Suliman S. Olayan School of Business

The Suliman S. Olayan School of Business is a part of The American University of Beirut and has a vision to become globally recognised as the leading business school between Europe and South Asia for academic research, high-quality teaching and business impact. The business school’s programmes are aimed to develop and enhance global managerial leadership in the Middle East.

The business school’s strategic objectives are to:

• Develop a world-class research environment.
• Grow an alternative resource base and operating budget.
• Develop of foundation of top-of-the-line faculty.
• Globalise the university through accreditation networks and international corporate and academic alliances.
• Create new program in-line with regional demands and global business trends in the Middle East to grow the student body.

Some of the initiatives the school has taken to achieve these strategic goals are hiring thought leaders, developing new research centers, introducing two new, specialized master’s programmes and constructing a new building on campus.

The business school has developed a set of core values that describes who they are and how they treat one another.  These core values are:

• Leadership
• Integrity & Transparency
• Trust
• Life-Long Learning
• Critical Thinking
• Relevance
• Innovation
• Academic & Professional Excellence
• Pro-active Customer Orientation

The Full-time MBA Programme was established in the 1940s and is based on a general management focus.  The programme is intended for ambitious professionals on track to becoming senior managers and provides a curriculum of top-down strategic courses with a bottom-up operational orientation.  The programme emphasizes big-picture thinking, problem framing, implementation, execution and results-based management.

The programme is continuously reviewed and updated to provide the best international practices in graduate management education.  Below is the curriculum of the MBA programme provided by Suliman S. Olayan’s website:

The Executive MBA Programme is intended for senior regional executives with a proven track record in managing and who wish to expand their knowledge in their specific area of practice.  The programme has a distinct strategy orientation and inter-disciplinary curriculum that give participants a state-of-the-art global leadership experience.  The executive MBA programme separates itself from others through its relevant teaching of developmental needs in Middle East executives and organisations.

The programme provides students with knowledge through problem based learning (including case studies), effective integration of real-life experiences in the business world, and application of learned knowledge to participants’ organisations.  Below is a general structure of the programme from Suliman S. Olayan’s Executive MBA Programme brochure:

The Executive Education Programmes are designed for evolving business leaders who are interested in innovative strategic thinking and self-improvement.  The programmes enhance leadership aptitude of participants operating in the Middle East region for maximum impact and performance, and a condensed learning model involves both classroom and off campus coursework.  Classes are offered in classic courses covering the basic areas of leadership and management, or in customised programmes for more detailed, specific areas of study.