Attendees aren't just paying for classroom learning, but also for a lifelong network of key executives who are driving electronic-business initiatives at their organizations, said Popp. David Foote, managing partner at Foote Partners LLC, a workforce consultancy in New Canaan, Conn., said the cost of the program seems a bit high, especially since Wharton benefits from it as well as the participants.
Professors gain valuable information for case studies and contacts for future consulting jobs.
And Wharton MBA students can make contacts at major companies through the program's reverse-mentoring component, which pairs executives with Wharton MBA students. Workers can find cheaper alternatives, Foote said. But, he added, the program can be valuable for executives, especially if they don't have MBAs. In contrast, executive education lets employees tap into a network of peers and generate ideas that can help in business. Philadelphia-based Wharton will offer the program again in May, according to Jerry Wind, academic director of the program.