MBA Program Research Articles

Big History in Action: Explorations in Multimodal Communication Strategies for Different Audiences in Taiwan

Ever since I began teaching Big History in 2018 in Taiwan, the most frequently asked question is: ‘How is Big History relevant to me?’ For high-schoolers, we connect cross-disciplinary knowledge and learning strategies so they can process knowledge with diverse media. For lifelong learners, we combine problem-solving competency and complex big-history case studies so that they can apply competencies in multiple contexts. For our Executive MBA program, we help business leaders focus on organizational complexity and facilitate a discussion of structural change.

Turn it around – NBFC-IFC

Learning outcomes After studying and analysing this case, students would be able to evaluate and understand the importance and need of an infrastructure sector in a country, its inherent risks and scope of infrastructure investment and financing in India – National Infrastructure Pipeline and the important role of Non-Banking Finance Company’s (NBFC) vis-à-vis banks in infrastructure financing in India; critically analyse and recommend alternative decisions in a business problem situation using multi-criteria decision analysis, which is a tool used for business portfolio analysis; understand and evaluate the corporate portfolio management (CPM) tools used for an optimum portfolio mix to turn around companies; identify and suggest an optimum portfolio mix to turn around a finance company using CPM assessment applied to Pidun matrix; and recommend operational and strategic levers for successful turnaround implementation by using the integrated canvas on turnaround. Case overview/synopsis On 10 May 2020, in New Delhi, India, J. Ray took charge as a full-time director of an Indian Non-Banking Finance Company – Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC). The NBFC-IFC of the Indian Government extended long-term financial assistance to infrastructure projects in India. During the financial year (FY) 2017–2018 till FY 2019–2020, the company suffered substantial losses to the tune of US$13.7bn, with profitability experiencing a notable decline – return on assets at a negligible 0.11% and return on equity of only 0.68%. The NBFC-IFC had a declining yield on advances at 7.05%, net interest margins (NIMs) of 2.08% against a high cost of borrowing at 7.66%, a declining loan book (by 4.35%) of US$336.27bn and a fast-deteriorating asset quality with highest ever non-performing assets (NPAs) at 19.70% of its loan book. Such financial parameters, compared with that of the industry average of banks and finance companies, meant that the NBFC-IFC Ray had taken over was fast bleeding and was on the brink of being declared a sick company. In comparison, private and other government players had profitable and much healthier financials, and Ray felt that there was a need for improvement. To make things worse, Ray got to know that the Indian Government was in the final stages of setting up a new development finance institution focused on long-term infrastructure financing in India. Ray realized the question was not only of the NBFC-IFC remaining relevant but also of its existence in the fast-evolving sector. Ray wondered what could his his integrated canvas be for a turnaround strategy that could include effective management of an optimal portfolio mix. With a healthy capital-to-risk (weighted) assets ratio of 30.85% and a satisfactorily improved net worth of US$103.1bn, in the given Reserve Bank of India regulatory provisions for the NBFC-IFC including restrictive exposure norms and NBFC-IFC’s operational mandate prescribed by the Indian Government, Ray had to shift the product and sectorial investment of the NBFC-IFC to reduce the NPAs, increase loan book size and improve the yield of advances and its NIM to effectively turn around the company’s profitability. Ray realized that he needed his team to evaluate and select a product and sector strategy for this change. Complexity academic level The present case of financing investment in infrastructure is interesting for implementation in developing economies because a lack of infrastructure is a common problem and there is a necessity of achieving a more developed infrastructure system to support accelerated economic growth in these countries. This case can be used in elective courses on corporate finance strategy and corporate portfolio management for infrastructure finance companies. This case can be taught in elective courses in post-graduate and MBA programs. This case can also be included in management development programs (MDP), executive MBA programs and executive-level courses that have subjects such as corporate finance strategy, corporate portfolio management and strategy management that focus on turnaround strategies including portfolio management for banks and finance companies. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

Suraj Kumar: balancing career, family, and self

Learning outcomes This case study is best suited for courses in career management, stress management, work–life management or science of well-being in organization behavior (OB) or human resources management (HRM). This case study is targeted at the MBA or executive development programs. The learning outcomes of this case study are as follows: to analyze the challenges in balancing Suraj Kumar’s (the protagonist) work–life balance situation and identifying the main causes of such a conflict. What are some strategies that could be used to address these issues? To develop a plan to balance work responsibilities with family and personal life. What specific actions could he take to achieve this balance? To design a training program for employees that addresses work–life balance issues. What topics would you cover in the training, and what methods would you use to deliver the content? To create a proposal for a flexible work arrangement program that an organization could offer to its employees. What would be the benefits of this program, and how would it be implemented and managed? To develop a business case for why an organization should prioritize work–life balance for its employees. What are the potential benefits of doing so, and how can the organization measure the impact of its efforts? Case overview/synopsis This case study discusses conflicts due to competitive priorities that people face in balancing the pressures, roles and responsibilities between their professional life (careers) and their personal life, and the trade-offs that they make across these multiple aspects of their lives. This case study revolves around Suraj Kumar, a successful consultant, who was offered a promotion as the executive director for the social sector. This promotion would require extensive travel and time away from his family. Kumar was struggling to balance his work responsibilities with his family life and his involvement with the Smile and Shine Foundation, which supports the education of children from economically weaker sections of society. He was reflecting on his past and present and trying to figure out how to prioritize his commitments while also achieving his personal and professional goals. Complexity academic level This research has shown that a case discussion and role-play can be effective for a less experienced audience. Instructors can provide multiple perspectives to stimulate reflection and debate. For executive MBA or executive development programs, a self-reflection exercise is recommended. Participants in these programs may have personal experience dealing with or may know others who have dealt with work–life balance issues, making self-reflection a valuable tool. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 6: Human resource management.

Gyan Dairy: charting the growth strategy

Learning outcomes This case should facilitate participants to analyze the influence of internal and external factors on a growing company in the dairy, agro and food industries; analyze the drivers of a company’s competitive advantage; evaluate the relevance of the company in the new product-markets; and propose growth strategies for the expansion of the business beyond the core markets. Case overview/synopsis Gyan Dairy began its journey in 2007 and operated in the business-to-business segment by supplying skimmed milk powder and white butter to other dairy players. Then, the company launched its packaged milk brand in Lucknow – the capital city of Uttar Pradesh – one of the largest provinces in India. By the end of 2020, Gyan was the leading private dairy brand in Uttar Pradesh. The company’s vision was to become one of the top dairy brands in India by 2035. While deliberating on the growth choice, the company’s senior management debated whether to strengthen the company’s position in the existing markets or expand operations in adjacent locations. Increasing market share would have led to price wars or advertising costs. Diversifying into product categories involved the risk of product–market misfit and new product development and marketing costs. However, pursuing these options would further strengthen the company’s position in the North Indian market. Expanding into new locations would help establish the company’s presence across different parts of India. However, both these options were replete with various challenges. Expanding into new markets needed one of the promoters of the Gyan Diary, to relocate, build new markets and institutional connections and build a completely new localized economy of scale, which would create a financial burden on existing operations until the new operation was self-sustainable. However, in this journey, they would find and build a model to help expand their operations in other countries as well. Ideally, the company could pursue all the options, but this was not possible due to constrained resources. This case allows students to discuss and evaluate alternate growth options associated with operationalizing the growth strategy choices in perishable branded food categories beyond existing markets and products. In addition, it also helps discuss how to arrive at such decisions after analyzing the focal firm’s market opportunities and existing capabilities. This case is helpful for the “growth strategy” module in the strategic management core course in a general MBA program and in specialized MBA programs in food and agri-business management. Complexity academic level This case is suitable for graduate-level courses on strategic management courses in general management programs and agri-business management programs. In a strategic management course, the case will help cover topics such as analysis of the internal and external environment of the firm and growth and expansion strategies. This case will help teach how to build competitive advantage in dairy and agro-food industries and the strategic analysis needed while pursuing growth decisions. Emerging markets, including India, are the growth markets for leading multinational companies in the food and dairy industries. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

A content analysis study exploring the marketing messages communicated to prospective female law school and MBA students

American law schools (JD) and Master of Business (MBA) programmes have made strides to recruit female students over the last two decades. As these schools begin to see an equal number of female and male students applying to their programmes, will these graduate programmes continue to market to prospective female students? This paper aims to understand how American JD and MBA programmes market to prospective female graduate students through the graduate programme admission webpages. To understand gendered marketing messages for JD and MBA graduate programmes, the researchers provide a review of the literature regarding the female, graduate school-choice model, perceived influence of the graduate admissions webpage and gendered marketing education messages. Next, using a content analysis study, the researchers examine 25 American JD and MBA programmes for frequency and type of gendered, graduate, school-choice marketing messages. The researchers offer conclusions, implications and ideas for education stakeholders.

Navigating through turbulence: Jet Airways’ acquisition failure and recapitalisation strategy

Learning outcomes The case aims to understand and analyse the capital structure decisions made by a profit-making, growing organisation which aimed to be India’s premier airline and the market leader. The company that had pursued a high debt policy, to take advantage of the financial leverage that it would get, was now facing problems in an operating environment that proved to be challenging. A decline in operating profit, coupled with high-interest costs and an uncertain environment with cutthroat competition, had caused the company to plunge into losses. Attempts to deleverage by equity infusion were proving to be difficult. The case can be used in MBA, Executive Education and doctoral programmes. The learning objectives of this case are: to analyse the capital structure of the company, to interpret the relationship between financial leverage and risk, to assess the pecking order theory, to analyse the nuances of the aviation sector and the factors influencing the profitability of the companies in the aviation industry, to estimate the risks and the rewards associated with foreign currency loans, to evaluate the magnifying impact of the financial leverage and to propose deleveraging methods like sale and leaseback, debt conversion to equity and devise a revival strategy for the company. Case overview/synopsis The case discusses the dilemma faced by Naresh Goyal, promoter and chairman of Jet Airways (India) Limited. At the initial stage, Jet Airways, like many other companies in its growth phase, relied on borrowed funds to meet its investment needs. However, over-reliance on borrowed funds with just one equity infusion resulted in a high leverage ratio and an aggressive capital structure. Moreover, the company operated in a sector that was highly regulated, with competition that was cutthroat and a cost structure that was volatile. A high operating risk, coupled with high financial leverage, pushed the company into incurring losses. Having run out of cash, Jet Airways eventually defaulted on loan repayments to its lenders. Facing the eventuality of losing control of the company to lenders or to a strategic investor, Goyal was trying to figure out a way to save the company from insolvency and liquidation. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Goyal to keep Jet Airways, the company he had nurtured like a baby, airborne. Complexity academic level The case can be taught in both online and offline modes of delivery in a 90-minute session. Post-covid, the delivery mode of classes has changed. In online sessions, it may be a challenging task to ensure student participation. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

Lakhpati Kisan programme: boosting the income of marginal farmers through women empowerment

Learning outcomes This case will help students to analyse and develop insights into the concepts of servant leadership; to analyse and develop insights into women’s empowerment and a process to achieve such empowerment; and to explore the social business models for scaling up. Case overview/synopsis The Lakhpati Kisan programme under the aegis of Tata Trusts focussed on empowering women marginal farmers in the tribal belts in India to significantly increase their income from 2015. Ganesh Neelam, Executive Director, Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI), a nodal agency of Tata Trusts, advocated various livelihood options in agriculture, livestock, non-timber forest resources and water conversation. Initially, CInI faced the challenge of getting the farmers to sign up for the programme due to lack of trust. CInI facilitators educated the farmers about the purpose of the initiative and the benefits they would accrue and built trust. CInI created awareness through knowledge-sharing sessions on best practices in agriculture. They formed self-help groups of farmers for decision-making and for easy access to capital. CInI established farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to bring in a business perspective among farmers. The farmers as Board members and executives ran the FPOs like commercial organisations. CInI built capabilities to create a sustainable and autonomous ecosystem that looked impressive. But still the programme was falling short of the desired target. The farmers were so far reluctant to move forward independently. Ganesh felt that the social business model that CInI had evolved needed a re-look to achieve a significant and lasting impact on the majority of the marginal farmers in India. Complexity academic level The case can be used in the organisation behaviour, human resource management courses and courses on social enterprises as part of the MBA or post-graduate management programme or in executive education programmes. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 6: Human Resource Management.

Nykaa: retailing decisions in an emerging market

Learning outcomes By working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to conduct a marketing environmental analysis to aid strategic decisions; analyse the first-mover advantages of a retail firm and how these can be sustained; comprehend online retail business models and the challenges therein; understand the trade-offs of online/offline retail experiences specific to an emerging market’s beauty and personal care sector; conceptualize and formulate actionable growth strategies that balance the individual and collective requirements of brick and mortar and retail e-commerce environments. Case overview/synopsis The case is set in 2022, right after Nykaa – the pioneer of beauty and wellness e-commerce platforms in India makes a blockbuster stock market debut in 2021. Starting in 2012 with a disruptive online model for selling beauty and wellness products online in India, Nykaa had come a long way with expansions in physical retail and other segments such as fashion. The firm, which initially aimed to be a virtual store, is now thinking of aggressively expanding in the brick-and-mortar retail space as it opens its 85th retail outlet. Falguni S. Nayar, founder and CEO of Nykaa, wanted to roll out 300 physical stores targeting 100 cities in India in the next couple of years. She aspired to establish Nykaa as a category leader as the “Indian Sephora” in the beauty and personal care market. Nykaa’s first-mover advantage in the online beauty and personal care marketplace worked well to establish it as a brand with positive endorsements by digital shoppers that enhanced the investment potential with potential financiers. However, the pandemic had brought every physical retailer to the online platform. Most e-commerce platforms dealing in grocery to lifestyle had added personal care products to their existing merchandise. Additionally, several start-ups had ventured into the online marketplace. Online was a cluttered marketplace with little to no differentiation. In this bloodbath, would the first-mover advantage for Nykaa in the online space still count as a competitive advantage? Nayar was all set to expand Nykaa’s physical presence aggressively. The concern was that the beauty and personal care segment had also moved online as a function of long stay-at-home periods. In the post-pandemic times, would the customer indeed revert to brick and mortar once again? Nykaa was also into product formulations, but so was every big and small player in the space. What was the differentiated winning formula for the consumer’s heart and mind? Complexity academic level The case can be effectively used in foundation courses in marketing and a wide range of specialized courses on marketing management (core/foundation course), retail marketing and e-commerce/digital marketing and e-commerce for B-school learners. The complex decision points faced by an innovative e-commerce start-up firm on its road to market expansion make the case suitable for niche courses such as Marketing for Start-ups. Moreover, learners in executive MBA programs with considerable experience can benefit from the case analysis that balances a growing retail company’s long- and short-run objectives. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

From Lab to Market: Learning Entrepreneurial Marketing Through Multi-Semester, Stage-Gate, Capstone Project in STEM MBA

Entrepreneurs build successful businesses by taking innovative ideas from research labs to market. This article describes a pedagogical approach and its outcomes in utilizing a multi-stage, multi-course, and multi-semester capstone integrative project to teach entrepreneurial marketing (EM) of early-stage technologies. Herein we explain concepts and practices that enable the learning needed within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) MBA programs to commercialize and market products and services arising from new technologies. The pedagogy follows a four-course sequence that applies strategic frameworks and tools to develop opportunity space for a patented idea, develop the idea into product options, undertake customer discovery, build marketing and sales strategies, and translate opportunities into venture planning. These lab-to-market outcomes are accomplished by applying deliberate practice-based action learning methods to build students’ knowledge bases and problem-solving process skills that increase their entrepreneurial expertise. Through learner engagement in a sequence of innovative, data-driven, analytical processes that focus on identifying, validating, and strategizing around scalable new ideas, this pedagogy enables students to learn EM skills that can be applied to different industries and companies at various stages of development but with an emphasis on early-stage technologies.

Investigating the impact of experiential learning on employability skill development and employment outcomes: a UK case study of MBA students from the Indian Subcontinent

ABSTRACT Global economic events have had a profound effect upon both businesses and the available workforce. Industries need a more skilful and advanced labour market and individuals who complete tertiary-level education are afforded better protection against economic uncertainties. Consequently, demand for higher education worldwide is growing, due to a rising number of globally mobile students. However, return on investment is important and curriculums offering employability enhancement and work opportunities are motivating factors when international students make their study decisions. This paper details one UK university’s approach to enhancing international student employability skills and employment outcomes, using a 3-day experiential learning residential on an MBA programme. Employing a survey design, the research investigates the benefits of this residential to 182 international MBA students (all from the Indian subcontinent region). The findings report that the international students developed key employability skills via the residential which significantly increased their propensity to obtain subsequent employment. The results of this paper provide much needed insight into improving both the employability skills and employment outcomes of international students, especially students from the Indian subcontinent, via immersive experiential learning activities.

Finding the combined effect of academic and non-academic performance on management students’ placement: A fuzzy logic approach

The academic performance (scores/credentials) of a student during an educational program is generally linked to his/her employability (including the placement package he/she receives) (Cheong et al., 2018). However, in a program like MBA non-academic performance like extracurricular activities, interpersonal skills, etc., of a student is equally or more important as it could fetch him/her a better job with a higher package. Moreover, MBA graduates are expected to have not only academic knowledge but also practical skills such as leadership, attitude, efforts, and communication. This study relates both academic and non-academic performances of students to the respective packages they get and proposes a fuzzy expert system (FES) for the evaluation of students’ performances and its combined effect on placement (outcome). A suitable rule-based fuzzy inference mechanism (FIM) has been formed and discussed. The principles behind fuzzy logic in evaluating student academic as well as non-academic performances have been discussed and how these principles could be applied in measuring its impact on the placement packages (historical) is illustrated. Results (achieved placement performance/package of students) were also compared with the existing (traditional) statistical method. The fuzzy logic system was assessed as a more practical method of evaluation than the traditional method. This research uses a sample of 56 students in the MBA program who graduated in 2021 from the management department (b-school) of a premier private university in India. The research found that an increase in non-academic performance had a greater impact on placement outcomes than an increase in academic performance alone.

From investor’s paradise to graveyard: the tragic tale of Sintex

Research methodology The case delves into the significant factors contributing to the steep decline of Sintex shares, examining both external and internal factors. Internally, the primary drivers were the expansion plan, the demerger decision, financial mismanagement and the delayed and inadequate integration of Information Technology (IT) into the business. Case overview/synopsis Sintex, a prominent private sector company listed in the Indian stock markets, operated in the textile and plastics sectors. However, in 2017, Sintex underwent a demerger into two separate entities: Sintex Industries Limited (SIL) and Sintex Plastics Technology Limited (SPTL). While SIL focused on textiles, SPTL dealt with plastics. However, soon after the demerger, the share prices of both companies began plummeting, leading to significant losses for investors. This case investigates the reasons behind this decline through a step-by-step analysis. Complexity academic level This case is suitable for postgraduate students pursuing an MBA, MMS and executive programs such as PGDBM and PGDM, with a specialization in business strategy. It is also beneficial for participants in management development programs (MDPs) designed for higher level executives. Additionally, the case can serve as training material for executives undergoing strategic role training within an organization. It is recommended to teach the case toward the end of the course, where the instructor can provide a summary of the previous classes’ teachings. Subject Code CCS7: Management Science

COLOURISM AS A CATALYST FOR THE SKIN WHITENING INDUSTRY IN THAILAND

Colorism is a historical and cultural phenomenon with global dimensions. This phenomenon is credited, in part, for the growth and financial success of the skin-lightening industry throughout the world. In Thailand, dark skin is often associated with lower-income classes, including farm labor. As a pioneering effort, this study sought to empirically identify colorism in a way that would minimize social desirability bias. Three groups in an MBA program at an international university in Bangkok - Thais with Chinese ancestry, non-Chinese Thais, and non-Thai foreigners – were asked to identify socio-economic status (“rich” or “poor”) by examining photographs of male and female Thais with dark, medium, and light skin tones. An analysis was conducted using the demographic variables of ethnicity, gender, and age. The study found significant differences wherein Thai-Chinese associated light skin tone with wealth and dark skin tone with poverty. Non-Chinese Thais followed in this assessment, but foreigners did not. Regarding marriage, both Thai-Chinese and non-Chinese Thais chose photographs of individuals with light skin to marry, but they were significantly different than the foreigners where skin tone was not a factor. There was no significant difference regarding gender. However, age was significant in that the younger group in the study (ages 20 to 27) identified dark skin tones as indicating poverty more than the older group in the study (ages 28 to 48).

The fall of DHFL: hidden issues that everyone ignored

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: to be able to evaluate early warning signs/red flags through financial statement analysis; to be able to analyse company’s credit or debt servicing using a thorough process of fundamental analysis; to be able to analyse and decode the financial health of an organization through different financial tools applicable according to the industry such as default probability and financial ratios; and to be able to synthesize credit rating framework and role of credit rating agencies in the bond market. Case overview/synopsis In late January 2019, the allegation by an online investigative portal about the misuse of the Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL) money by its promoter for buying asset abroad was the start of the fall of the non-banking finance company giant. This was followed by a series of downgrade by credit rating agencies on its debt and eventual default on its interest payment on 4 June 2019 which upset multiple portfolio investors and the regulators. Investors became sceptical about the regulator’s policy and inefficiencies of credit rating agencies in predicting the default along with asset management houses which were expected to guard investors’ interest. One investor, Shikhar Pachori, decided to scrutinize all hidden information on DHFL to investigate if DHFL crisis arises because of unknown factors which was not in control of management or if it a clear negligence on the part of all involved parties. The case tries to emphasize the aspect of Asset-Liability Management and process of credit analysis while looking for red flags which aids in identifying any stress in company’s financial or any potential default by company. Complexity academic level This case can be used in the advance level of post-graduate finance course or MBA program for elective/specialization courses such as Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Institutions and Market and Fixed Income. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and Finance

Leveraging the Balanced Scorecard for Online MBA Program Development: A Holistic Approach

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation process establishes that a business school meets the high standards set by a peer review board with administrators and faculty members from various accredited colleges and universities. This paper will synthesize the use of the balanced scorecard across four performance dimensions (financial, customer, internal process, and innovation) with the accreditation process for an online MBA program development effort. Specifically, the balanced scorecard will be examined as a strategic management tool for leveraging resource prioritization and allocation decisions needed to maintain accreditation while meeting the various stakeholders' needs, such as students, university, faculty, and administrators.

A Framework for Developing and Assessing the Global Entrepreneurial Mindset

Assessment UpdateVolume 35, Issue 3 p. 1-15 Article A Framework for Developing and Assessing the Global Entrepreneurial Mindset James Berneking, James BernekingSearch for more papers by this authorSamantha Dewalt, Samantha DewaltSearch for more papers by this author James Berneking, James BernekingSearch for more papers by this authorSamantha Dewalt, Samantha DewaltSearch for more papers by this author First published: 29 May 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/au.30344Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL References Baron, R. A. 2008. “The Role of Affect in the Entrepreneurial Process.” Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 328– 340. doi:10.5465/amr.2008.31193166 Bloom, B. S., M. D. Engelhart, E. J. Furst, W. H. Hill, and R. Krathwohl. 1956. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. London: Longmans, Green and Co Ltd. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3FJk8QW. Dinh, A., Oberrauch L., and S. Dewalt. 2022. “What's in a Mindset? Exploring the Entrepreneurial Mindset.” Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 25(4), 1– 24. Fayolle, A., and B. Gailly. 2008. “From Craft to Science: Teaching Models and Learning Processes in Entrepreneurship Education.” Journal of European Industrial Training, 32(7), 569– 593. doi:10.1108/03090590810899838 Gedeon, S. A. 2014. “Application of Best Practices in University Entrepreneurship Education: Designing a New MBA Program.” European Journal of Training and Development, 38(3), 231– 253. doi:10.1108/ejtd-05-2013-0058 Gedeon, S. A. 2017. “Measuring Student Transformation in Entrepreneurship Education Programs.” Education Research International, 2017, 1– 12. doi:10.1155/2017/8475460 Ilonen, S., and Heinonen, J. (2018). “Understanding affective learning outcomes in entrepreneurship education.” Industry and Higher Education, 32(6), 391– 404. doi:10.1177/0950422218805177 Kirkpatrick, D. L. 1959. “Techniques for Evaluation Training Programs.” Journal of the American Society of Training Directors, 13, 21– 26. Kirkpatrick, D. L. and J. D. Kirkpatrick. 2006. Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels: Vol. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Kuratko, D. F. 2005. “The Emergence of Entrepreneurship Education: Development, Trends, and Challenges.” Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(5), 577– 598. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2005.00099.x Nabi, G., Liñán F., Fayolle A., Krueger N., and A. Walmsley. 2017. “The Impact of Entrepreneurship Education in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda.” Academy of Management Learning & Education, 16(2), 277– 299. doi:10.5465/amle.2015.0026 Rae, D., L.M. Martin, V. Antcliff, and P. D. Hannon. 2012. “Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in English Higher Education: 2010 and Beyond.” Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 19(3), 380– 401. doi:10.1108/14626001211250090 Volume35, Issue3May/June 2023Pages 1-15 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Times are changing: the case of Movado Group

Research methodology To develop the case, the authors used secondary sources including company annual reports, industry reports, news articles, social media sites, academic journal articles and company websites. This case has been classroom tested with students in the MBA Program and Master of Science in Management and Technology Program, and with undergraduates in an operations management course. Case overview/synopsis Movado Group, which has been a fierce competitor in the luxury watch market, has been facing unprecedented challenges posed by consumers’ enthusiasm for smartwatches and by their love of shopping online. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified these problems and brought new setbacks. This case examines these challenges to the company’s current business model. It then explores opportunities that could transform Movado into an innovative, digitally oriented organization capable of reaching consumers in a dynamic market while combating intense competition from the smart wearable devices that threaten traditional watch companies. The case also discusses the importance of building a robust supply chain through the lens of Industry 4.0 to guard against future supply chain disruptions. Complexity academic level Instructors can use this case in operations and supply chain management classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The focus of the case aligns with discussions of supply chain management and Industry 4.0. In particular, the case uses supply chain innovation theory to investigate the implications of Industry 4.0 in the watch industry and dovetails into discussions of omni-channel experience and virtual reality in retail that integrate multiple points of contact to reach consumers efficiently.

On the effect of warnings on criterion-related validity of personality scores: Testing an indirect moderation model

Although research has consistently shown that warnings against faking are effective in reducing faking and improving individual hiring decisions, whether warnings may thus boost the criterion-related validity of personality scores has remained unclear. The present study investigates this important issue through a field experiment. Participants were 188 applicants for the MBA program at a Chinese University, who completed a Big Five personality inventory during the campus interview. A warning message and a control message were randomly assigned at the beginning of the personality test. Participants' first-semester academic grades were used as the criterion. Results indicated that (a) applicant faking (measured via an impression management scale) negatively impacted the criterion-related validity of personality scores; (b) warnings lowered applicant faking; and (c) applicant faking mediated the effect of warnings on the criterion-related validity. However, the overall effect of warnings on criterion-related validity was not significant, suggesting that warnings might have yielded some unintended effects that harmed criterion-related validity.

Students' attitude and learning effectivenes for two types of podcasts in MBA course

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to inspect the perceptions of MBA students regarding learning through podcasts. The author's goals are to reveal the students' attitudes toward the use of podcasts as a key learning tool in a graduate academic course, to examine the learning efficacy in this mode of learning, to inspect students' opinions regarding flexibility in learning with podcasts and to examine whether there is a different reference to podcasts as a mid-term assignment vs podcasts as a substitute for lectures.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines the learning attitudes and effectiveness of postgraduate students in business administration toward combining podcasts as an e-Learning tool. This paper also explores the flexibility of this kind of asynchronous learning. Two types of podcasts for two different pedagogical purposes were examined in the study, one as a team mid-term assignment and second as recorded lectures. The main results of this study provide significant evidence that previous experience in listening to podcasts on the Internet has a significant impact on learning effectiveness, student attitudes and learning satisfaction while using this technology. In fact, this study establishes that students that are technologically oriented and have prior experience listening to podcasts learn more in the course, have positive attitudes toward podcast technology as a learning tool, have high learning effectiveness and are satisfied with the flexibility of the asynchronous learning process.FindingsThe findings state that both in the mid-term assignment and in the course lessons as students listened to podcasts more frequently and gained experience listening to podcasts on the Internet, the students expressed more positive views toward learning using this technology, the students' learning effectiveness was higher and the students were more satisfied with the flexibility made possible by using this asynchronous technology tool of e-Learning. Moreover, the results of the study clearly indicate a positive correlation between listening to the podcast lessons in the course and the effectiveness of learning both in the mid-term assignment and in classes.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the findings are limited by the relatively small sample, with graduate students in an MBA program, in a course from the field of technological entrepreneurship. Furthermore, in this study, the students had partial freedom to choose the podcast for the students' mid-term assignment from a specific well-known program in the field of entrepreneurship and were not free to choose podcasts from any site available on the Internet. Although this process guided the students to use podcasts from a quality podcast program, the process also reduced the students' choice to some extent.Practical implicationsAcademic institutions must provide the appropriate technological infrastructure for the development, creation and recording of quality podcasts by lecturers for students, in addition to training lecturers to teach through podcasts as an integral part of e-Learning advanced tools. Furthermore, institutions must financially incentivize and educationally encourage lecturers to teach at least some of the content in the course using pre-prepared podcasts.Social implicationsThe author's first suggestion to lecturers that wish to use podcasts as learning resources is to familiarize themselves with the technology and resources available to introduce students to the basics of podcasting and to make the students aware of the podcast's benefits. Second, the study highly recommends to integrate podcasts into the teaching curriculum in academia as early as possible in the basic courses, before the students move on to advanced courses in undergraduate studies. In this way, students in advanced courses can make better use of this technology.Originality/valueAs far as the author knows, this is the first study that combined two types of podcasts used for two complementary pedagogical purposes in an academic course: the first, open and available online podcasts as part of a mid-term assignment and the second type of podcasts that are recorded audio lessons as a complete replacement for course lectures. Additionally, the study sharpens the understanding that students' previous experience with technology is of great importance to learning effectiveness, as well as positive opinions and high learning satisfaction.

What Do MBA Program in Southeast Asia Scholars Propose for Future COVID-19 Research in Academic Publications? A Topic Analysis Based on Autoencoder.

To analyze the directions for future research suggested and to project future research plans, we extract relevant text from these publications with respect to COVID-19-related research based on 54,136 relevant academic journals published from the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in January 2020 until December 2020. First, we extract and preprocess the corpus and then determine that, according to the Elbow method, the optimal number of clusters is 7. Then, we construct a text clustering model based on an autoencoder, with the support of an artificial neural network. Distance measurements, such as correlation, cosine, Braycurtis, and Jaccard are compared, and the clustering results are evaluated with normal mutual information. The results show that cosine similarity has the best effect on clustering of COVID-19-related documents. A topic model analysis shows that the directions of future research can mainly be grouped into the following seven categories: infectivity testing, genome analysis, vaccine testing, diagnosis and infection characteristics, pandemic management, nursing care, and clinical testing. Among them, the topics of pandemic management, diagnosis and infection characteristics, and clinical testing trended upward in proportion to future directions. The topic of vaccine testing remains steady over the observation window, whereas other topics (infectivity testing, genome analysis, and nursing care) slowly trended downward. Among all the topics, medical research comprises 80%, and about 20% of the topics are related to public management, government functions, and economic development. This study enriches our scientific understanding of COVID-19 and helps us to effectively predict future scientific research output on COVID-19.