Whenever MBA comes up in a discussion, the Harvard Business School is often the first to come to mind. However, despite the growing reputation of European b-schools, American institutions still hold a little more prestige. The problem is that sending employees to attend these schools in the US is often financially unfeasible for many UK companies. Fortunately, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business has come up with a solution. They have created an internet-driven cross-continent MBA programme that is now being offered in Frankfurt, Germany.
Launched last year, the programme is open to students of all ages and experience levels. Elizabeth Riley, Fuqua’s director of admissions, explains that applicants are not judged based solely on the number of years they have worked. They want to know what the applicants have achieved and what they hope to achieve with an MBA. Through this innovative programme, students can earn an MBA degree with a top-five US school but still be in Europe without interrupting their careers.
Students who participate in cross-continent programmes acknowledge that regular contact, camaraderie, and team spirit are crucial in a web-dominated programme. These programmes give students the opportunity to build up an international network that might not be possible in traditional classrooms.
Frankfurt is an ideal location for the programme given the city’s international profile. It hosts 15 of the largest annual international trade shows covering various industrial sectors. In addition, it is home to some 400 national and international financial institutions, eight of Germany’s ten largest banks, the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank, and the country’s stock market.
The school’s curriculum is dynamic and relevant to changing companies’ needs worldwide. The courses include global asset allocation, stock selection, hi-tech marketing, and entrepreneurship.
While new compared to other business schools, both Duke University and the Fuqua School of Business have achieved top-tier status relatively quickly. According to Business Week magazine, Fuqua is the hottest campus on the internet. You may contact Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Europe via email at europe@fuqua.duke.edu or visit the Taunusanlage 21, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Creating a full-length animated film can take up to five years, which requires patience. Animations today are produced in two ways: traditional drawn images or computer-generated imagery. Computer designs tend to have a flatter appearance, while drawings have a rounder, more three-dimensional appearance. This lengthy process involves producing 12 images for every second of the film.
Once the script is completed, the animator gets involved. The author may suggest how the character should look, and the animator will start putting down ideas on paper. These ideas slowly evolve into characters and images. For instance, when working on a piece set in Mexico, the animator browses Mexican images in books to get a clear picture of what it should look like.
The animator draws the main characters in various poses, such as happy, sad, and angry, to demonstrate how each character should look. A storyboard is then created, which provides a detailed description of what will happen in the piece, including camera angles and directions on how it should look. For instance, in The King’s Beard, a 70-minute film, it took three people almost four months just to create the storyboard.
Because producing many drawings can be costly, most of the drawing animation is outsourced to design houses in China or Korea. These huge firms produce high-quality animations quickly, with chief animators creating significant poses and others completing the drawings in between. The rushes are sent back to London for review, and the sound and finishing touches are added before distribution.
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