"Taking participants out of their usual business settings allow them to reinvent themselves, or at least to recharge their batteries, " said TMP program director Jumbo Borromeo. "For one thing, we have been getting many Indonesian participants. For another, Bali provides an environment conducive to reflection and creative thinking–two ingredients that our past participants kept telling us they truly appreciated, even in Baguio."
TMP, an executive development program designed for "individuals responsible for major policy formulation and strategic decision-making in an organization", is normally offered to current and future top managers such as chief executive officers, general managers and managing director.
TMP 2002 revolves around the theme, "Global Economy, Technology and the new Economy".
Sessions will tackle the residual effects of the 1997 Asian crisis, the aftermath of September 11, China and the World Trade Organization, and India as the next global powerhouse. Technology and new economy topics include e-commerce, strategies for innovation and leveraging technology for re-positioning.
"By the end of the program, each participants should have a clearer picture of the global, technological and competitive environment that will influence his company’s strategy. It is not expected that the participant will leave the TMP with a new strategy in hand. However, the program hopes that each participant will be ready to share numerous insights and new knowledge with his colleagues, in order to improve upon or perhaps revamp their current strategy," said Borromeo.
The program fee of $600 covers tuition and materials as well as 11 room-nights with full buffet breakfast and buffet lunch on all working days.
TMP will follow an intensive schedule of three to four sessions daily, each lasting 1.5 hours. Each participant is expected to prepare all assigned materials on the evening before the scheduled class. During the actual sessions, he is expected to actively listen to the lecturer and his fellow participants, share his own insights and experiences with the class, test his ideas against those of the lecturer and the class. Where there are exercises, simulations and group discussions, the participant is similarly expected to be actively involved and to contribute to everyone else’s learning and understanding.
"It is the interaction with other top Asian managers and the opportunity to comprehensively think of effective strategies and business models for your company that is important. In the dynamics of case discussion, one can grapple with various business and management issues in a group of two dozen top managers and test his or her ideas without fear of failure or financial consequence," Borromeo said.
Indeed, any education and training program is an investment. And with TMP, the top managers are willing to go all the way to Bali to make it.