Since the School's inception - the Chief Executive Programme has been the flagship programme at the Lagos Business School. Our best resources and efforts have gone into this programme, which has been growing in value and relevance over the years. With the experience gained thus far, we have developed a programme that truly responds to the needs of the Chief Executive today: the Chief Executive Programme.

A major attraction in the forthcoming Chief Executive Programme is the introduction of sessions with distinguished CEOs and government dignitaries on contemporary issues that will bring some more practical flavour to the programme

Our rapidly changing business environment constantly creates new demands for people who own and manage business organisations. Business leaders usually see change as an opportunity for innovation and value creation rather than an obstacle to survival. But to be able to carry out their innovative strategies they often feel the need to change the way they manage their people and their resources so as to respond quickly to the new challenges and to compete more effectively.

The Programme equips the Chief Executive with knowledge, attitudes and resources to help him anticipate and deal with risks and opportunities, manage the process of change and give a competitive edge to his business. And just as important, it helps him assess his strengths and weaknesses as a leader so that he can adapt his management style to the demands of the business environment.

I invite you to learn more about our Chief Executive Programme by reading the following lines of this web page.

Prof. Albert J. Alos
Vice Chancellor

• Reinforcing the strategic focus of the company
• Improving executive decision-making capacities at the top level, the ability to think strategically and the spirit of entrepreneurship
• Deepening appreciation for and understanding the ethical dimensions of business
  activities
• Sharing experiences on the various aspects of the Nigerian situation and the
  future direction of business in and from Nigeria.
  

A special opportunity to reflect on the conditions for business effectiveness in Nigeria.

A moment to engage in a systematic look at :

• Your company
• Your market
• Your competitors
• The global-economic and business environment
• The Nigerian economic, political and social environment
• The overall strategic position of your organisation
  

• The experienced Nigeria and expatriate members of faculty of Lagos Business School, presenting leading-edge thinking on business issues and leading discussions
• A peer group of selected chief executives from a variety of backgrounds and business sectors, offering continuous opportunities for interaction
• A thorough use of the case study method, demanding active participation and assimilation from selected real-life cases taken from Nigeria and abroad
  
  

CEP participants have traditionally represented a broad variety of business and industrial sectors. This wide spectrum of experience contributes immensely to the well-rounded and lively interaction on programme cases.

A variety of pedagogical techniques is used in CEP although learning is primarily achieved using case studies. Instruction is centered on 80 real business cases taken from Nigeria and abroad. Short lectures, discussions, videos, simulations and role-playing greatly supplement these cases.

The Strategy in the environment
Social and Political Environment of Business
Globalization
Economic Analysis
Business Strategy

Strategic issues in running the firm
Marketing Strategy
Finance Strategy
Human Resources Strategy
Operations Management
Business Ethics – Achieving Organisational Integrity

Leading the firm to achieve results
Corporate Governance
Leadership
Evaluating Business Performance

Shaping the future
Change Management
Information Systems

Electives
At least 10 sessions from these areas depending on interest of participants

Entrepreneurship and Organisational Creativity
International Economic Environment
The Christian View of Business
Oral Presentation Skills

CEP Subject Units

The Strategy in the Environment

Social and Political Environment of Business
A clear understanding of the environment of the firm, especially of the political economic milieu, the relationship between government, business and society, and trends in national strategy within the context of international political economy trends, is an imperative for the strategically-minded general manager. This unit is designed to help managers identify a broad range of stake-holders in the environment of the firm with a view of enhancing the capacity for managing relationships with these stake-holders.

Always the central theme is that the cost and management accounting function exists within a business primarily to facilitate the development and implementation of the business strategy. The principal aim is to provide participants with knowledge and understanding of their costs and revenue, and how to manage them to create sustainable competitive advantage.

Globalization
The increasing activity of regional and world economic groupings has introduced international dimensions into competition among businesses. The sessions on Globalization will provide insight into ways of formulating strategies to manage emerging global challenges and opportunities.

Economic Analysis
Chief Executives face a rising tendency for economic considerations to dominate business decisions. CEO's are therefore under constant pressure to determine the implications of economic developments for their operations and manage the exposure of their companies accordingly. The course will focus on analysis of economic risks, with emphasis on policies for coping with shocks from economic fluctuations.

Business Strategy
Business Policy session using the case study approach emphasises the unique leadership role (often referred to as the helicopter view) of the Chief Executive as the strategist with practical examples of situations where the strategy process is either planned and directed or contingent and emergent. Concepts and tools will be presented for industry analysis and for configuring the firm's resources to achieve a unique position and sustainable competitive advantage. For the sake of breadth and versatility, generic strategy adaptations to specific settings will be explored alongside the functional integration and other organisational implications of strategy formation.

Overall, CEO will be exposed to a combination of rational and insightful approaches to creating some sense of the future (vision) and for generating competitive advantage to superior firm performance with greater levels of confidence into the Long term.

Strategic Issues in running the firm

Marketing Strategy
One of the major tasks of the enterprise is to analyse a firm's situation and to develop solutions for the problems, opportunities and threats confronting marketing decision makers. Through the case analysis, participants will develop the analytic and thinking skills necessary to make good decisions in real world marketing situations.

At the end of the sessions the CEO will have the ability to assess the costs and benefits of various marketing strategies

Financial Strategy
This section of the course covers topics in International Finance as well as the Nigerian Financial Environment. It also addresses issues in Funding Policies; Dividend Policies; and the Capital Structure of a Company. It is expected to give Chief Executives an overview of the implications of financial management on their companies cash flow and operating results as well as the strategic implications of financial decisions.

Human Resources Strategy
Research has shown that human resource management can be a powerful tool to enhance competitiveness when policies and practices are logically driven by a firm's strategy and by the key environmental factors that the firm faces. This course should help participants appreciate how companies can implement human resource policies which complement and reinforce their strategy. Strategy should influence who we select, what we appraise, the criteria for compensation, what skills are required, etc. On the other hand, the people we have, their skills, potentials, may limit our strategic options.

Operations Management
The programme will focus on the formulation of a comprehensive operating strategy that develops a competitive advantage for an organisation. Ways to optimise the operations value chain, leading to the management of resources for higher productivity, will also be discussed.

Business Ethics-achieving organisational integrity
Organisational integrity refers to a condition in which an organisation's managers and employees focus their energies on the attainment of the organisation's common goals, rather than on pursuing private agendas. This course will help CEO's reflect on the ways in which they can foster corporate integrity in their companies.

Leading the firm to achieve results

Corporate Governance
One of the major tasks of the Chief Executive is to ensure that the Board of Directors is effective in the directing role which it plays in the management of the business. In the sessions on Corporate Governance, participants will discuss some options for achieving the proper balance between Management and the Board, and for making sure that they both give the best value to the stake-holders of the business.

Leadership
This course identifies leadership as a key success factor for chief executives whose enterprises must face the many challenges of a constantly changing business environment. Through case studies and a general discussion, participants analyse the roles and responsibilities of CEO's as well as the skills and competencies that they need for securing sustainable competitive advantage as globalization and other trends portend an increasingly exciting future for business. The final session encourages participants to apply the results of their study to the situation in their own enterprises.

Evaluating Business Performance
A primary concern of any company's Board and its Management is the management of stake-holder value. Most often successfully managing it depends on knowing what to manage. It is also important to know how to measure and communicate it. Some of these measures range from the financial cash flow-based measures to the non-financial measures like the Balanced Scorecard. This course presents some of these measures as well as the techniques to apply them depending on the firms operating environment and circumstance.

Shaping the future

Change Management
Change is certain to occur in all organisations, yet people and organisations tend to resist change. The consequence is that firms become unable to compete. This course examines the motives for resisting change and what approaches can be used to probatively manage change.

Information Systems
This unit addresses the management issues arising from the use of computing equipment and emphasises ways in which existing and new technologies can be deployed to support the information needs of managers. The IT unit also includes an overview of leading information technology developments.

Oral Presentation Skills
Making oral presentations is an important part of an Executive's work. Participants in this module are coached by a professional communicator to improve their oral skills and their ability to prepare and deliver persuasive presentations.

A CEP Certificate will be awarded to participants with minimum of 80% attendance
and after full payment of the fees.

Firm bookings for the CEP are made by submission of the application form along with the deposit. Applications will then be acknowledged and a personal interview with each candidate will be held with the programme Coordinator before the booking is confirmed.

Downloadable forms can be obtained from our Application Centre

"... In my view, LBS has arrived in the nick of time and is the only institution of its type. In furtherance of one of the major objectives of the School, our own CEP set has advanced the concept of an "Oasis of Sanity" where we network in promoting ethical and responsible business by giving good example and helpful advice to our colleagues and employees"
- 'Imo J. Itsueli, MD, Dubri Oil Coy. (CEP-1)

"Lagos Business School is a completely private sector effort. LBS maintains international standards while simultaneously fostering management education which is completely relevant to our environment. It is my belief that our greatest challenge in Africa is to better manage our resources and our economy. LBS represents a major step towards meeting this challenge and hence it also merits your full support"
- Chief E.A.O. Shonekan (CEP-1)

"We are getting it right at last! Having attended several management programmes abroad in some of the best business schools, I confirm that the quality of teaching and facilities at LBS compare. I learned a great deal, enjoyed the CEP and strongly commend it to other CEOs."
- Fola Adeola, (CEP-1)

A significant contribution of LBS education for us is that more people now see the big picture. This helps the process of synergy in our company. Working together through issues of strategy is facilitated by the growing common understanding of the critical success factors of our business."
- Bunmi Oni Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc. (CEP-2)

The facilitators, teaching methods and general environment of the CEP compare favourably with executive management programmes in Europe, America and Asia. The programme has immense relevance for CEOs in our local operating environment and is highly interactive in nature. It has impacted positively on my work leading the bank and assisted in my review of our organizational structure, customer base, products and management. I am very happy I seized the opportunity to attend the CEP this year.
- Erastus Akingbola. (CEP-3)

1. Advanced Management Programme - designed for Executive Directors and members of the Executive Management Team of multinationals and big companies (i.e. people reporting to the Managing Director). The programme is run once a year on part-time format from February to July and is non-residential.

2. Senior Management Programme - This Programme is aimed at managers not reporting to the Managing Director, but who have at least three years experience at the management level. This programme runs on a part-time format from April to July and is non-residential. A full time residential Senior Management Programme is run each year in the last quarter from October to November.

3. Owners Managers Programme - Participants of the Owners Managers Programme are CEOs of small or medium size companies who want to transform their businesses. The programme is run twice yearly on a part-time format from March - July and September - November.