But Zhai, who also goes by Amy, recognized that Asia's business climate was changing. She believes she needs fresh knowledge about manufacturing, global supply chains, and international markets to stay competitive. So she enrolled in the Global Supply Chain Leaders Program, a dual-degree executive MBA program at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina and Tsinghua University in Beijing.
自己需要不断的学习制造、全球供应链和国际市场方面的新鲜知识，才能保持竞争力。因此她报名申请了由北卡罗来纳大学（the University of North Carolina）凯南-弗拉格勒商学院（the Kenan-Flagler Business School ）和清华大学（Tsinghua University）合办的双学位高层管理人员工商管理硕士（EMBA）项目：全球供应链领袖双学位课程（Global Supply Chain Leaders Program）
"I was young when I got my first MBA, " she says, "but after working, I felt this program would improve me professionally. It would help improve my thinking from an international viewpoint."
翟宁说：“当初拿到自己第一个MBA学位的时候，我还年轻。工作一些时间后，我感觉到MBA可以提高我的职业素养，让我提升到国际视角的高度来思考问题。”
Zhai isn't the first Chinese executive to turn westward for an executive education. The demand for advanced business degrees is growing among Asia's professional set, and American and European business schools are partnering with institutions in the East to offer executive MBA and other programs. China's rapid economic development has sparked a series of growing pains, including a shortage of managerial talent. Asia's business class is eager to fill that void and enrolling in EMBA programs.
翟宁并不是第一位到西方学习管理课程的高管。亚洲职场对高端商科学位的需求正在兴起。美国和欧洲的商学院正和东方的院校合作提供EMBA和其他项目。中国经济的快速发展引发了一系列问题，其中就包括高级管理人才的短缺，亚洲的商业精英希望通过参加EMBA项目学习来弥补这一不足。
The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University teamed up with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to offer an executive MBA program that has snagged the top spot in the Financial Times' EMBA rankings for four years in a row. The business schools at University of Maryland and Arizona State University are among a handful of other American institutions that have established ties with China to offer EMBA programs. B-schools in other countries have also embraced the trend. INSEAD and the University of Western Ontario in Canada offer Chinese executives the opportunity to grab an international EMBA.
美国西北大学（Northwestern University）凯洛格管理学院（Kellogg School of Management）和香港科技大学（the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology）合办的EMBA课程连续四年蝉联英国《金融时报》（Financial Times）最佳EMBA排行榜榜首。美国马里兰大学（University of Maryland）和亚利桑那州立大学（Arizona State University）的商学院是为数不多的与中国高校合办EMBA项目的两所商学院。其他国家的商学院也紧随其后。欧洲工商管理学院（INSEAD）和加拿大西安大略大学（University of Western Ontario）也在与中国高校合办面向中国高管的国际EMBA课程。
The UNC-Tsinghua program welcomed its first class of 24 Chinese executives, including four women, in October 2012. Similar to Zhai, the majority of students are experienced professionals -- they have an average of 21 years of work experience. For one-third of the program, students attend class in Beijing once a month from Friday to Sunday. The remaining portion is taught through global residencies and two 16-day sessions in Chapel Hill.
2012年10月，清华大学-北卡罗来纳大学合办的双学位EMBA项目迎来了首批24位中国高管学员，其中有4位是女性。和翟宁一样，多数学员都是有丰富经验的专业人士，平均拥有21年的从业经验。学员在北京完成其中三分之一的课程，每月一次课，上课时间为周五至周日。余下的课程通过全球游学和两期为期各16天的教堂山集中学习完成。
The program will set executives back $60, 000, not including residency costs. But the sticker price didn't dissuade Dong Ren, 42, a manager at CITIC International Logistics. "It's a dream for me, " he says. "I don't think it's too large of an investment." Ren is paying his own way through the program and aims to start a private company.
这个项目收费六万美元，不含住宿费用。但是这个标价并没有吓退任栋（音译）。现年42岁的任栋在中信国际物流公司（CITIC International Logistics）担任经理。他说：“这是我的梦想。我认为这笔投资很值。”任栋是自费参加该项目学习的。他的目标是开一家自己的公司。
Demand for programs like the one at UNC partly stems from China's growing status as an economic heavyweight. As companies expand into new markets, executives are opting to acquire skills to take their businesses to the next level. In Zhai's case, her company is eyeing international expansion, particularly in the U.S. Her employer is paying for her degree so she'll be able to bring global supply chain expertise to bear on the company's growth plans.
对于像北卡罗来纳大学这样的EMBA课程，相关需求在一定程度上源于中国经济大国地位的崛起。公司开拓新的市场时，公司高管就想拥有更多的技能，让公司更上一个台阶。像翟宁这样，她的公司正致力于扩张国际业务，尤其是美国业务。她的EMBA学费由雇主支付。公司希望她可以把学到的全球供应链专业知识用到公司的增长计划中。
Another UNC-Tsinghua student, Tiejun Liu, 39, saw value in broadening his global perspective. As the chief representative at Hong Kong Quam Securities, Liu has a wealth of experience in Asia's financial industry, but he wanted a better understanding of business theory. "It's a different way of thinking," he says. U.S. professors walk you through business cases, and their analyses offer a different viewpoint, he adds. The global residencies, which include trips to Dubai and Seattle, also provided opportunities to learn about different cultures and expand his worldview, Liu says.
刘铁军是清华大学-北卡罗来纳大学双学位EMBA项目的另一位学员。现年39岁的刘铁军是香港华富嘉洛证券（Hong Kong Quam Securities）在中国大陆的首席代表，在亚洲金融业有着丰富的从业经验，但他还想更深入地研习商业理论。他说：“EMBA学习带来的是一种不同的思维模式。美国教授向学员讲解商业案例，对案例的分析会提供一个不同的观点。”他还补充说：“全球游学，包括去迪拜和西雅图的旅行，也让自己获得了了解不同文化的机会，扩展了自己的世界观。”
The UNC-Tsinghua EMBA program is rather unique in that it offers a dual emphasis on business and engineering, says to Jayashankar M. Swaminathan, associate dean of the program. Graduates walk away with a master of business administration from UNC and a master of engineering management from Tsinghua.
清华大学-北卡罗来纳大学双学位EMBA项目副主管贾亚尚卡尔•斯瓦米纳坦说，这个项目相当独特，因为它对商业和工程并重。学员毕业后可以获得北卡罗来纳大学的工商管理硕士学位和清华大学的工程管理硕士学位。
The program initially focused on attracting students with a technical or manufacturing background who had assumed leaderships positions in business. But Swaminathan discovered that students with investment, finance, and marketing backgrounds were also signing up. "I think the program is going to be much broader than we initially thought," he says.
项目的初衷旨在吸引一些有技术或者制造业背景的企业高管。但是斯瓦米纳坦发现，有投资、金融和市场营销背景的高管也纷纷报名。他说：“我认为未来课程的受众领域将会大大超越我们的最初预想。”
The students are also a bit older than many of their American or European counterparts. The average student age at the UNC-Tsinghua program is 41. By comparison, the average age of American EMBA students in 2010 was 37.1, according to Executive MBA Council data. Swaminathan says that many students in China lacked access to cutting-edge management education after graduating from college. "Many of these people are not looking to make a career switch. They're looking to enrich their current careers even further."
这些学员比欧美EMBA学员的年龄更大一些。清华大学-北卡罗来纳大学双学位EMBA项目学员的平均年龄为41岁。而国际EMBA协会（Executive MBA Council）的数据显示，2010年美国EMBA学员的平均年龄是37.1岁。斯瓦米纳坦说，许多中国学员大学毕业后缺少高端管理教育方面的学习机会。“他们中的很多人并不是为了转行，而是寻求在现有职业上取得更长足的发展。”
But the program has faced some hiccups. "Anytime you're talking about collaboration across continents, it's challenging," Swaminathan says. "UNC is the oldest public university and so we have processes in place that we must adhere to. On the other hand, Tsinghua has its own set of regulations and policies, so coming up with a process and program that works at both ends was extremely challenging."
但是这个项目也面临着一些问题。斯瓦米纳坦说：“无论何时，跨国合作总是具有挑战性的。一方面，北卡罗来纳大学是美国历史最悠久的公立大学，我们必须遵循我们的现有制度。另一方面，清华大学有自己的校规和政策。要想出对双方都行之有效的制度和项目极具挑战性。”
Fortunately, the students seem to be adjusting just fine. Zhai says one of the highlights of the program has been the UNC campus and the cuisine. "I like the food better than in China," she says with a laugh.
可喜的是，学员们都适应得很好。翟宁说，这个合作项目的一大亮点就是北卡罗纳大学的校园和美食。她笑着说：“相比国内，我更喜欢这里的美食。”