EMBA in SME Leadership

Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA)

in SME Leadership

“Gifted leadership occurs when heart and head – feeling and thought – meet. These are the two winds that allow a leader to soar.” – Daniel Goleman

Our Purpose

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the global economy, contributing more than 50% of employment worldwide. In emerging economies, they are drivers of innovation and self-sufficiency. As countries reduce trade barriers, and digitalized business becomes the norm, there are ample opportunities for SMEs to build on their accomplishments and expand their expand their reach into new regional and global markets.

To this end, the EMBA in SME Leadership program seeks to enhance:

• Creativity, leading to vision and innovation
• Personal and team leadership skills
• Communication skills
• Business management skills, including finance, human resources, marketing, problem-solving and decision making, and
• Digital business skills.

Our Difference

LSi Business School provides mid-level business professionals the opportunity for an international educational experience without the disruption of leaving behind career, family, and home for an extended period of time. Unique features of the program include:

• Hybrid learning format
• International faculty
• Coursework customized to individual learning needs
• Executive coaching as a core learning component
• Credits granted based on previous academic and work experience
• International, executive study tour as the final path to graduation.

Program Objectives

• To create a strong, evidence-based foundation of knowledge consistent with contemporary SME management and leadership theory and practice.
• To equip learners with creative, empirical, and ethical approaches to SME management and leadership that combine the conceptual and technical knowledge, cognitive and practical skills, positive mindset, and interpersonal skills to successfully lead a business at regional or global scale.
• To integrate learners into local, regional, and global networks of business leaders.

Career Prospects

Program graduates will be prepared to start-up or grow a business or franchise as owner, hold a mid- to senior-level position as an SME employee, or serve as a business advisor to SMEs. Graduates may fill a variety of job titles, including:

• Client Relations Manager
• C-Suite Executive
• Digital Marketing Specialist
• Digital Product Manager
• Digital Transformation Specialist
• Finance Manager
• Human Resource Manager
• Manager of Investor Relations
• Marketing Manager
• Strategic Planning Specialist
• Talent Development Manager

Program Structure

The program consists of a 45-credit course of study, which is designed to be completed on a full-time basis in 18 months or on a part-time basis in two-and-one-half years. There are two semesters per year. Full-time learners will ideally enroll in 15 credits (five courses) per semester; part-time learners in 9 credits (three courses) per semester. Each 3-credit course includes 45 contact hours in the form of seminar discussions, material guidance, and project-based activities plus three additional hours of exams/project presentations. All requirements must be completed within four years (full-time students) or 6 years (part-time students), by policy of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

Each learner will complete 39 credits of coursework, followed by the six-credit graduation path. The first eight courses are foundation-level subjects that provide the groundwork for more advanced study. They are followed by five elective courses, which are customized to the student’s needs. Electives may include independent study on a special topic chosen by the student in consultation with their advisor.

Learners may also elect to take a concentration consisting of four, 3-credit courses. Concentrations include: Digital Business, Financial Management, Management, and Organizational Development. Courses offered within the concentrations may also be taken as individual elective subjects.

The graduation path consists of a research project conducted during an international study tour. The learner will complete a 20-page paper that documents the research and present it in writing and orally to a 3-member advisory committee made up of the Dean of LA-SME, the Academic Advisor, and one additional faculty member.

Curriculum

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the EMBA in SME Leadership will have the following, minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field. Applicants may be accepted on a provisional basis pending completion of bachelor’s level bridging courses required to excel in the EMBA curriculum.
• Two years of relevant work or business ownership experience.
• English proficiency equivalent to IBT TOEFL of 45, PBT TOEFL of 450, or IELTS of 5.0. This requirement may be waived under special circumstances at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
• Successful interview with a three-person Admissions Committee consisting of the Dean of LA-SME and two additional faculty members.

The application will include: [link to on-line application]

• A letter stating the applicant’s interests and goals in pursuing the EMBA
• Original transcripts and certified copies of certificates from accredited HEI-level academic programs
• Resume
• Two letters of recommendation from former instructors and/or supervisors
• 2 passport photos.

Credit Policies

A maximum of 12 credits may be assigned for prior learning, transferred, from another institution, or exempted under the following circumstances with the approval of the Academic Advisor, Dean of LA-SME, and the Academic Council:

Assessment of Prior Learning (APL): the process of assessing for credit nonformal learning acquired through work experience/life experiences. APL will only be allowed for up to six credits, must be well documented, and should reflect learning equivalent to academic coursework.

Credit Transfer: the process whereby credits already achieved for an incomplete qualification at a quality assured tertiary institution is applied towards the EMBA.

Credit Equivalence: the process whereby credit is granted by the University for completion of one or more courses that are substantially equivalent at another institution. Credit equivalence is used where credit transfer is not feasible.

Credit Exemption: no credit is awarded but exemption and right to advance (RTA) to the next level of study is granted on the basis of previous study.

Graduation Path

Learners will earn the EMBA with Major in SME Leadership upon successful completion of 45 credits, consisting of 39 credits of coursework or APL and the six-credit Graduation Path. Learners must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) with no grade below 2.0 (C). Learners who undertake a Concentration will have that indicated on the Graduation Certificate.

Tuition, Fees, and Miscellaneous Costs

All students entering the first batch beginning 14 December 2021 will automatically receive a 25% tuition scholarship. Please contact us for information about additional scholarship options.

Upon entering the program, the tuition fee per credit will be fixed so long as the student remains registered on a continual basis for the duration of their program.

For More Information, Contact:

Susan Hagadorn, EdD, MPA

Dean, Leadership Academy for SME

susanh@lsi.edu.kh

Telephone within Cambodia: 017-957-161

H/P or Telegram: +855 17 957 161