Der MBA-Markt

Women across the western world have achieved a revolutionary success in the last 40 years. According to a recent article from the Financial Times the proportion of women with paid jobs across the western world has risen from 48 per cent to 64 per cent since 1970. This has given a massive boost to the economy and changed women’s lifestyle and thinking. However, there are still income gaps and the boards of big companies are widely deserted from female executives. A lot could be gained from achieving these last steps of equality. It is time to call for action – something that some of Europe’s leading business schools have done now. Amongst them is the University of St. Gallen. MBA Channel has spoken to Prof. Dr. Simon Evenett, the Academic Director of the St Gallen MBA programme, about the ideas behind the initiative.

A recent survey by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) found that the wage gap between men and women is smaller among MBA graduates than it is among the general U.S. population. Female graduates of full-time MBA programmes received starting salaries equivalent to 85 per cent of the earnings of their male counterparts. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the average percentage in the U.S. workforce is as low as 77 per cent.

Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business was the big winner of this year’s FT ranking. The American business school moved up to first place – an absolute first in the 14 years that The Financial Times has ranked full-time MBA programmes. Stanford leads the ranking followed by Harvard Business School, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and London Business School, which had both tied for first last year. Columbia Business School made it to fifth place this year.

Amidst renewed talks of a financial crisis, employees all over the world are more reluctant to give up their positions and go back to school for one or two years. This might be one of the reasons why the Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) is so successful these days.

A new survey by Training The Street (TTS), a corporate training provider, found that MBA graduates needed more hands-on training to prepare themselves for Wall Street careers. The training company conducted its analysis amongst a training class of incoming associates at a global investment bank.

Fear of another financial crisis has caused a slowdown for enrolments at Indian business schools. The impact has been relatively low in the top institutes, but a majority of the approximately 4,000 schools in India are facing a shortage of students. In some cases, they have lost up to 50 per cent of their students according to IIM Calcutta director Shekhar Chaudhuri.

The Ross school of Business at the University of Michigan takes its executive MBA programme to Los Angeles. The programme is a once-a-month format.  Applications will be accepted in January, with the first course starting in August 2012. A key feature of the programme is the so called ExecMAP where students work in teams to conduct high-level strategic projects. These cover a variety of industries and company sizes from multinationals to start-ups. The course enables students to get to know different industries, gain overseas experience, or get inside an entrepreneurial venture.

Public relations has not been the focus of most MBA programmes. Usually most programmes touch the topic briefly, mostly in the way of teaching writing and communication skills. This might change in the near future as new research reveals gaps in MBA hires in this particular area.

Why study for an MBA? Which school to choose? And by which criteria? There is no one better qualified to answer these questions than the programme directors of business schools who observe the industry, its trends and its relative competitive advantages. Therefore the English national daily newspaper “The Independent” and Audencia Nantes School of Management in France asked the heads of 58 business schools in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, but not the United States for their opinion. The data such collected challenges some of the accepted facts concerning the Master of Business Administration.

“The Financial Times” ranks the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad as the highest placed newcomer in its 2011 global ranking. That is due to impressive salaries for alumni and due to an extensive international network with other prestigious schools like Stern, Booth, WHU, Essec and HEC. MBA Channel spoke with IIMA’s director Professor Samir K. Barua about the school’s image to be one of the toughest business schools to get into and the relative value of international accreditations.

Several Canadian business schools have opened up trading floors for their MBA students. They have installed trusts with real money to allow their students to learn how to trade stocks and bonds and handle the risks involved.

Turkey has risen from the ashes like a phoenix. After its worst economic crisis in 2001 Turkey has turned the tables. These days the country is outshining the BRIC* countries reporting higher growth rates than any of the other emerging markets. With nine per cent growth, Turkey’s 735 billion dollar economy is Europe’s fastest-expanding market. Experts explain the country’s economic “miracle” with two main factors: Turkey’s high growth potential and the country’s large size.

Only a few Australian universities offer MBA programs online. Those that do, report significant demand. For example the University of South Australia’s biggest and fastest growing MBA cohort is virtual students. At any given time there are about 300 students studying online, compared with about 200 on campus in Adelaide. The development is driven by the mining boom in Australia, reckon the school’s administrators. Many people working in the country’s fast growing resources sector fly in and out of work in remote communities near mining sites and study in the evenings while there is not much else to do in the outback.

The International Executive Doctorate (DBA) is the highest level business qualification attainable. It is designed for experienced senior managers, executives and entrepreneurs who already have a master’s degree and wish to carry out in-depth research on a key management issue in their field. 

India is one of the most exciting MBA destinations at the moment. The economy has been going strong in the last few years and MBA applications are on the rise. On top of this a new foreign education bill is in discussion which will allow the entry of foreign universities into India. Schools like Duke University’s Fuqua, York University’s Schulich and Georgia Institute of Technology have expressed interest in setting up campuses in India. MBA-Channel spoke with Ajit Rangnekar, dean of the Indian School of Business about the new competition, the lack of quality education on the subcontinent, and a higher number of scholarships.

The FT’s 2011 ranking of global Executive MBA programmes is out and the first three places go to Kellogg/Hong Kong UST, Trium and Columbia/London School of Economics. The winners are all combination programmes where students study in more than one place and often receive a title from more than one university. Of the top 10 EMBA programmes in 2011, seven involve studying on more than one continent.