Executive Dennis Chang was sceptical when his bosses at MasterCard asked him to sign up for a $14,000 experiential education programme run by the Global Institute For Tomorrow, a think-tank that is highly critical of western capitalism.
The man charged with spearheading the US credit card company’s drive into China’s booming market was unsure what useful lessons he could acquire from an organisation whose founder has literally written the book on the perils of consumerism in Asia.
And having completed several mini-MBA-style executive education courses before, Mr Chang was not convinced that he could learn much by doing another programme that lasted less than three weeks.