Penn-Securities Association of China Program

Penn-Securities Association of China Program
Currently in its fourth year, the Penn-SAC Program is a joint project of The Wharton School and Penn GSE. Designed specifically for the Securities Association of China by The Wharton School's Financial Institutions Center (FIC) and Penn GSE's International Programs Office, the 2008 program took place on the Penn campus from March 12 to June 12, 2008.

The purpose of this strategic executive development training program is to create learning opportunities for senior executives from the top securities companies in China, and particularly to engender in the participants an in-depth understanding of the U.S. securities market model, including its history and future developments, underlying theories, and real-world practices and financial products. The program also aims to promote cooperation and understanding between the Chinese executives and their American counterparts, by providing opportunities to exchange knowledge and experiences, and to contrast the different industry practices and financial products and services available in the two securities markets.

The Penn-SAC Program is a two-phase program combining seminars, targeted company visits, and discussions with American business leaders and securities issuers. In the first, one-week phase, the participants receive an orientation to American culture and American business culture. In the second phase, the participants attend an intensive series of seminars and workshops provided by the first-class faculty of Wharton FIC, on the history, theory and structure of the US financial markets, and fundamental topics in finance, macroeconomics, corporate governance, venture capital, securities regulation and public policy. Through site visits to leading industry representatives, the participants will have the opportunity to further explore these areas in real-world settings.

The Penn-SAC Program is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Securities Association of China and the University of Pennsylvania. The first Penn-SAC Program was offered to 28 participants in March-June, 2004. The second program took place in September-November, 2005, with 30 executives participating, and the third took place in March-June, 2007, with 25 executives participating.