Master Of Business Administration Programs Research Articles

A pilot study of MBA programmes in South Africa

In recent years, Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes and their curricula have been subjected to substantial scrutiny. However, the majority of studies have been confined to business schools in Western countries. By comparison, much less research is available on MBA programmes in developing countries, particularly those in Africa. In an effort to address this gap, this article examines MBA programmes in South Africa by first situating them within the global MBA curriculum debate. It then notes the need to move away from a generalist MBA programme to a specialized MBA in line with emerging global trends. Finally, it suggests a multidisciplinary approach to the redesign of the MBA curriculum.

The reception of US student motivation letters

Although student motivation letters are yet to receive interest within Spanish scholarly circles, the genre is starting to be used to gauge students’ potential for university admission, especially at the master’s and doctoral levels. This paper intends to establish the current status of motivation letters in the Spanish university discourse community and to determine the genre’s basic features (communicative purpose, structure, content and style) as it is developing in Spanish. Public information on Spanish motivation letters, drawn from a survey of online and print material for writing effective motivation letters and from a selection of 25 Master of Business Administration programmes, indicates that the genre is not well established. Genre analysis of eight samples specifically tailored by Spanish universities further points towards genre instability and differences – as regards salient features – from its counterpart in the United States. My findings show that the communicative purpose of the genre within the Spanish context is informed by the cultural norms and preferences shared by members of the Spanish academic milieu.

A study on gender and course of the study differences on determinants of social entrepreneurial intention: the view point of developing country

In developing countries like India, entrepreneurship can be a solution of many economy-related problems. This article is an attempt to determine the determinants of social entrepreneurship intentions with gender and course of study differences. Understanding the antecedents of social entrepreneurial intentions is important for policy makers and educators who want to motivate students to engage in social entrepreneurship. The theoretical framework is proposed in the study. The paper based questionnaires were used for students’ survey enrolled in a Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Business Administration program in India to collect the data. The convenience sampling procedure was employed as the sampling method. The usable sample size was 347. The model and hypotheses were tested using structured equation modeling with the help of smart PLS 3.0. The results of the study show that empathy, social support, moral obligation, self efficacy and government support show significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention. The social support has the highest impact on entrepreneurial intention while moral obligation is the least contributing factor towards entrepreneurial intention among students. The course of study played a key role to become an entrepreneur. The study also reveals that entrepreneurial intentions are more likely to arise in students in business disciplines than in students in engineering and pharmacy. Furthermore, the findings of the study suggest that male and female students have differences in entrepreneurial intention. In the end article presents the limitation and future research scope of the study.

Escaping unintended collusion in MBA programmes in China

The purpose of this article is to examine the problem of possible but unintended collusion between business schools and their Master of Business Administration (MBA) students, specifically as it relates to the recent need to promote ethical behaviour in business practice in a global context. The focal point of the article is on the relationship between MBA programmes and candidates in the context of guanxi in modern business and political environments. The article revisits the concept of guanxi philosophically and connects it to social responsibility and moral obligation in business education. The authors contend that guanxi may have been interpreted too loosely as networking, thus fostering an approach that ignores the important moral dimensions of the concept. The more philosophical approach, which includes such concepts as moral obligation, is recommended to safeguard the integrity of recruiting, student–teacher development, and the coursework of MBA programmes in the People’s Republic of China. In considering the practical implications, the article covers the re-examination of guanxi as a moral concept, the judicious application of caution when considering applicants based on their work experience, the use of free and independent academic judgment when questionable decisions and behaviours occur, and the open discussion of ethical decision-making in course activities.

An exploratory study on part-time MBA program choice factors and characteristics of part-time MBA students

The majority of master of business administration (MBA) students are presently enrolled in part-time programs, yet little is known about their preferences, perspectives, and program selection processes. To fill this gap, the authors address three issues related to part-time MBA programs. First, they review important MBA program choice factors in the literature. Second, based on results of a survey with current MBA students, they identify the following as choice factors for part-time MBA programs: overall value/cost, location convenience, flexibility, and program quality. Third, the authors offer implications for part-time MBA programs that are related to employer reimbursement programs and program flexibility.

The effects of leadership development on women's career success

This study extends our knowledge of leadership development, specifically Master's in Business Administration (MBA) programs, from a gender perspective. It presents a comprehensive case, women-only development program and conducts an empirical, longitudinal, qualitative study of the effect of one of the program modules, namely, the women-only MBA, on the women's career success. The empirical study focused on self-efficacy mechanisms for explaining the women's appraisals of their changes in abilities affecting their career success during the MBA program. The participants were interviewed twice: once at the beginning of the MBA and then after completing it. A trusting atmosphere, social support, new business competencies, and the participants' ability to re-frame their mindsets concerning women's career potential were detected as significant sources of self-efficacy gained from the MBA. Encouragement from significant others, typically respected males, was also found to be a promoting factor.

The Significance of an MBA Degree for a Podiatric Physician-Is It Worth It? A Survey Study.

The Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine is negotiating with the College of Business Administration at Kent State University to establish a dual Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM)/Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Of the nine colleges of podiatric medicine in the nation, there are two schools that have a joint DPM/MBA program listed in their catalogue, but no joint program was operational at the time this survey was conducted. A telephone survey of the other eight podiatric medical colleges was conducted to obtain that information. This survey was used to assess further data for the exploration of a dual DPM/MBA program at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine. A survey was sent out to 38 individuals who possessed both a DPM and an MBA degree. They responded to questions about why they obtained the business degree, how they are using their business degree, what courses in the MBA program are most relevant, and whether they would recommend that DPM students pursue a dual degree. The majority of respondents indicated that they obtained an MBA degrees to gain a better understanding of the marketplace, to increase their income, and to better manage a podiatric medical practice. The respondents were generally very happy to have obtained their MBA degree and would encourage a dual-degree option. They admitted that a minor or series of courses with a business focus may be helpful to a DPM student who did not opt for an MBA degree. The positive survey results from respondents encourage continued research into a dual-degree DPM/MBA program. During research for a DPM/MBA degree, we feel a DPM with an MBA degree will allow our students to be better prepared for leadership roles within their community and administrative positions and to have a deeper understanding of the business of health care.

How relevant is the MBA: A revisit

The master of business administration (MBA) is the centerpiece of management education and holds the promise of systematically preparing its graduates for their managerial roles. However, there is escalating criticism that MBA programs are losing their relevance based on empirical evidence that competencies indicated by managers to be most critical are least represented in core MBA curricula. The authors re-examine the evidence and argue that the misalignment appears to be overstated. Consideration for relevance in preparing graduates for managerial roles needs to consider not only curricula, but also actual learning, social capital from the alumni network, and the signaling effect of graduating from an MBA program.

Are Quantitative Skills Critical for Business Education Program or an Entry-Barrier for Diversity?

Two prominent criticisms of business education programs are that they disproportionately focus on cultivating quantitative skills (i.e., the ability to use and analyze numerical/mathematical concepts) and that the programs lack diversity in terms of gender, social class, and undergraduate backgrounds of students. We tested whether the emphasis on quantitative skills is linked to this lack of diversity in business education programs. We drew data from a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program from a leading business school in India (N = 275). We analyzed three key outcomes (entrance test scores, program grades, and salary offers) for three attributes (gender, social class, and quantitative undergraduate degree) before and after partitioning of the quantitative and non-quantitative components of the academic outcomes. Before the partitioning of components, our regression models explained 63% of variance in entrance test scores, 42% in program grades, and 21% in salary offers, which was suggestive of the suitability of our predictor variables. Post-partitioning of the outcomes into quantitative and non-quantitative components, the key results were: (a) social class disadvantage was in both the quantitative and non-quantitative components of the entrance test, and in course grades; (b) female-disadvantage was in the quantitative coursework of the MBA program, but not in the entrance test, or in salary offers (p < .05); (c) individuals with a quantitative undergraduate education had no advantage in the quantitative section of the entrance test, or of the coursework; (d) social class, gender, and quantitative undergraduate had no effect on salary offers. However, salary offers were higher for those with work experience (p < .01), and most notably, for those who performed well in the non-quantitative courses (p < .01). On addressing lack of diversity, the results suggest that unlike individuals from a more marginalized social class, females’ deficit is selective and identifiable in the form of lower scores on the quantitative component of MBA coursework. Apart from identifying entry-barriers for diversity, our results are also helpful in discarding certain unfounded beliefs surrounding business education. For example, contrary to popular belief, quantitative undergraduate training has no advantage in business education. Moreover, quantitative course grades are not disproportionately valued in the job market for MBAs.

Team emotion diversity and performance: The moderating role of social class homogeneity.

Team members can experience a range of emotions and to varying degrees. We examine the effects of team emotion diversity on information sharing among team members and, consequently, team performance. By integrating the categorization-elaboration model and self-categorization theory, we argue that social class diversity moderates the relationship between team emotion diversity and information sharing. Specifically, we propose that team emotion diversity elicits information sharing when social class homogeneity is high but hinders information sharing when social class homogeneity is low. In addition, we hypothesize that the relationship between information sharing and team performance will be stronger for teams with more, rather than less, social class diversity. To test our propositions, we studied 75 teams enrolled in an Indian master of business administration program, collecting measures of positive and negative affect, information sharing, and team performance at multiple times. Our results mostly support our predictions. We discuss the implications of these findings for team diversity research and for managing diverse teams.

Training the CSR Sensitive Mind-Set: The Integration of CSR into the Training of Business Administration Professionals

Current corporations are subject to stringent requirements in terms of sustainable development; however, a relevant problem is highlighted on the basis of the studies conducted. On the one hand, corporations experience greater or lesser pressure, while on the other hand, it must be admitted that the problem of demand for professionals, which is presupposed by the insufficient quality of training in higher education institutions, is important. This is somewhat strange given that the issues of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability have attracted increased attention in management education in recent years, and a five-fold increase in the number of stand-alone ethics courses has been noted since 1988. This interaction could contribute to the development of CSR, however a certain dissonance of cooperation between higher education and business exists, as there is a lack of leadership in this area in the study programs of business administration approved by the states, as well as in higher education institutions. Given these facts, the goal of the paper is to analyze the Master of Business Administration programs in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to offer direction to the challenge of integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) into management and training. The method of analysis of professional business and administration training program content in terms of the integration of CSR was used during the survey. Using panel data of 28 full-time MBA programs, our findings show that that the core parts of MBAs under analysis merely—and mostly indirectly—cover CSR issues through one core course on business ethics. However, the leading MBA programs are currently missing an opportunity by ignoring their responsibility to support the training of CSR-minded future business administration professionals. The results of our research may act as a guide to which areas should be modified and/or changed.

Aprendizaje orientado a la programación en economía, negocios y finanzas

&lt;p&gt;La evolución entre la relación entre los estudiantes (profesores) y la tecnología de la información, requiere nuevas herramientas para mejorar el aprendizaje (enseñanza) en las ciencias sociales. La economía, los negocios y las finanzas se basan principalmente en los datos y el tratamiento de los datos requiere habilidades y técnicas específicas, como la programación informática, para aprovechar al máximo el potencial de la mayoría de los modelos cuantitativos. En este documento, proponemos un método de aprendizaje orientado a la programación basado en Python Notebooks, que está diseñado específicamente para estudiantes de títulos en economía, negocios y finanzas. Nuestra estrategia de aprendizaje es eminentemente práctica motivando a los estudiantes a implementar modelos económicos como una forma adecuada de mejorar la comprensión de los conceptos fundamentales. Como ejemplo ilustrativo, también describimos un estudio de caso en el que Python Notebooks es la herramienta clave para enseñar gestión de efectivo en un programa de Máster en Administración de Empresas. Dado que los estudiantes de hoy son los que toman las decisiones del mañana, una ventaja adicional del uso de un lenguaje de programación como herramienta de enseñanza es la posibilidad de conectar la teoría con la práctica al permitir a los estudiantes implementar sus propias herramientas de apoyo a la decisión.&lt;/p&gt;

A novel hybridization of classification trees and artificial neural networks for selection of students in a business school

In recent years, business schools face a common problem of selecting quality students for their Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs so that the target placement percentage is achieved. Selecting a wrong student may increase the number of unplaced students. Also, more the number of unplaced students more is the negative impact on the institute’s reputation. Business school authorities would therefore always want to ensure that they admit the right set of students to their MBA program. In this article, we used supervised learning techniques to model and select the optimal academic characteristics of students to enhance their placement probability. We propose a novel hybrid model based on classification tree (CT) and artificial neural network (ANN) which we call as hybrid CT–ANN model, to analyse business school data. A comparative study of various supervised models with our proposed model using different performance measures is also presented. Our finding shows that the proposed hybrid CT–ANN model achieves greater accuracy in predicting students’ placement than conventional supervised learning models.

A Case Study on the Success of HKUST Business School : With Focus on Full-time MBA Program

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) industry is bracing for growing crisis in Korea and around the globe. GMAC (2016) reported that 48% of 133 two-year MBA programs in 16 countries have experienced significant decline of applicants. This has been mainly caused by increasing financial burden, losing prestige of general MBA degrees, and challenges from online higher education including the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). Amid the looming crisis of MBA, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Business School enjoyed an incredible year in 2016. The HKUST earned the 14th place in global MBA ranking, and the 1st position in Asia. In addition, the HKUST graduates have been ranked the world

The Relationship Between Human Capital and MBA Education: The Case Of Turkey

Human capital is one of the most important source for economic development and economic progress in a country. Of course, the quality of human capital will be determinative of the economic development and economic progress. Education, on the other hand, is the most important and the initial step in improving the quality of human capital and in achieving a sufficient level of qualification regarding human capital. Today, undergraduate education programs, especially Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, make a greater contribution in upgrading the quality of the human capital. MBA programs have become widespread in Turkey as well as in many countries around the world. There is a necessity of measuring the quality level of human capital which is provided by the education especially, MBA programs. Within the framework of this necessity, in this article, it is aimed to measure the level of contribution of MBA programs to human capital in Turkey. According to the results of the study, there is a statistically significant relationship between economic performance and the quality of human capital obtained through MBA education. However, according to another result of the study, the effect of MBA education on the level of disposable personal income takes time. Moreover, more effort to increase the awareness of the public and private institutions about the contribution of MBA education to human capital is needed.

Analysing the inclusion of stand-alone courses on ethics and CSR

PurposeThis paper aims to examine how the Master of Business Administration (MBA) curricula of top-ranked business schools are offering stand-alone courses on ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). To provide additional evidence, this study tests some hypotheses to contrast the effect of different variables on the inclusion of stand-alone courses on ethics and CSR. Also, the paper provides a comparative analysis in two ways: one comparison aims to analyse how the presence of ethics and CSR stand-alone courses in the MBA programmes over the past 10 years has evolved, and the other comparison seeks to explore whether there are differences between different rankings with regard to the inclusion of ethics and CSR stand-alone courses in the MBA curricula.Design/methodology/approachA Web content analysis was conducted on the curricula of 92 of the top 100 global MBA programmes ranked by the Financial Times in their 2013 ratings.FindingsThe findings show that there is a trend towards the inclusion of stand-alone courses on CSR and ethics as electives. Empirically, the findings suggest that the presence of ethics and CSR elective stand-alone subjects in the MBA programmes is explained by the following variables: public/private, business school’s accreditation and cultural influence. Comparatively, the findings suggest that requiring CSR and business ethics stand-alone courses in the MBA programmes ranked by the Financial Times have not increased over the past 10 years. In addition, when we have compared the results of this study with other rankings, we have appreciated that there are important differences between top MBA programmes in accordance with the aims and scope of rankings.Originality/valueThe findings of this study seem to suggest that business schools included in the Financial Times ranking have not changed their view based on a shareholder approach, which is focused on providing an economics-centred training.

An Assessment of Sustainability Integration and Communication in Canadian MBA Programs

This paper explores how sustainability has been integrated into and communicated in Canadian Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) programs. We content analyzed university, business school, and MBA program mission and values statements; communicated strategic priorities; and relevant academic calendar content, as well as sustainability rankings and select media depictions of sustainable MBA programs and practices. We explore the potential for greenwashing practices in relation to the integration of sustainability in business education. We found some evidence of a decoupling between university and/or business school mission and claims, and MBA policies and practices. We conclude with a discussion of our findings, study limitations and some relevant implications for academia.

비도시권 고등학교 학생을 위한 진로교육 비즈니스 모형에 관한 탐색적 연구

진로 및 학업상담교육은 학생들과의 지속적이고 일관성있는 상호작용과정이라 할 수 있다. 그렇지만 진로교육은 단순히 전공, 대학 및 직업에 대한 조언이나 상담수준에 머무르지 않는다. 학생들의 장기적인 진로관련 효능감 제고를 위해서는 진로교육 상담교사와의 지속적이고 개인적인 접촉이 요구된다. 그러나 통계조사에 의하면 비도시지역의 고등학교의 경우 대도시의 학교와는 달리 진로교육 및 상담을 전담하는 교사들의 배치율이 낮아 진로교육과 관련한 또 다른 문제에 봉착하고 있다. 본 논문은 이와 같은 상황을 다소나마 보완할 수 있는 현업전문가의 교육기부를 전제로 하는 진로교육프로그램을 제안한다. 구체적으로 대도시 MBA 동문회의 지원을 전제로 하는 사회적 기업 창업을 통해 지속가능한 서비스 제공 프로세스를 설계하고자 한다. MBA 재학생 및 동문들의 스킬, 지식, 역량 등을 활용하여 진로교육 및 상담교육 과정을 운영한다. 결론으로 비도시지역의 고등학교 학생들의 진로에 대한 동기 유발과 지속적인 관심유발을 제고할 수 있는 사회적 책임 측면에서의 편익을 강조하는 것으로 마무리하고자 한다. Career and academic Counseling is often viewed as the catalyst for frequent and consistent interaction with students, but it is more than simply advising students about which majors, universities or jobs to consider. Ongoing, personal contact of career and academic counselors with students is an essential component in long-term career-related efficacy. But statistics show that high schools in non-urban or rural areas face significant issues different from those schools in metropolitan or suburban contexts, failing to maintain the significant number of teachers enough for effective career and academic counseling. This article proposes an alternative model of career and academic counseling, provided by MBA(Master of Business Administration) alumni based social enterprise in Seoul. This service explores the skills, knowledge and capabilities which MBA alumni gained from their jobs and MBA programs within the context of a career-competency framework. This paper concludes with the social and educational aspect of this shared responsibility strategy that may enhance student motivation and persistence in non-urban high schools.

The Essence and Structure of Masters’ of Public Administration Core Competencies in the USA

Abstract The article deals with revealing the essence and structure of Masters’ of Public Administration professional training in the USA. It has been concluded that Public Administration studies the realization of government policies and trains future public administrators for professional activity; is guided by political science and administrative law; aims to improve the justice, equality, security and efficiency of public services. It has been indicated that the MPA degree is dedicated for those willing to work in public sector. It has been found out that MPA programs are designed to develop the abilities, skills and methods specialists use to realize policies, programs and projects as well as to resolve crucial issues within their organization and/or in society. It has been stated that in the United States of America Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Business Administration programs (MBA) are quite similar, however, have certain differences. It has been defined that the MPA program focuses on different ethical and sociological criteria secondary for business administrators. Simultaneously MPA programs encompass economy courses to supply students with knowledge of microeconomic and macroeconomic issues. It has been specified that MPA programs are built on a range of core competencies defined by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA). The list of the core competencies (to lead and manage in public governance; to participate in and contribute to the public policy progress; to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions; to articulate and apply a public service perspective; to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry) and their detailed characteristics have been presented. It has been identified that cultural competency of future public administrators has become an essential constituent of public affairs curricula. It has been concluded that the above-mentioned positive aspects of the experience may be used to improve future public administrators’ professional training in Ukraine.

An Effective MBA: Perspectives of Students, Faculty, and Employers

The demand for Master of Business Administration (MBA) education has increased tremendously over recent years. Having an MBA qualification is seen as a passport for a managerial role. The prestige of MBA education, however, has fluctuated. There have been numerous critiques of the MBA. This article examined the existing literature on perspectives of MBA faculty, MBA students, and employers on the effectiveness of MBA programs. So, from a student perspective, what are their expectations? Do their expectations get fulfilled? MBA faculty will frequently ponder if they are adequately preparing students to be leaders in organizations. Employers expect MBA graduates to excel in the workplace. In addition to the different perspectives, we offered several suggestions for greater success and satisfaction of students, faculty, and employers.