A different type of MBA

For everyone who thinks Harvard Business School is too impractical, there is now a great alternative, bearing the stamp of approval of a cadre of über-wealthy Russian oligarchs:

A handful of top Russian business figures have created a Master of Business Administration program that tackles the issues they faced themselves: bribery, relentless bureaucracy and imperfect laws.

Supporters of the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo say it will fill an important niche by getting students ready for the unpredictable, sometimes corrupt world of emerging market economies.

“We’d like to change the whole model,” said the school’s dean, Wilfried Vanhonacker. “It doesn’t make sense for us, nor are we interested in competing with Harvard. That’s a business school of the past, I have to say. But a business school of the future has to be different.”

This was my favorite part:

Mr. Hayward said that he had considered asking officials in police agencies and private security companies to speak to the business students, and might even invite an organized crime boss to talk about the challenges of management.

Say what you will, but the founders have clearly internalized at least one important business principle - the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo is nothing if not differentiated.

Rio Tinto 4 charged with bribery, not espionage

In the latest surprising turn in the Rio Tinto/China iron ore case, China has apparently decided not to pursue the most serious charges that were floated:

But on Tuesday the four were formally arrested on suspicions of commercial bribery and trade secrets infringement — serious charges, but far less explosive than a possible charge of espionage, which had raised the prospect of a closed-door trial and harsh penalties.

“Cooler heads prevailed,” said David Kelly, a professor at the University of Technology in Sydney’s China Research Center.

Maybe the $100bn math didn't stand up to scrutiny.

Meanwhile, China's resource rampage continues...