Having completed ten years of successful presence in the field of graduate management studies and responding to the growing awareness of the critical strategic role of Human Resources in achieving sustainable growth, innovation and high organizational performance, ALBA launches in January 2003, a new specialized academic program: The  MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management.

Faithful to its mission of creating a new generation of executives, ALBA pioneers once again, with the introduction of a specialized program, tailored to the needs of professionals who either currently work in the field of HR or have been working in other functions and are strongly committed to making a career shift. The purpose of the ALBA MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management is to provide executives, and the companies in which they work, the necessary skills that will help them respond to the challenges of the dynamically changing global HR environment.

The Program offers participants the theoretical and practical tools to:

• Develop strategic thinking and understand human resources processes through a strategic frame;

• Design and implement human resource practices closely aligned with the organizations’ business strategy;
• Build and deploy critical people competencies for sustainability and competitive advantage;
• Deal with complexity and change.

This modular, part-time Program will begin in January 2003; courses will be delivered two weekends per month, by internationally renowned Faculty, with extensive teaching experience and research in the field of Management. As for all ALBA’s academic programs, the language of instruction is English.

Participants are engaged in a unique learning experience, blending formal instruction with a hands-on approach. Academic teaching is complemented by practical workshops, intensive collaboration in teams, and a continuous interaction with the business environment.

The strategic alliance with Hay Group S.A., an ALBA Corporate Member, representing in Greece Hay Group worldwide, one of the world’s foremost management consulting firms, further enhances the Program’s integrated learning approach, by familiarizing participants with cutting-edge HR tools and methodologies.

The Program’s formal presentation took place on October 16th 2002 at the GAIA Centre, the Goulandris Natural History Museum and was attended by executives from HR as well as other functions, and also by ALBA’s friends and Alumni. Program Director Dr. Olga Epitropaki, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management at ALBA presented the philosophy and structure of the program. The launching event was coordinated by Dr. Haridimos Tsoukas, The George D. Mavros Research Professor of Organization and Management at ALBA, and Professor of Organization Theory and Behavior, University of Strathclyde, UK. In his brief greeting to the audience President and Managing Director Nikos Ebeoglou, noted that “the importance and the strategic role of Human Resources are critical for corporate success in the knowledge economy”, while Dean Nickolaos Travlos emphasized that “ALBA’s successful ten-year presence in the field of graduate management studies guarantees the excellent quality standards of the new Program”.

Professor Chris Argyris, James Bryant Conant Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration and Education, Harvard University and a Member of the Academic Council of ALBA, is especially invited for the inaugural lecture of the new Program.