The government, universities and companies are placing more and more emphasis on developing the country's education system. The government wants to build more high schools; universities are accepting more students; and having an MBA has become a must for most top management positions. Marco Sipione, president of the CMC Graduate School of Business, talks with The Prague Post about the country's education system. He also discusses the growing willingness on the part of universities to cooperate with businesses in the classroom.

1. Let me ask an unusual question to start the interview. Are you a good dancer?

You should ask my partner! I do like to take every opportunity to dance, and I'm not ashamed to try the Scottish reels or a classic waltz.

2. The reason I'm asking about dancing is that CMC, the Harvard Club and U.S. Business School are throwing the MBA 'James Bond' ball Feb. 18. Why James Bond?

It is not going to be the typical boring dinner and dance. We want to make our guests feel like they are on the film set. There are going to be a number of shows, entertainers, stunts, singers — and many surprises. There are still a few tickets left at info@viaperfecta.cz. Last year at the Friday Night Fever MBA Party, people were having so much fun they didn't even have time to eat their dinner.

3. One of CMC's primary focuses is coordinating MBA programs in the Czech Republic. How much do you think MBA programs appeal to Czechs?

[They're] booming. We have never had so many people applying to our MBA programs. We have the best U.S. professors using the case study method. It's like learning from real-life experience with professors who know the local business environment very well. We count among our students some of the top managers in this country.

4. It seems that more and more schools and universities are offering MBA programs. What's the competition like between different MBA programs here?

There are so many MBA programs here, but very few are of decent quality. It is much better to have a degree on your résumé that is accepted internationally. CMC and our partners Thunderbird [The Garvin School of International Management] and DePaul are the top providers of U.S. accredited programs in this country. Thunderbird is consistently ranked No. 1 in international business by BusinessWeek and The Wall Street Journal. And DePaul has been ranked among the top 10 American part-time MBA programs for the past 11 years by US News & World Report.

5. MBA programs represent a good opportunity for companies to invest in their employees. Do many local companies send their employees to do an MBA, or is that the domain of large, foreign corporations?

If MBA studies are booming, corporate executive education programs are exploding. We have recently started top-level management programs with DHL and Danone and are planning many more with local companies. Companies are now very keen on in-house training. We have programs in Czech, like our modular mini-MBA called Dynamic Manager. We also do specialized training in healthcare management, which is targeted at local hospitals.

6. Given the fact that the business world is placing more importance on education, are you at all concerned that there will be too many white-collar workers in this country?

It doesn't matter, and it is the natural evolution, anyway. In the long run, it isn't important where the 'basic' production is done, but who controls it. Look at Škoda, now manufacturing in Russia, Bosnia, Kazakhstan, India and China. The days of vertically integrated companies are over. The large conglomerates are no longer economical. It is more a question of managing the whole network of services and production on a global scale, and then offering the best product in the world.

7. It seems the Czech Republic is still trying to capitalize on a cheap work force, judging by the structure of foreign investment flowing into this country. As the economy becomes more sophisticated, is there a danger that it will lose the 'price' advantage and some major foreign investors as well?

This country has to compete on innovation and not on low labor cost. Czech managers are quickly replacing expats in all top companies here, and they do have to become more sophisticated. It's important for them to have a wider view of the market and to know what's going on internationally.

8. One of the most effective incentives for attracting high-tech investors is clear support of cooperation between particular investors and universities. How responsive do you think Czech universities are to cooperating with large companies?

They are starting [to respond]. The Czech Technical University is on the right track, and it should try to become the Czech equivalent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We also run a number of projects, such as the Business Academy for SMEs, in collaboration with a number of large corporations like Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. At CMC, we're even thinking of setting up a technology transfer center specializing in high-tech.

9. While the government is finally paying more attention to education, it's not doing much to make the labor market more flexible. What needs to be done to make the work force more mobile?

On mobility, Czechs don't really stand out: It's really a European attitude.

10. Speaking of moving for work, what made you relocate to work here? What was the most difficult thing about doing business here that you had to get used to?

I moved from London to Prague over 12 years ago to start the local operation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. I now regard myself as an adopted Czech and have even lost the Mediterranean habit of haggling on price.