Master Of Business Administration Programs Research Articles

Action learning and critical thinking: a synthesis of two models

Recent scholarship and the news media have identified a lack of critical thinking and ethical behavior in the business world. These deficiencies have led to faulty decision-making, ineffective planning, and frequent organizational dysfunction. This situation has focused attention on both practitioners in the field of business and on the university programs that educate them. A number of upper-tier universities have begun to address these important issues by exploring ways of revising their Master of Business Administration programs to place greater emphasis on their graduates' ability to think critically and consider ethical implications before and after taking action. The authors propose a potential means of addressing these issues in both the business and academic environments through a synthesis of two well-established models based on the constructs of critical thinking and action learning. This synthesis has the potential to produce symbiotic and synergistic effects that may provide educators and practitioners with a new tool for encouraging critical thinking and ethical behavior. The implications for future research and practice are also discussed.

Reaching the bottom of the pyramid: micro life insurance in India

Subject area International business/International marketing. Study level/applicability Courses: the case is directly related to courses on “International Business” and “International Marketing” in the Master of Business Administration programme. Training programmes: management development programmes for working executives, on the topics “Business across borders”, “Business stabilization in foreign markets”. Case overview In 1999, the liberalization of the insurance sector as per the recommendations of the Malhotra committee gave way for privatization and foreign firms entered this sector through joint ventures. The business growth, which was enjoyed by these firms from 1999 to 2008, was tremendous. The growth percentage started declining following the global economic downturn in the capital markets. This situation compelled the insurance firms to re-look into their business strategy. On one hand whatever growth they had, 80 percent of it was through unit linked insurance plans depending on the capital market. On the other, it was identified that in a country like India the untapped market potential was among the rural millions. Reaching those people who are at the bottom of the pyramid necessitated a completely new business model to be developed as the need of the hour. The take stock of the position at this vnjuncture is the crux of the present case study, which envisages finding out alternative delivery models to suit the Indian rural market taking into account the intrinsic nature of life insurance and the basic living styles and mentality of the rural folk. Expected learning outcomes After discussion and analysis of this case, students will be able to: understand how market culture in a target country differs from that in the home country; appreciate how challenges in a developing country market have their own unique features to be understood; identify various courses of action and evaluate them on the basis of the host country factors; understand the “international planning process”; and appreciate how important it is for a country manager of a multinational firm to plan and execute the marketing mix suited to the inherent qualities of the target market. Supplementary materials Teaching notes.

Using projects in teaching introductory business statistics: The case of Tshwane University of Technology Business School

Statistics is an essential subject in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes. It equips students with much needed ‘data analysis’ skills useful for successful completion of MBA research projects and, more importantly, in management decision-making. All the same, teaching or learning statistics is frustrating and stressful, to both instructors and students. Recent literature proposes using projects as an effective teaching method for teaching Business Statistics, This paper reports on the author’s experience of using project-based approaches in the teaching of introductory business statistics in the MBA programme at Tshwane University of Technology, a South African university. The purpose of the study was to determine the consequence of using projects in teaching Business Statistics. Specifically, to discover the extent to which projects facilitate the learning of data analysis skills among MBA students. In total, 23 MBA students were exposed to small in-class projects and more intensive group projects. Results suggest that using projects enhances students’ retention of statistical theory and its application in real-life management problems. Key words: Active learning, business schools, business statistics, statistics, MBA, teaching techniques.

Challenges faced by graduate business education in Southern Africa

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the degree of satisfaction and perceived relevance of the Graduate Business Education (GBE) programme at the University of Botswana.Design/methodology/approachA self‐administered questionnaire and face to face interviews were used to collect data from Master of Business Administration (MBA) participants on their reason for studying MBA, level of satisfaction, and the extent to which the skills and experiences obtained correlate with those required by the corporate world. The data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics.FindingsThe majority of the respondents are male adults attending part time MBA classes and working full time in administrative positions in the public and private sectors. The study found that improved managerial skills, career development and broader business insights are major reasons for joining the MBA programme, while employability and economic gains were ranked low as driving forces. Even though the overall satisfaction with the programme is mixed and inconclusive, the MBA programme has assisted participants to develop basic management and administration skills. However, the programme puts greater emphasis on conceptual, technical and analytical skills than on problem solving, innovation, communication and entrepreneurial skills which are perceived to be most needed by employers, implying a relevance gap. What the MBA participants learnt does not correlate with what they perceived to be most needed by employers.Research limitations/implicationsSince the findings are based on perceptions of MBA participants, the conclusions drawn from these findings must be considered tentative and interpreted with care. Future research must include representative sample of all MBA stakeholders such as faculty, students, graduates, employers and administrators to get rich information about quality of inputs, processes and products of MBA programme.Practical implicationsThere is strong need for the MBA programme to integrate traditional management and administrative skills with experiences and skills relevant for today's world of work. Bridging the growing theory‐practice gap requires attracting professors with practical business experience, revising staff recruitment policies and procedures, establishing formal partnership with external organization, and develop long‐term strategies to reduce teaching load and staff turnover.Originality/valueMost of the studies on the relevance and quality of GBE programmes are conducted in western higher education institutions, very little has been done in African universities. This is the first of its kind in the context of Botswana, an important contribution to existing literature and foundation for further advanced studies in the area.

Key predictors of creative MBA students' performance

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the key predictors of Master of Business Administration (MBA) students' performance, considering the interaction between personality type, learning approaches and educational achievement. A structural equation model is formulated to check out the relationship perfection between the construct variables.Design/methodology/approachThe study subjects were 208 MBA students at Zhejiang University. A questionnaire encompassing three sections was presented to the respondents. The first section is the revised two‐factor version of the study process questionnaire (R‐SPQ‐2F) developed by Biggset al.The second section consists of 20 items developed based on a review of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Five‐Factor Personality Inventory (Buchanan, 2001). The third section is about the respondents' background and personal information such as age, gender and their performance represented by their scores in the National Admission Examination System and their major course grade achieved during the first term of their academic year. A structural equation model was designed to examine the relationship between the study variables. Then covariance structural analyses of collected data were conducted for testing the model.FindingsThe main findings are significant correlations between the three personality traits, namely, extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience with the deep approach (DA) to learning predicting high MBA students' performance.Practical implicationsPersonality type and students' approaches to learning constitute determinant factors impacting upon the education of management graduate students. Thus, institutions providing MBA programs must allocate more interest to examine their students' characteristics, in correlation with their performance rating. In this regard, the present study is designed to provide business education stakeholders with a modest model to depict the key predictors of MBA students' performance, particularly, part‐time MBA program whose participants are, in most cases, fully employed students, struggling to cope with their professional, educational and social duties.Originality/valueThis study empirically investigates the relationship between personality type and students' approaches to learning to find out their influence on MBA students' performance. The model results evidently demonstrate, on the one hand a significant correlation between these factors, and on the other hand their influence on the participants' performance reflecting high rating in pertinence with personality traits of extraversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience and the DA to learning.

Instructional Preferences of Students in Transnational Chinese and English Language MBA Programs

This paper reports on Stage 1 of a learning and teaching project focused on students studying in the Chinese and English language delivery of transnational Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs of an Australian university. The programs are delivered using limited and intensive face-to-face teaching augmented by self-directed and web-based learning, and ongoing (mainly email) contact with lecturers before and after they have returned to Australia. The aim of this stage of the project is to provide a greater understanding of students’ instructional preferences so that, where appropriate, lecturers can better scaffold learning and teaching arrangements (Stage 2 of the project) to assist them to meet the learning objectives of the MBA program. Survey data was collected from students studying the MBA in Hong Kong and Singapore in English (EMBA), and in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in Chinese (CMBA). Findings demonstrate that whilst students ranked teacher directed, face-to-face instructional delivery highly, they also indicated that an independent, web-based learning environment was their least-preferred approach to learning. These findings put lecturers in a more informed position when it comes to them planning how to best assist students from Confucian-heritage backgrounds to work productively and successfully in their studies.

Instructional Preferences of Students in Transnational Chinese and English Language MBA Programs.

Abstract This paper reports on Stage 1 of a learning and teaching project focused on students studying in the Chineseand English language delivery of transnational Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs of anAustralian university. The programs are delivered using limited and intensive face-to-face teaching augmentedby self-directed and web-based learning, and ongoing (mainly email) contact with lecturers before and afterthey have returned to Australia. The aim of this stage of the project is to provide a greater understanding ofstudents’ instructional preferences so that, where appropriate, lecturers can better scaffold learning andteaching arrangements (Stage 2 of the project) to assist them to meet the learning objectives of the MBAprogram. Survey data was collected from students studying the MBA in Hong Kong and Singapore in English(EMBA), and in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan in Chinese (CMBA). Findings demonstrate that whilststudents ranked teacher directed, face-to-face instructional delivery highly, they also indicated that anindependent, web-based learning environment was their least-preferred approach to learning. These findingsput lecturers in a more informed position when it comes to them planning how to best assist students fromConfucian-heritage backgrounds to work productively and successfully in their studies.

Which Master of Business Administration (MBA)? Factors influencing prospective students' choice of MBA programme – an empirical study

Factors which influence students' selection of a Master of Business Administration programme are identified and the variation in their relative importance across the student population investigated. This research also identifies the features of a university which attracts students, as well as examining the students' perceptions of the management school as compared to the university as a whole. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 76 current Master of Business Administration students. The data were analysed using a grounded theory approach and five key themes emerged from the data: repute, syllabus, quality, facilities and career. While these five themes reappeared throughout interviews, their definitions and relative importance varied widely. The conclusions drawn from this research are that numerous factors influence a postgraduate student's choice of Master of Business Administration programme and that prospective students are well informed when making their decision. The reputation of the university appears to be a key factor.

Would Cloud Computing Revolutionize Teaching Business Intelligence Courses?

Introduction For the last several years, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs have been under mounting pressure to provide to prepare their students to become the next generation of Business Intelligence (BI) workers. In a recent survey of professors from more than 80 universities around the world (Betts & Kanaracus, 2010), Barbara Wixom discovered that 43% of the respondents reported that they can't adequately teach BI courses because they lack access to the needed software, hardware and real-world problems. She also indicates that It's clear from the survey that instructors want to change the way students learn about intelligence. Professors want to provide large data sets, contemporary software tools, and real-world content within their classrooms. But, factors like high technology costs, complex maintenance requirements, and steep learning curves present insurmountable obstacles. With the present economic crisis and its repercussions on the academic environments, one of the major hurdles in offering Business Intelligence is the complex and costly computing infrastructure necessary for the software used in such courses. On the other hand, unless Business Intelligence becomes a mainstream field at schools, the shortage of intelligence related professions will continue to rise. The cloud computing, also known as software-as-a-service, delivery model has the potential to become a major force in the future of offering BI courses. After a decade of growth and adoption, the commercial cloud computing offerings came into existence and products like Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure and Salesforce.com helped to popularize it. The concept of on-demand BI promises to make it affordable for schools to deliver quality BI instruction to MBA students. Computer Science programs were among the first to develop experimental undergraduate data mining as reported by Lu and Bettine (2003). Banks, Dong, Liu and Mandvikar (2004) report on teaching data mining as exciting addition to the curriculum at the senior/graduate level that provide the opportunity to apply computer related education to various domains and applications. Paper by Roiger (2005) presents a very good tutorial on data mining that can be used by educators as an introduction to intelligence. The typical structure of a data warehousing and data mining course in the Computer Science curriculum is well described by Fang and Tuladhar (2006) and Musicant (2006). Information systems programs at schools typically offer BI as elective (Watson, 2006). A good example of an applied BI course that is designed to appeal to the graduate students of the CIS programs as well as MBA students selecting the CIS concentration is presented by Mrdalj (2007). Specifically, the structure and components of this course focus on business aspects of data mining and data warehousing by having students learn how to answer today's BI questions. In one of the rare papers related to MBA programs, Mrdalj and Diallo (2010) present the structure and components of a BI module that is designed to appeal to students of the finance program as well as to MBA students selecting the finance concentration. In the next section of this paper we stage our proposed solution with a brief presentation of the typical computing infrastructure architecture needed for teaching BI with a discussion of possible on-premises installations. It is followed by the description of cloud computing and its possibilities in teaching BI courses. We conclude with perceived difficulties in using cloud computing as a platform for teaching BI courses. Computing Requirements for BI Courses The typical computing infrastructure architecture needed for teaching BI is shown in Figure 1. It requires a database server to host source databases as well as the data warehouse. …

Borderless Educational Practices In The Development Of Commerce

Commerce transcends the boundaries of nations. With so many people involved, a common approach and articulation is necessary to advance the interests of commerce for everyone involved. This paper addresses online MBA (Master of Business Administration) degrees and the nature of its presence alongside the more traditional face-to-face MBA program. While the MBA was not originally a global phenomenon, the development of so many online programs has made it one. Through this analysis, the MBA is first situated historically with subsequent challenges that have encouraged and/or forced it to go undergo changes in its structure over the last several decades. The approach to this analysis utilizes the lens of neo-realistic principles for organizational effectiveness at the international level. The conclusion(s) argue that both types of formal education form a symbiotic relationship as higher education’s end goal is to better inform the workings of the business environment in ways that are consistent and stable across national borders and across the globe. The framework of operation in commerce requires training that is situated within the culture from which that training occurs, but also requires that, in order for more seamless business relationship to develop; this form of education is not strictly located within that same cultural framework. The creation and propagation of commerce requires that both forms of education be employed in complimentary ways. The final result is not the program(s) itself, but the business practices they are designed to enhance.

RETURNS TO FIELD OF STUDY VERSUS SCHOOL QUALITY: MBA SELECTION ON OBSERVED AND UNOBSERVED HETEROGENEITY

While a substantial literature has established returns to college major and to school quality, we offer the first such estimates for Master's of Business Administration (MBAs). To control for their nonrandom selection of fields, we estimate the returns to MBA concentrations using both ordinary least squares (OLS) with detailed control variables and including individual fixed effects. We find approximately 7% returns for most MBAs but roughly double that for finance and management information systems (MIS). Thus, MBA area of study can matter as much or more than program quality: only attending a top 10, but not 11-25, MBA program trumped studying finance and MIS at a nontop 25 program. (JEL I21, J30, J24)

Effectiveness of Western MBA programmes for Chinese managers

PurposeThis paper aims to address how management knowledge transferred through Western management education programmes is effectively perceived and applied to decisions by Chinese managers, who have a cultural background quite different from their Western counterparts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper first examines Western management concepts under Chinese culture and second reviews the development and status of Western Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes in China. Third, the framework of a three‐dimension knowledge transfer model first developed in the USA is used to study the effectiveness of the transfer of academic management concepts to working managers in China through their perception of source, familiarity and usefulness of the concepts. A quantitative approach employing non‐probability sampling method is adopted to survey a group of working managers enrolled in a Western MBA programme in Xi'an.FindingsThe result shows education to be a much more important source of management knowledge for the Chinese managers than for their US counterparts who regard it as the least important.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralized interpretation of the results should be cautioned due to the limited scope of the study and the nature of non‐probability sampling method.Originality/valueThe findings form a basis for further research in how cultural differences between the West and China are tempering the effectiveness of Western MBA programmes to Chinese working managers so that educators can better design their management programmes for China.

The green MBA: a competing values matrix

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review and categorize the different strategies Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs have adopted towards incorporating environmental sustainability into business administration.Design/methodology/approachThrough extensive internet research looking at colleges and universities, data are collected from primary source web sites and administrative school contacts. There are 35 institutions whose MBA programs address sustainability in some way. Each of these institutions is then organized by location, tuition cost, enrollment, year founded, accreditation, and curriculum.FindingsGreen educational strategies differentiate themselves by the size and maturity of the program. Larger, established institutions typically opt for the green major, or a dual degree, and tend to leave systematic integration of sustainability to the individual student. Newer and smaller entrants tend to either dabble in green with a few sustainability courses, or completely embrace and systemically integrate sustainability throughout the program.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample focuses on US institutions and treats sustainability as an externally validated curricular choice when it may merely be an educational fad. The sample excludes potential green MBA programs that lack a strong internet presence.Practical implicationsFour archetypes are identified: dual degree, all‐green, green major, and green coursework. Institutions can analyze their performances and see where they fall on the two major continua – integration and maturity/size.Originality/valueGreen MBA programs are relatively new on the academic landscape, and this research paper is one of the first to systematically analyze and categorize them.

Learning problems in transnational business education and training: the case of the MBA in Thailand

The transnational Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme has been one of the most popular official business training programmes amongst Thai business practitioners. Although the numbers of transnational business schools and MBA programmes are rapidly increasing, the programmes face numerous challenges from both local and global factors. This empirical study discusses the concept of learning in transnational MBA programmes in the Thai business training and cultural context. By investigating experiences from various key stakeholders, the study highlights various problems related to learning style and culture, learning and languages, the transferability of the Western managerial concept to the Thai context, and the value of Western learning resources for Thai business learners. The implication of the results of this study for the management of transnational programmes is that such management needs to respond to local conditions, regional forces and global factors rather than being locked into a standard model.

Signal quality and service quality: a study of local and international MBA programs in Vietnam

PurposeAlthough it is well known that firms can use signals to inform consumers about the unobservable aspect of their products or services in a market where asymmetric information exists, research on the relationship between signal quality and service quality is largely ignored. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of signal quality in the quality of Master of Business Administration (MBA) education in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 457 MBA students in both local and international MBA programs in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, was used to test a model that incorporates the relationships between signal quality, program investments, perceived quality, and program loyalty by means of structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results of this study indicate that signal quality has a positive impact on program quality. In addition, program investments affect both the signal quality and program quality, and program quality underlies program loyalty. Finally, no significant difference is found between local and international programs.Research limitations/implicationsA major limitation of this study is the investigation of only one education service, i.e. MBA education. An extension to other types of education as well as other services would enhance the generalizability of the results.Practical implicationsThe results of this study suggest that MBA programs, local as well as international, should send clear, consistent, and credible signals to their students in order to position their brands in the market where information asymmetry exists.Originality/valueA major contribution of this study is the use of signaling theory to examine the relationship between signal quality and service quality.

Management competencies: a comparative study between Thailand and Hong Kong

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the management competencies required by a Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate to succeed as a global business manager in an increasingly competitive business environment in Asia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzes the differences in management competencies of nearly 600 MBA students from 13 universities in Thailand and Hong Kong. In the questionnaire, the MBA students are asked to indicate the levels of the management competencies which they have gained from studying the MBA program.FindingsThe findings indicate that the work competency of the Hong Kong MBA students is significantly higher than the Thai MBA students. The levels of interpersonal competency do not, however, differ significantly between the Thai and Hong Kong students. The findings also show that there are significant relationships between the background variables, e.g. job title and cultural values – namely individual success and social power – and work and interpersonal competencies.Practical implicationsTo improve the value of the MBA programs in Thailand, business schools will need to put more emphasis on the work competencies in their curricula. More workshops that actively stimulate work competencies must be emphasized in the Thai MBA programs.Originality/valueThe study of management competencies in Asia representing Thailand and Hong Kong is rare. New management development approaches are proposed for business schools to train their business students to become world‐class global managers.

Should I get a Master of Business Administration? The anesthesiologist with education training: training options and professional opportunities

Many physicians want to know whether they should get a Master of Business Administration (MBA), what type of program is best, and what career paths exist. It is commonly (incorrectly) assumed that a physician successful in clinical practice can easily transfer to managing/leading an organization. To be effective, the MD/MBA must bridge the cultures of the business world and medicine. Often just a single management course is sufficient to give the physician the knowledge they seek. MBA programs come in many forms and require choosing from a range of time commitments. Leaving a good clinical job in favor of the less-defined course of an MD/MBA can be daunting. Although a wide spectrum of opportunities are available, the MD/MBA may have to start over professionally, most likely with a pay cut, and will have to 'work their way up' again. A stigma exists for MD/MBAs because they are often perceived as caring more about business than about patients. Many MD/MBAs eventually choose to stay in full-time medical practice because financial and geographic stability may be more easily attained. The MBA is a good idea for the physicians who enjoy the intellectual challenges of business administration and proactively plan their own career.

Admission To The Master Of Business Administration Program: An Alternative For Savannah State University

Traditionally, graduate programs in business administration have heavily relied on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test prepared and administered by the Educational Testing Service in the decision to admit a candidate to the program. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature regarding the statistical validity and statistical independence of the GMAT. In light of the outcome of this review, an alternative admissions process is proposed.

Improving MIS education in an online learning environment through course-embedded measurement

Enrolment decline in Information Systems (IS)-related programmes has been a hot issue in academia and this affects the prominence of the Management Information Systems (MIS) course in the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) core curriculum. This paper uses a course-embedded measurement model based on Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) programme assessment steps to investigate the possibility of attracting more online students to MIS courses via providing quality education in the Online Learning Environment (OLE). The data analysis results reveal that course-embedded measurement and the related closing-loop efforts assure learning in MIS classes in an OLE mode. Providing quality OLE classes seems to be an effective channel for enhancing and maintaining MIS enrolment and, in turn, contributes to the double-loop learning and continuous improvement desired in the entire MBA programme.

Foreign market entry mode of service firms: The case of U.S. MBA programs

While international expansion has become an important strategic imperative on the part of knowledge intensive service firms such as U.S. business schools, little empirical support is available on how these business schools enter foreign markets. If U.S. based business education programs are expected to prosper in light of the potential onslaught of international competition, expansion to overseas markets will be one of the most sought after options available. A poor choice in market entry strategy, or the lack of international market entry, can result in a negative impact on the educational institution. This research focuses on developing, measuring, and empirically testing a framework of key factors influencing international market entry mode choice of U.S. business schools by using primary data from faculty and administrators of U.S. Master of Business Administration (MBA) schools.