Hult International Business School
Hult International Business School is a truly global business school, offering MBA, Master and Undergraduate degree programs in five cities – Boston, San Francisco, London, Dubai, and Shanghai. Hult is affiliated with the privately held company EF Education First Ltd., an international education company that specializes in language training, educational travel, and cultural exchange.
Hult is currently ranked in the top 20 business schools in the U.S. and in the top 30 business schools in the world by The Economist . The Financial Times also ranked the school 6th in international business and 1st for post-graduation salary increase.
Recognizing the importance of a deep understanding of global economies, Hult takes a different approach to business education than traditional business schools. Hult’s Global Rotation Program, for example, allows students to gain critical insights into the world’s key economies by providing firsthand international business experience. Students can opt to pursue their Master of International Business in one location and complete elective courses at a different Hult campus.
In 2005, Hult was a single campus in Boston, Massachusetts. After the accreditation of Hult’s one-year MBA program by the Association of MBAs (AMBA), Hult began its worldwide expansion in order to become a truly global business school. In 2007, Hult opened its Shanghai campus. Between 2008 and 2010, Hult opened the Dubai, London and San Francisco campuses.
With growing operations in a globally diverse environment, the university’s administration offices, career services, and faculty and staff needed a way to stay connected despite time zone separation.
Yousuf Khan, CIO for Hult International Business School was involved in implementing video conferencing at EF, Hult’s partner company.
“EF previously started quite an aggressive program for worldwide video conferencing deployment and all of my colleagues loved it,” said Khan. “EF has LifeSize systems in Toronto, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Brazil, Stockholm, and Bangalore. I’ve used it while visiting various international locations and found it really simple to operate and the quality was astounding.”
Khan and his team soon implemented LifeSize Passport, LifeSize Team 220 and LifeSize Express 220 HD video endpoints in all five Hult campuses worldwide. LifeSize® Desktop™ was also installed for web conferencing on the road by members of staff who travelled frequently and LifeSize Transit to help connect with external sites. LifeSize Control management software was also installed to provide IT administrators with complete management of Hult’s video communications environment.
"LifeSize is now the standard throughout Hult International Business School,” said Khan. “The technology has been very well received by all parties involved and the adoption rate is quite amazing. People just like using LifeSize. It’s really that simple.”
Hult is using the LifeSize technology in several ways, not only to save costs but also to improve communication and collaboration. According to Khan, Hult has seen a significant reduction in communication and travel costs since implementing video. From his home in London, for example, the Hult campus is roughly five miles away. Using London transport, this is usually a 45 minute commute and valuable time wasted. On days when he doesn’t physically need to be in the office, he uses LifeSize instead. “I believe that the true value is not only what it does to reduce cost, but the degree of increased efficiency,” he said.
“During the ash cloud crisis in the spring of 2010, we had several professors and key administrators stuck in various areas of the world, unable to travel. We relied heavily on our LifeSize systems to keep everyone connected using both laptops and video endpoints. In the end, we were able to have minimal disruption in our day- to-day activities during the ordeal. At that point, people really began to understand the magnitude of what this technology means for the way we work.”
In addition to using LifeSize on the administrative side, Hult’s career services department has now started offering interview opportunities to its students with Hult’s network of leading companies.
With a core focus on building expertise in global economies, a key part of Hult’s curriculum is centered on preparing students to enter the global workforce upon graduation. The career services team works extensively with the students to advise, support and shape career aspirations while working with some of the world’s top organizations to promote Hult students ahead of other candidates.
By offering video conference-based interviews, both the student and the interviewing company avoid wasting time and money on a candidate who doesn’t work out, especially when international travel is required.
“You can’t get a true feel from a candidate over the phone, Khan said. “It’s about getting a real sense of how they communicate and how they present themselves to a future employer. We’re beginning to see a significant increase in the number of top global companies wanting to interview via video – they have the technology, so why just use it for their internal use? Recently, we had a student based in our Shanghai campus go through a second-round interview with a Belgian company via video. His first interview was over the phone. After the video call he believed he made a much better impression the second time around. He said he was more direct, concise and able to build a rapport with the interviewer more rapidly than he could over audio.”
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