Exceptions to that may be found with the growing numbers of shorter programs that are increasingly offered by these same schools. But for the standard one-week or longer programs, most require corporate sponsorship. And then we will take the excellent questions popping up from the audience. Al, cost is a very big issue with these programs. She echoes KnowBo5167 with this.
Cost is a very significant issue.
However, from my recent experience, I am finding that execs from smaller companies increasingly are attending exec ed programs despite the fee. Similar to the situation here in the U.S., there was an enormous amount of reform that was putting pressure on doctors to be skilled not only in medicine but in business practice. The physicians that we educated felt that not only did exec ed help them understand the nature of the reforms in health care, but it also gave them some critical skill sets that helped them improve their practice. So I believe that an MBA can be very beneficial to helping practicing physicians strike a balance in their ability to deliver quality medical care in today's constrained environment. There are growing numbers as we speak.