minimum well balanced IELTS score of 7.
This may be waived if you have worked or studied
in an English speaking country for at least a year.
All offers will be subject to face to face, or
telephone interviews.
How to apply
There is one intake each year. Applications are accepted
on a rolling basis with deadlines for admissions posted
on the website below.
Early applications are encouraged. We will continue
to take applications as long as we still have
places available.
Fees for 2010
Fees for 2010 are £29,500.
Cass Studentships
Cass offers a limited number of studentships
to outstanding candidates who meet our entry
requirements and can demonstrate their value to
the programme through excellent work experience,
a strong academic background and performance
at interview. Contact us for more details.
www.cass.city.ac.uk/mba/dubai
11
Corporate Sponsorship
There are immense benefits to companies in
sponsoring their executives onto the Cass Executive
MBA and we can support you in putting a case to your
employer. Contact us for an informal discussion by
e-mail: dubaiemba@city.ac.uk
Application checklist
To apply for the Cass EMBA Dubai, you will
need to provide the following documents:
• a completed application form, including
personal statement (500 words)
• a certified copy of your degree certificate,
and transcripts detailing the courses
studied and grades attained
• two references: ideally one from an academic
and one from your employer who have direct
knowledge of your suitability for EMBA study
• a copy of an identity document
• three recently taken passport size photographs
• your CV (resume).
We hold a number of information sessions in the UAE
and surrounding regions. For more information please
visit our website below.
For further information on the admissions process
please visit www.cass.city.ac.uk/mba/dubai/apply
or contact us at:
EMBA Dubai Programme
Cass Business School
Level 3, Building 2
The Gate Village
Dubai International Financial Centre
P.O. Box: 74777
Dubai, UAE
Tel: + 9714 401 9316
Fax: + 9714 401 9317
Email: dubaiemba@city.ac.uk
Cass Business School
In 2002, City University’s Business School
was renamed Sir John Cass Business School
following a generous donation towards the
development of its new building in Bunhill
Row. The School’s name is usually abbreviated
to Cass Business School.

Sir John Cass’s Foundation

Sir John Cass’s Foundation has supported
education in London since the 18th century
and takes its name from its founder, Sir John
Cass, who established a school in Aldgate in
1710. Born in the City of London in 1661, Sir
John served as an MP for the City and was
knighted in 1713.

EMBA Dubai Programme

Cass Business School
Level 3, Building 2
The Gate Village
Dubai International Financial Centre
P.O. Box: 74777
Dubai, UAE
Tel: +9714 401 9316
Fax: +9714 401 9317
Email: dubaiemba@city.ac.uk