Master Of Business Administration Programs Research Articles

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) Advantage for Police Chiefs: A Case for Studying Business for Law Enforcement Leadership

Historically, two advanced degrees — the Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) — have been considered the preferred choices for those seeking the highest ranks of law enforcement leadership. However, in recent years, characterized by rapid social change, technological progress, and growing public attention, the role of the police chief has evolved into a multifaceted leadership position that goes far beyond the traditional responsibilities of law enforcement. It covers a broader set of duties related to leadership and management communications in police units, organizational effectiveness, strategic management, administration, and control, effective financial resources and budgeting management, communications and accountability in local communities, and ethical decision-making to overcome the multifaceted challenges of modern police activity. The article argues that the degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA), known for its adaptability and versatility, can become a powerful alternative to MCJ and MPA today, as it provides police leaders with a more universal educational base, a comprehensive set of business skills and specialized knowledge, becomes more extensive, practical and an actual form of education of capable and adaptive police management personnel, allows to best prepare them for dynamic changes and transformation of job roles. The article critically examines to what extent and when solving which tasks the heads of police departments need knowledge and skills according to the traditional attributes of an MBA: in the field of financial management, strategic planning, leadership, and human resources management, effective and crisis communication, negotiation, interaction with the public, business ethics. The specifics of the application of the main attributes of those theories that are traditionally studied within the MBA program for the role of heads of police departments are analyzed: the theory of servant leadership, the theory of situational leadership, the theory of managerial economics, PESTEL analysis, and the theory of human relations. As a conceptual inquiry, this article lays the groundwork for continued research in this area to explore the MBA and its content courses as a useful tool for developing the skills and abilities of law enforcement leaders.

Status of Sustainability Management Education in African MBA Programmes: A Web-based Research Approach

Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that business schools in Africa are lagging behind in promoting sustainability education. Grand challenges that point to a limited focus on transformative sustainability education such as environmental pollution, conflicts, inequalities and unemployment still persist in African economies, with the profit motive remaining central to businesses’ operating philosophy. Informed by the clarion call for business schools to be key drivers of sustainability education, this study reviews the African master of business administration (MBA) curricula with the objective of assessing the status of sustainability management education. The content of the MBA curricula of 42 African business schools accredited with the Association of African Business Schools was analysed using a web-based research approach. The findings indicate that the concept of sustainability has not been sufficiently embedded into the African MBA curricula. The values and mission statements of the majority of business schools were found not to be aligned with the principles of sustainability education. It was also found that shareholder value oriented modules constitute the core curriculum of the majority of MBA programmes reviewed. An incremental elective approach was found to be the most dominant strategy used by African business schools to incorporate sustainability education in the MBA curricula. An integrative approach of embedding sustainability education focusing on re-orientation of the business schools’ values, mission, curriculum, systems, operations and governance is recommended. The increased use of experiential learning is also recommended as an effective teaching pedagogy for equipping MBA students with practical aspects of sustainability education.

Changing focus: How status affects reputation-based comparisons in the evaluation of organizations

Status and reputation both play important roles in the evaluation and choice of organizations. Status is used as a heuristic in the first stage of a two-stage process when decision-makers select a subset of status-proximate organizations, and cognitively costlier reputation-based comparisons take place in the second stage within this subset. Existing status research assumes that the relative importance of different dimensions of reputation in the second stage is not contingent on the status of the organization that is being evaluated. We argue that this assumption is not warranted. Evidence suggests that high status is associated with a focus on gains and opportunities while low status is associated with a focus on downside risks. Similarly, some dimensions of reputation are associated more with upside opportunities while other dimensions of reputation are associated more with downside risks. Consequently, we argue that the emphasis on reputation dimensions associated with upside opportunities relative to dimensions of reputation associated with downside risks is contingent on status, which provides the evaluation frame. We test our hypothesis and provide empirical evidence consistent with our predictions using a sample of 411,530 US applicants to Master of Business Administration programs.

Initial findings on student progress and satisfaction in a new model of hyperflexible online delivery for university students

University degrees are usually delivered in defined sessions —by term, semester, or in week-based blocks— whereby students are required to complete their studies by the due date. Term or session-based schedules that require students to complete the study within set timeframes are, however, potentially restrictive. Temporal challenges associated with work and life can impede progress and add to the specific problem of student attrition in online learning. As universities seek to deliver innovative options for their students, increased attention is being paid to alternate models of delivery. This paper reports on the development of a hyperflexible online Master of Business Administration (MBA) course by a regional university in Australia, which has grown to more than 1,000 students since its launch in 2017. Delivered entirely online, the degree was specifically designed to address an inequity; MBA programs are traditionally expensive, and in Australia, the requirement for students to travel to attend residential schools and examinations adds significant cost to already expensive tuition fees. This paper analyzed enrollment data, course analytics over a two-year period, and student surveys conducted at the end of the second year of delivery (n = 98) to evaluate the development and implementation of the course as a hyperflexible course whereby students have almost complete control over their study at the postgraduate tertiary level. Results highlight the potential for the model to enable student success through flexibility.

Reflections and perspectives on accessing informal finance and social capital

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, students will be able to identify and discuss ways in which informal financing of the kind discussed in the case study can provide new or different opportunities for access to alternative financing schemes; assess the role of“social capital” in micro and small business development and to understand and apply the role of social capital for female entrepreneurs in the Global South; critically analyse and reflect on the new role of digital technologies in challenging traditional patriarchal social norms and exclusion and ultimately be able to evaluate the role of digital technologies in terms of its practical implications for female entrepreneurs; and understand the role played by socio-cultural and historical contexts in female-owned/managed businesses within informal sectors of the economy. Furthermore, the students should be able to discuss how these contexts provide opportunities or challenges for actionable/robust/relevant business plans for female entrepreneurs. Case overview/synopsis This case study aims to create a platform for classroom conversations around: context of entrepreneurship in informal economies, challenges of accessing finance, women entrepreneurship, opportunities of digital entrepreneurship and resource acquisition and social capital. Overall, this case study intends to inspire and cultivate additional voices to advance authentic understanding of informal business practices in the financial sector that go beyond traditional formal western settings. This case study is based on a true story relating to the “sou-sou” financing system – an informal financing scheme – originating from West Africa which has been transported to other parts of the world including Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and other parts of Africa. The characters involve Maria, the main protagonist; Eunice, from LAC; and Fidelia from West Africa. With first-hand information from Eunice and Fidelia, Maria learnt about the ideological principles and the offerings of flexibility, trust, mutual benefits and kinship of the sou-sou system and was inspired to integrate digital technologies as a sustainable game changer for accessing microfinance. This case study draws on the contextual understanding of the economy in the Global South as well as the gender-based aspects of entrepreneurship as key aspects of women entrepreneurship and digital entrepreneurship. The sou-sou system is presented as a practical solution to the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the Global South to access finances, and the integration of digital technologies is considered instrumental not only in reinforcing the traditional system but also in transforming the entrepreneurial prospects for these women. Complexity academic level This teaching activity is aimed at postgraduate students in Master of Management and Master of Business Administration programmes. It can also be used for short executive courses, specialised PhD seminars and advanced bachelor programmes. This case study could be taught in the field of entrepreneurship in areas related to technology, gender, women entrepreneurship and financing in the context of the Global South. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

სიცოცხლისუნარიანი საგანმანათლებლო პროგრამების სტრუქტურირება

Educational leaders are questioning the “traditional’ curriculum, does not provide students with the appropriate employment skills for the modern industrial and knowledge economy. The context of this article is the choice of metaphor to best communicate our Master of Business Administration program. Our design is grounded on systems thinking and two important concepts are stressed, organization structure and operational excellence. The article does not justify this design but concerns how best such a design could be communicated to the reaching staff, students and other institutions. Keywords: Employment skills for business, Operational Excellence, Curriculum development.

Making the Grade (But Not Disclosing It): How Withholding Grades Affects Student Behavior and Employment

We study the effects of grade nondisclosure (GND) policies implemented within master of business administration (MBA) programs at highly ranked business schools. GND precludes students from disclosing their grades and grade point averages (GPAs) to employers. In the labor market, we find that GND weakens the positive relation between GPA and employer desirability. During the MBA program, we find that GND reduces students’ academic effort for a given course by approximately 4.9% relative to comparable students not subject to the policy. Consistent with our model, in which abilities are potentially correlated and students can substitute effort toward other activities in order to signal GPA-focused abilities, students participate in more extracurricular activities and enroll in more difficult courses under GND. Finally, we show that students’ tenure with their first employers after graduation decreases under GND. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4816 .

Workplace incivility during organizational socialization: how new managers, varying in moral identity, perceive (mis)fit

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the mediating role of perceived person-organization (P-O) fit in the relationship between workplace incivility and affective organizational commitment (AOC) and the moderating effect of moral identity. The context is set in the organizational socialization process of externally hired managers.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed based on social identity theory. With the help of Alumni offices of 4 Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in Vietnam, 461 MBA graduates recently hired as managers were invited to participate in the study. A time-lagged survey was conducted and resulted in data from 386 participants. Hypotheses were tested using latent moderated structural equation method (LMS).FindingsPerceived P–O misfit partially mediated the negative effect of workplace incivility on managers' AOC. The moderating impact of moral identity was also found such that the positive association between workplace incivility and perceived P-O misfit was stronger when moral identity was higher.Research limitations/implicationsThis study's limitations are threefold. First, the relatively new appearance of MBA programs in Vietnam made it difficult for us to conduct longitudinal research. Second, this study focused on MBA graduates as externally hired managers, a population that, as mentioned earlier, comes from a polite and respectful environment. Third, the current study mainly used self-evaluation to measure factors which might not be fully objective and reflect externally hired managers' situation. Future research could strengthen this method by equipping it with the evaluations of other organization members.Practical implicationsA clash of identities generated by value incongruence when externally hired managers experience incivility should be recognized and mitigated during socialization. More attention should be paid to managers with moral identities.Originality/valueThe study extends the organizational socialization literature in two ways. The first way is by elucidating how a negative organizational factor – workplace incivility – leads to socialization failures. The second way is by exploring the impacts of relatively new self-identity facets, including MBA graduates as externally hired managers and moral identity.

Predicting student success in an online Master of Business Administration program

Predicting student success in an online Master of Business Administration program

Predicting student success in an online Master of Business Administration program

Predicting student success in an online Master of Business Administration program

Relationship between personality traits and academic performance on a Master of Business Administration programme

Purpose: The main aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between the five-factor model (FFM) personality trait measurements and Master of Business Administration (MBA) academic performance in a triple-crown accredited university in order to assess the effectiveness of current admission systems for a globally accredited MBA degree.Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative database analysis of the academic records and personality profile scores of MBA graduates was conducted. The sample consisted of 663 participants who successfully graduated from the programme during the period 2014–2019. Their final academic results for their MBA and their FFM personality traits (as measured by the Occupational Personality Questionnaire as part of their admission criteria) were analysed.Findings/Results: In the correlation analysis, Openness to Experience and Agreeableness had the strongest correlation (positive and negative, respectively) with academic performance. In the regression analysis, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness and Emotional Stability were identified as the best predictors of performance.Practical implications: Three per cent of the variance in academic performance was attributable to personality traits. This supports the necessity of further exploring the best predictors of academic performance. Academic institutions may consider re-evaluating their current practice and choice of tests used as part of the admission criteria, and rather focus on assessing and capacitating students in terms of resilience and motivation.Originality/value: This study adds to the debate regarding the ideal selection criteria for MBA candidates, and indicates that the current selection criteria, also those considered more nuanced and culturally sensitive (e.g. personality assessments), may be flawed.

MBA futures: Images from Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) signatories during the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper presents key ideas from a Futures study relating to part-time (PT) Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree programmes. The objective of the study was to determine the likely nature of PT MBA programmes approximately 30 years in the future, i.e., 2050, and to do so in the context of an assessment of possible long-term impact of disruptions caused or accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research involved strategic conversations with ten PT MBA Programme Directors or equivalent across seven countries and each of whom was based in Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)-signatory institutions. The findings suggest that MBA programmes of the future are likely to be significantly different to current PT MBAs. To close the learning loop associated with the original term of strategic conversations, higher education institutions (HEIs) are invited to consider the findings to inform strategic conversations within their own institutions in respect of future PT MBA design and provision.

An Exploratory Study of Factors Affecting University Choice Decision Made By Students for Business Schools in Pune

The endeavor is made to distinguish students’ intentions and reasoning for selecting a Master in Business Administration program extended by colleges functioning in the Pune region of India. It additionally probes into the criteria and factors undertaken to choose the institution offering the program. The intention is to help the colleges include the elements in consideration while carrying out promotions before admissions and attract promising students for the course provided. This study investigates the reasoning behind a student’s selection of an MBA institute. The theoretical model actualized for this theory comprises the 7P model created by Kotler and Fox, which is unequivocally custom-made for schools and colleges. Self-managed surveys were coursed to 306 student participants in 2020. The data obtained were evaluated using concise methodological approaches like factorial analysis. At the MBA level, five factors were extracted, which had various segments of 7ps. I understand that the research discoveries will empower both the promotion offices of universities and educational organizations in India to comprehend the psychological research of undergraduates and build up a compelling blend of marketing strategies. It would also promote programs that better represent the needs of students and improve the attraction among all future students in private colleges.

“Do I Have the Right?” The Process Model of Identity Work in a Leadership Development Program

Through a qualitative study of thirty Russian managers and entrepreneurs who graduated from an eighteen-month Master of Business Administration Program (MBA) in Moscow, Russia, the research proposes a process model of leadership identity work and leader efficacy development within a management education program. Key research findings reveal that the leadership identity work in a leadership development program is fuelled by people's efforts to promote their leader efficacy, and the institution helps them in this process as a holding environment. The study proposes that the identity work in a leadership development program unfolds in four phases: preparation, orientation, experimentation and confirmation. In this process, an institution serves as a supporting community, training camp, exploratory journey and a confirmation agent.

Reflective Journaling to Assure Learning in the Affective Domain

The case presents reflective journaling as an effective tool to assess higher-order learning outcomes. There are two predominant approaches to learning namely surface and deep learning. Surface learning stops with the acquisition, remembering, reproducing and using the knowledge whereas deep learning culminates in development or change by enabling the learner to evaluate and create. The case describes a challenge encountered in the course ‘Emotional Intelligence for Managers’, which is a part of the Master of Business Administration programme in a leading business school in South India. In this course, learning happens in the affective domain and should culminate in a change in attitude or behaviour of the learner, who in turn should be capable of applying the learning to different situations. Standardized assessment components such as quizzes, viva and written tests cannot be used to assess this higher conception of learning and, hence, the instructor chose journal writing to assure learning and attainment of higher-order learning outcomes. Journal writing is a process in which learners record events, their responses to those events, and their reflections on the responses. This facilitates critical thinking and motivates deep learning. The case demonstrates the use of reflective journaling as a tool to assess learning in the affective domain and also shares evidence of the positive outcomes of reflective journaling. The case also serves as a blueprint to foster and assess deep learning in the classrooms.

საქართველოში სამუშაო ძალის ბაზრის მოთხოვნებთან შესაბამისობის ანალიზი

The labor market research methodology sets out the procedures for identifying, planning, implementing, analyzing and concluding current and future demand for labor force research at the University. Based on the labor market requirements research methodology developed in the Academic Department of the GTU Faculty of Business Technology, the academic staff, led by the Quality Assurance Service, conducted a labor market study to develop a Master of Business Administration program, which provided information on the required labor market personnel and/or staff. On the requirement of new staff characteristics (skills, professional activity). The results of the meetings of the academic departments and the conducted research show that, on the whole, the curriculum in its structure and content of the courses is in line with the challenges of the digital age and provides the practical skills and theoretical knowledge required by our labor market respondents.

DETERMINANTES DEL COMPORTAMIENTO DEL CONSUMIDOR: EVIDENCIA DE LOS ESTUDIANTES DE MBA

The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programme is a global educational qualification with different forms of values for individuals and organisations and varying degrees of attractions from persons and companies in developed and developing countries. Therefore, many factors motivate individuals and organizations to choose MBA programmes. This research utilised a survey research method, with a research instrument developed from relevant extant literature, to isolate the major factors determining students’ choice behaviour towards MBA programmes in the Nigerian university system. The research reports that the major factors determining students’ choice behavior towards MBA programs include quality-related, information-related, and convenience-related factors. The limitations associated with the research relate to its cross-sectional nature, in addition to the usual limitations associated with the survey research method used in this research. In addition, the combination of MBA students from both private and government-owned universities is likely to pose some limitations. Also, focusing on students from only one country (Nigeria) presents external validity limitations. The research has practical implications for administrators and regulators of business programs in the Nigerian university system, in addition to organizational decision-makers interested in sponsoring their relevant staff for MBA programs in the Nigerian university system. The research has social implications about the different cohorts of students interested in MBA programmes in the Nigerian university system.

Self-concept of students of additional training programs in the field of management

The paper deals with the key psychological factors of professional realization and social success of people participating in executive training programs in the field of management in the adulthood. The modern concept of continuing education needs to investigate the psychological and economic problems of adult learning. This research is devoted to the study of the self-concept as an important and insufficiently studied mechanism for regulating human behavior. The choice of training in MBA programs is considered as a manifestation of an active strategy of human adaptation to dynamic social and economic conditions. The study centers on the personal-activity and competenced-based approaches. The purpose of the study is to analyze the features of selfesteem and its role in the professional adaptation of adult students of executive programs (Master of Business Administration). The study used well-known psychological questionnaires and methods of descriptive and multidimensional analysis of data processing. The study revealed that the self-concept of students of Master of Business Administration programs plays a significant role in the choice of training as a way of professional development of managers. The inclusion of the emotional-evaluative component of the self-concept in the personal potential of students was statistically confirmed. The results indicate possible intrapersonal conflicts of students in the process of learning management as a significant field of professional activity. The study identified such factors as “problematic introversion”, “problematic creativity”, “problematic adaptability” and “self-critical leadership” which show the importance of accuracy of self-assessment for the choice of the content of training and the direction of self-development. The results of the study are important for understanding of the personal mechanisms of professional and career selfrealization of adults in the context of continuing education as well as for assessment of the effectiveness of receiving executive education.

Solving the Max-Diversity Orthogonal Regrouping Problem by an Integer Linear Programming Model and a GRASP/VND with Path-Relinking Approach

Students from Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs are usually split into teams. In light of the generalistic nature of MBA programs, diversity within every team is desirable in terms of gender, major, age and other criteria. Many schools rotate the teams at the beginning of every term so that each student works with a different set of peers during every term, thus training his or her adaptation skills and expanding the peer network. Achieving diverse teams while avoiding–or minimizing—the repetition of student pairs is a complex and time-consuming task for MBA Directors. We introduce the Max-Diversity Orthogonal Regrouping (MDOR) problem to manage the challenge of splitting a group of people into teams several times, pursuing the goals of high diversity and few repetitions. We propose a hybrid Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure/Variable Neighborhood Descent (GRASP/VND) heuristic combined with tabu search and path relinking for its resolution, as well as an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulation. We compare both approaches through a set of real MBA cohorts, and the results show that, in all cases, the heuristic approach significantly outperforms the ILP and manually formed teams in terms of both diversity and repetition levels.

Dancing in the storm: finessing emergency remote teaching in the COVID-19 pandemic

Case overview The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), a South African based business school and one of the top ranked business schools in Africa, was yet again facing a crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having emerged out of an extraordinary year of strict lockdown regulations and having managed a rapid shift to emergency remote teaching. GIBS had managed to maintain its academic programmes, ensuring the completion of the curriculum within the academic year whilst maintaining the exceptionally high standards and quality learning experience it was known for. As 2020 drew to a close, the academic programmes team and the students looked forward to starting the new year in a more “normal” mode of operation. GIBS closed for Christmas holiday with the intent on returning, in early 2021, in some form of face-to-face teaching. However, on the 27th of December 2020, the President of South Africa announced a return to level-3 lockdown as the second wave of infections swept through the country. Strict measures were once again enforced, significantly impacting GIBS’ possible return to campus in January 2021. Reflecting on the lessons learnt over the past year, the Executive Director: Academic Programmes, Professor Louise Whittaker, yet again faced the challenge of deciding how best to proceed given the circumstances. The case illustrates the need for effective change management through the application of Kotter’s 8 steps to transformation, whilst demonstrating the complexity of change management during a crisis. A particular focus on the importance of communication during a change management process in a crisis is illustrated through this case. Expected learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: students need to understand that in a crisis, change management will be emergent and requires flexibility and adaptability; students will determine what concrete actions may be required during a change management process in a crisis; students will need to discern that theoretical models do not necessarily fit real world contexts, particularly in a crisis situation; and students will identify aspects that might be missing or inadequately formulated in standard models of change management. Complexity academic level The case is positioned at a post-graduate level and would be ideal as a teaching case for business school students on a Master of Business Administration programme, a specialised business masters programme or selected executive education programmes for general managers or senior executives. The case can be taught in a course in the following fields, namely, change management, leadership or strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.