Executive MBA, Is It Worth It?

With passing time, the Executive MBA has gained a lot of popularity, both from corporate employees and employers. A majority view the degree as a critical business investment. Meanwhile, many companies are beginning to track the benefits of the programs as part of a larger strategy to manage talent.

According to a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal, a full 64% of respondents said sponsoring or allowing employees to attend E.M.B.A. programs was a way to retain talent. And many employers get a quick return on investment. One-quarter of the companies surveyed said they see tangible results immediately from employers who are stronger managers and leaders after completing an E.M.B.A.; another quarter of companies said they see results within a year.

Why do employers prefer Executive MBA?

It is true that all types of companies today are hoarding in fresh MBA graduates from numerous institutions. At the same time, they are all warming up for the executive degree. Companies encourage their high-potential employees, who are typically young and can easily meet criteria for full-time M.B.A. programs, to keep working for their company and to earn a business degree later in an executive program.

“We don’t want them to go away for two years,” says Leif Meneke, a vice president of human-resources development at Deutsche Bank. A major reason why companies are ready to sponsor the Executive MBA program is that they want to retain their talent and they fear they might lose their employees if they move on to attend a two-year full-time program.

Many Executive MBA programs now want employees to continue working and at the same time, take a few days off each month to attend lectures. This proves beneficial to both employees and employers.

Also, there are companies who believe that by allowing employees to mingle with top-flight professors and classmates from a wide range of industries and functions, the MBA degree on the whole provides a varied perspective which is needed in this era of change.

According to The Wall Street Journal’s corporate survey, the following are the most wanted skills an Executive MBA should address:

1. Strategic thinking and planning

2. Ability to work across different domains

3. Ability to drive results

4. General leadership

5. Core financial understanding

Since the students in these Executive MBA programs come with a lot of experience in their hands, they are able to relate to many real-world business issues in a much better way. Even schools have won additional praise from companies for bringing real and current business issues into the classroom.

The reason why this program is growing in popularity each year is because successful Executive MBA graduates strongly support these programs and as they climb the ladder, they encourage other to pursue the same.

According to the WSJ survey, the following are some schools that performed the best job of imparting immediately applicable skills according to students (arranged alphabetically):

1. Columbia University

2. Columbia-London Business School (Global Program)

3. Cornell University (Johnson)

4. Northwestern University (Kellogg)

5. University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler)

6. university of Pennsylvania (Wharton)

7. University of Southern California (Marshall)

Conclusion

If you are among those who have a considerable amount of work experience and want to improve their business expertise, an Executive MBA is definitely more worth than quitting your job and pursuing a full-time program. A foreign MBA does not come cheap. Hence, it can’t get any better if your company is ready to sponsor.

15 Myths and Misconceptions About Job-Hunting

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

How much of a job-hunting expert are you? Read over these 15 myths and misconceptions about job-hunting and see how many of them you believed in and how many you knew were incorrect. Once you know the truths about job-hunting, you should have more job search success -- and less stress.

Myth 1: Registering at Several Internet Job Boards Will Result in Multiple Job Offers
One of the most prevalent misconceptions in job-hunting is that job-hunting on the Web is some magic elixir that will result in employers lining up to interview you. While job-hunting on the Web should be one component of a job search for most job-seekers, it should not be viewed as having any higher success rates than applying to help-wanted ads in the newspaper or trade magazines. Only about 5 percent of job-seekers obtain jobs through ads. 



Myth 2: Want Ads and Other Job Postings Represent the Majority of Jobs Available
At the very most -- and some say this number is too high -- only about 15-20 percent of all available jobs are ever publicly advertised in any medium. The vast majority of job openings are part of the "hidden" or "closed" job market. And the higher the position and salary, the less likely the position will be advertised at all. How can job-seekers discover these jobs? Through networking. Networking is by far the most effective job search tool you can use. Networking is all about building relationships with people who can help you in your job search; it doesn't mean that you need to ask everyone you know if they have a job for you. 

Myth 3: Job-Seekers Who Change Jobs Often are Frowned Upon by Employers
The notion of "job-hoppers," those job-seekers who had multiple jobs with short stays listed on their resumes, has been disappearing for years. Ever since the great "downsizing" and "rightsizing" of companies during the 1980s and 1990s, employers have recognized that there rarely is any logical progression -- or corporate ladder -- within any one company anymore. To get ahead and gain new skill sets, job-seekers often need to make multiple moves. Avoid really short stints -- under a year -- but otherwise don't be too concerned with moving around. And if you are concerned, focus on your transferable skills with a functional rather than chronological resume. 


Myth 4: A Cover Letter is Not as Important as Other Job-Hunting Materials
Every time you apply for a job, you should send a cover letter written specifically for the position and company you are applying to. The only exception to this rule is when the employer explicitly states that it does not want a cover letter. A cover letter, also known as a letter of introduction or letter of application, must be an integral part of your job-search strategy. A resume is useless to an employer if s/he doesn't know what kind of job you are seeking. A cover letter tells the employer exactly what job you are seeking -- and how you are uniquely qualified for that position. 


Myth 5: A Resume Must Show a Logical Progression of Jobs and Increased Responsibility
The most important part of a resume is showing that you have the skills, education (or training), and experience that the employer seeks. Most employers will spend less than 20 seconds reviewing your resume, which means you need to focus on the key components of your resume that will result in getting a job interview.

Myth 6: As Long as You're Sending out Cover Letters and Resumes, You'll Get Interviews. Maybe in the tightest of job markets, or maybe if you are only applying to specific positions for which you are perfectly qualified, will this kind of passive job-search strategy produce any job interviews. Job-seekers must be proactive in your job search. You must follow-up every job lead. Call employers and request an interview. If you are under-qualified for a position or changing careers, request an interview anyway. You may not be qualified for that specific position, but the employer may have other openings (or know of other openings).

Myth 7: Lowering Your Salary Demands Will Make You a More Attractive Job Candidate Job-seekers should never lower reasonable salary demands because doing so will just make you appear desperate for the job -- and will likely result in your not getting the job offer. And even if you got the offer and accepted it, you would most likely never be happy in your job or with your employer because you would feel you were cheated out of the salary you deserved. As long as your salary demands are within acceptable range for the job you're seeking as well as the industry and location of the employer, stick to them. And never be the first to bring up salary; let the employer raise the issue. 


Myth 8: If You Can't Schedule Job Interviews Between 9 am and 5 pm You're Out of Luck While it's certainly true that a majority of job interviews are conducted during traditional business hours, employers will certainly find time during "off-hours" to interview desirable job-seekers. And it's often better to interview during these times because there are fewer distractions. 
Myth 9: The Most Qualified Job-Seekers Get the Best Jobs
Probably the biggest misconception about interviewing, it is not always the best qualified person who gets the job, but the job-seeker with the best mix of qualifications, interviewing skills, and rapport with his or her interviewer(s). So, don't be too cocky if you feel you are the most qualified person for the job - and don't be too discouraged if you don't feel you exactly match up with the job. If you get a job interview, it's because the employer thinks there is a strong enough match of your skills, education, and experience to do the job -- and at the interview, you need to prove why you are the best person to fill the job. 


Myth 10: Headhunters and Executive Recruiters Have Your Best Interests at Heart
Headhunters and executive recruiters get paid by the companies that hire them to fill their open positions, so where exactly is their loyalty? With their client companies, of course. Recruiters will not market job-seekers to companies; instead, they try to fit job-seekers into well-defined positions with the companies that employ their services.


Myth 11: Changing Careers is Nearly Impossible. As the workplace continues to change and evolve, more and more people will change careers in their lifetimes -- and many will change careers multiple times. As long as you have a plan and do your best to stick with it, you should be able to switch careers. That said, switching careers is not easy. It takes much effort to switch careers and may involve getting more education (or training), getting experience in the new career field, and focusing on how the skills you currently possess transfer to the new career field.

Myth 12: Job-Seekers Should Not Have to Sell Themselves to Employers
For better or worse, job-hunting is all about marketing yourself to employers -- which often means using some key selling skills to close the deal and get the job offer. You are the product, and you need to show the employer why you are the best product for the job. In today's job-hunting environment, the most successful job-seekers are those who understand the value of marketing and apply to themselves those principles that companies have used for years to successfully sell their products.

Myth 13: If You're Over 50, You Will Have a Hard Time Finding a Job
The baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are completely redefining the meaning of age and older works, and thus older workers should theoretically have a lot fewer problems finding new jobs than in the past. The critical issues are whether you have the skills, education, and experience that the employer seeks -- and whether all those are current. You also have to have the proper attitude -- that you are a team player, not a seasoned professional who knows all the answers and is unwilling to change. And, of course, if you are employed in an industry that focuses more on youth, then it may still be harder for you to find a new job. 


Myth 14: It Takes One Month of Job Searching for Every $10,000 of Current Salary
No one seems to know where this calculation comes from -- and no one has ever substantiated it. The fact is that every job search is different. And external factors such as the economy and demand for your particular set of skills and experiences will impact your search time. Noted career expert Richard Bolles (of What Color is Your Parachute?) states in a Q&A we conducted with him: "I think people adopt unrealistic guesstimates about how long their job hunt is going to take. We should expect that our job-hunt may take months, but if we persevere, we will find a job."

Myth 15: When Times are Tough, Take the First Job Offer You Get
In all my years of experience, the one truth is that job-hunting is streaky. You'll have weeks where you interview for positions and you are sure you'll get an offer and no offer ever comes, and then there will be weeks when you get multiple interviews and perhaps multiple offers. Should you take the first job offer that comes along? Only if you are sure that the job and the compensation represent the right career move. If not, a better offer will come along -- and as long as you are not about to lose your house or suffer other financial or emotional consequences, you should hold out for the job offer that best fits the direction you want to move in.

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Obtaining An Online MBA And Its Rewards

If you are busy with work but you desire to get a graduate degree then studying online might only be the thing that can assist you. One of the things which busy working people try is an online MBA so they can continue working and yet they can also obtain the degree that will aid them advance in their selected professions. If you feel that an online MBA is a thing that you could be capable to gain from then just simply keep reading for more info.

There are numerous schools that come with online MBA programs but one factor that you have to do if you want an MBA would be to choose a school that is reputable. That’s right, you can find online MBA programs which are offered by genuine schools and there are those programs that are being provided by schools that you can’t rely on by any means. If you’d like that MBA degree to be worth anything then make certain that the school you select is legitimate.

You’ll be investing a long time, effort, and money with an MBA online so just what you must do is obtain a list of school that provide programs on an MBA online and you can check their certifications. As soon as that is done, you could conduct a examine of their MBA programs and see which one fit you best. There are several schools that provide quick track programs so those might be of interest to you if you happen to are in a rush.

Are you aware that obtaining a master of business administration online also can cost you less money compared to standard schooling? That’s right, and this is also a key reason the reason why more and more people choose the distance learning programs. You know how tuition in traditional schools can cost an arm as well as a leg but this is not the situation with the online programs.

After you have made up your mind about obtaining a master of business administration online then you might want to look for several study instructions. Studying online might sound simple nevertheless it has issues of its own and you need to be ready for all of them or else you may just never finish that online degree. If you wish to obtain points on precisely how you can effectively acquire a degree online then you might examine the message boards through the school that you have signed up for. It’s now standard practice to have a discussion board exactly where all distance learning students might talk.

Want to find out more about online MBA, then visit FKB Consulting's site on how to choose the best online MBA programs for your needs.

Decisions Executive MBA Students Face

The decision to enroll in an Executive MBA program is one rife with difficult questions, the answers to which may well determine the extent of your success as a future executive. Most people entering Executive MBA programs are young professionals aspiring to reach greater heights in their field; they want the education to temper their passion for leading a business in the right direction, but it’s not easy choosing the best program or teaching style. Business schools around the country design Executive MBA programs in any possible format: online education, classes that emphasize peer involvement, mentorships from industry professionals—the list goes on. I wish all MBA students could take the outstanding classes offered at various Executive MBA programs, but that’s hardly a realistic aspiration.

Let’s address some of the biggest decisions a student has to make when you look through potential Executive MBA programs.

Classes taught online or in person?

The difference between online and in person education is one of the biggest issues concerning graduate business degrees in general. There are strong arguments to be had on both sides, but I think the decision really hinges on whatever works for your unique lifestyle. If you’re simultaneously interning at another business or even running your own small enterprise on the side, you might see great appeal in taking an online Executive MBA program that offers a relatively freer schedule. You might be the lone wolf student who thrives on the challenge of completing coursework on your own, relying on your own philosophy of leadership to guide them through lessons and hypothetical management scenarios.

On the other hand, you might thrive in an environment where you’re among your peers, bouncing ideas and strategies off one another. The idea of working alongside a professor with real world experience leading a business and a team of trained professionals might appeal to you if you’ve never worked with someone like that before. If you’re looking for greater involvement and interaction from your faculty and classmates, taking your MBA classes in person is obvious the right choice for you.

Fulltime or balanced with work?

Once you’ve decided on the atmosphere of your Executive MBA program, it’s time to decide the extent to which you want to involve yourself in classwork. Some students prefer to get their degree out of the way as quickly as possible so they can enter the working world immediately. These ambitious students usually cram as many classes as they can per semester, trying to graduate in record time. You might prefer the lightning round MBA path, but there are more steadily paced options.

Though it’s tempting to choose the quickest path to your Executive MBA, not every student has the luxury of dropping everything in their life to go back to school. It takes a serious time commitment to complete an MBA, and you might not have the option of sacrificing your day job for it. If that’s the case, then I highly recommend completing your Executive MBA over a number of semesters, giving yourself only as much classwork as you can handle. There’s no use overloading yourself if you have obligations outside of class.

Where to find the best connections

And finally, you want to be careful about choosing the Executive MBA program that has the right connections for you to advance your business career. This isn’t as simple as choosing a business school with the most famous faculty; it’s a matter of researching business schools with professors and lecturers with experience and knowledge that’s relevant to your field of interests. If you have ambitions to found a startup tech company, you want to look at schools with faculty that have successfully founded small business venture in that field. Applying anywhere else would be to miss the most important aspect of graduate education in business: meeting the right people, absorbing their industry advice, and applying it to your own venture.

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.

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Education transformed by Distance Learning

Education transformed by Distance Learning

The process of learning is a continued and a complicated process. With the conventional education sector going almost out of spin, it’s the process of learning by distance.

Educate yourself crossing all limits

With the increase in the popularity of distance learning process it is making education affordable to the masses. This will help many students to enter the learning process quite a few years late. The distance learning process helps you to attain the learning program at your own pace at any time of the day. The increase in the online capability has increased the overall reach of the students to a large number of subjects.

There is hardly anything like the professional education, this make courses like the MBA in such a popular mode. The online MBA is one of the most demanding courses in the professional fields.

It helps to nurture the talents of any technically qualified personal in the most effective way. This will help the worker to qualify for improving their talents in various fields. It will also lead to improve their career prospects even further. They could be promoted to the managerial position and their salary will increase almost simultaneously in a progressive manner.

With the increase in the popularity of the distance learning process, the distance education is basically based on the process of spread of the internet technology. This has eventually increased the popularity of the distance education and the most popular among them is the online MBA. The management degree will help an ordinary worker to qualify for the process of the next promotion. The process of education is a rather a continuous process and this makes it popular among the working professionals. This will certainly enhance their talent and their overall experience of the matter of getting the professional degree.

There are various learning institutions who tie up with various industries in order to equip their students with the online MBA. These professionally qualified students can avail this facility through the distance learning process. The distance mode of education will help the students to carry on their studies from the comforts f their home. This is the real joy of distance learning and it can be accessed from any part of the world, just an online connection is needed. With the increasing number of online universities ruling the roost in the world of education, there is really nothing to lose and all to gain in this very process.

Steve Johnson here writes about the various online MBA and how they can prove beneficial in one’s career.

For information on distance learning please visit http://www.fkbconsulting.com

Three Tips to Create Effective Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are on the rise and can be more productive than in-person teams, but it isn’t enough to just equip employees with the technology. Make sure you take these factors into account first.

In today’s virtual environment, airplanes, hotel rooms, coffee shops and practically anywhere along the way can instantly transform into a mobile office — making us more connected, more engaged and better able to collaborate and execute on the fly.

Virtual teams are on the rise, and in some cases can be even more productive than in-person teams, according to research by the American Productivity & Quality Center, a professional consulting organization. As a result, increasing numbers of companies are either migrating to these new types of teams, or creating a hybrid workforce augmenting on-site teams with virtual workers.

Some are tapping into familiar technology such as video conferencing and virtual document sharing, while others are leveraging more complex communication systems, such as online discussion groups and social media. But while technology plays a huge part in closing the distance between virtual teams, these tools alone are not enough to achieve collaboration.

While there are advantages to having virtual teams, talent managers must be aware of certain pitfalls when building and managing virtual teams. Here are the top three, along with ways to avoid them.

Don’t employ a one-size-fits-all approach. Hiring strategies for virtual team members are vastly different than for in-office positions. A virtual workplace requires far more self-reliance and self-motivation than needed for in-office employees. That’s why it’s important to identify the right individuals who demonstrate necessary skills — such as the ability to think independently, make clear decisions and take decisive action when called for, often without direction from higher-ups.

But a talent manager’s work isn’t done once the hire is made. Even if the employee possesses all the skills needed to be successful, additional training may be required to ensure communication across team members is happening, which can vary depending on the individual and the project.

Don’t assume collaboration will happen automatically. More than 60 percent of respondents in a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey on virtual teams reported that no specific training for online collaboration was provided — undoubtedly a hamper on team productivity.

Investing a small amount of time upfront ironing out strategies for proper communication and collaboration in a virtual setting as well as having regular check-ins on how these processes are working will pay big dividends down the road. Regularly setting measurable goals and deliverables, providing timely feedback and creating clear accountability for both virtual and on-site team members are essential building blocks for successful virtual teams.

Don’t think advanced tools will spell success. Many companies make the mistake of assuming the latest, most complex technology will foster the highest level of collaboration and productivity. While online technologies can make working together virtually as effective, or even more effective, than collaborating in-person, complex tools are not always the right ones for the job.

Take transactive memory systems (TMS), for instance, which offer a window into the technical, cultural and tactical knowledge of each team member to help employees solve complex problems by identifying who on the team has the expertise for a particular issue, or who can refer you to the appropriate resource. While they can be immensely helpful, building a TMS requires a significant investment of time and money and may not be the best answer for a company’s needs. In some cases, a simple instant messaging system or Skype call could get you to the same place faster, with far less expense and training and better results.

Working in virtual teams is not without challenges, but can reap significant business benefit when correctly executed. With thoughtful planning, effective communication and an open mind, companies can take their teams to the next level.

Susan E. Cates is president and associate dean of executive development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and executive director of MBA@UNC. She can be reached at editor@talentmgt.com.

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How to Choose an Online MBA Program ?

Search for "online MBA programs" and you'll be met with a staggering array of options. These days, it seems every institute of higher learning offers an online MBA program.

Demand for business degrees is high, especially among engineering and IT professionals, for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, studies show that professionals who hold master's degrees earn more money than those with bachelor's degrees, says Bonnie Diehl, chief academic officer for the SANS Technology Institute, a for-profit educational institution offering advanced degrees in IT security management and engineering.

Second, many IT professionals who've worked in the field for a few years decide to pursue an MBA because they realize they may not be able to progress in their careers without one, says Susan Cates, executive director of the University of North Carolina's online MBA program, MBA@UNC.

"Engineers, for example, come out of their undergraduate experience and go into a functional role in a company with a very specific set of skills. As they grow and are given broader sets of responsibilities, they reach a point where their job becomes more about their leadership and management skills, their ability to think about strategy and financial decision-making, rather than about tech skills," says Cates. "When they need to broaden out their skillsets, it's a natural conclusion for folks with an IT or engineering background to see an MBA as a good path for expanding their career opportunities within their company or industry."

About half the students currently enrolled in UNC's online MBA program have a background in science, engineering or IT, adds Cates.

Martha Heller, president of Heller Search Associates, a retained executive search firm specializing in technology leaders, says that MBAs can be advantageous to CIOs with traditional technology backgrounds and to some of their direct reports, such as business relationship executives.

"What CEOs looking to hire CIOs care about is the CIO's ability to contribute as directly to the business as possible," says Heller. "The best way to demonstrate that experience is to have worked in the business, to have run a non-IT operations group, to have been a general manager. If you have that experience, the MBA is redundant."

However, if you lack that business management experience and are gunning for a career in industries that want their CIOs to make a direct contribution to the business, "an MBA will help," says Heller. "All things being equal as a recruiter, when I'm looking at a resume, I would rather see an MBA than not."

These trends have led online MBA programs to flourish. But with so many options, how can IT professionals determine which have the best reputations and meet their specific or needs Here's some advice.

1. Identify the characteristics of an online MBA program that are most important to you. Don't apply to an online MBA program just because you've heard of it, says Cates. Do some research first and consider what's most important to you in a program, whether that be the school's reputation, the quality of the teaching, the rigor of the academics, a particular concentration in a subject area, or the flexibility the program provides, she says. Your employer's HR personnel might be able to tell you which MBA programs have worked well for other employees.

2. Make sure the institutions you're considering are accredited.Some employers don't recognize degrees from non-accredited schools, notes Cates. Moreover, if a school is non-accredited, you may not be able to transfer any of your credits if you decide to enroll in an MBA program at a different institution.

3. Find the program that best fits your lifestyle and learning style.Cates says that professionals turn to online MBA programs for a variety of reasons: Many can't afford to drop out of the workforce for two years to pursue a traditional MBA. Others, due to demanding business travel schedules, can't be geographically tied to an evening or weekend executive MBA program. And some need the flexibility to take courses and complete the academics on their time.

Since online MBA programs vary in structure in style, to find the one that best suits your needs, Cates recommends asking the following questions:

• What learning formats are part of the program? Books? Webinars? Video conferences?

• Does the program repurpose on-site coursework for the Web, leaving you largely learning on your own? Or does it promote interaction with other students and faculty throughvideo conferencing and/or online discussion groups?

• Is there on-demand access to course materials?

• Is there real-time access to faculty for office hours?

• When are classes held? Are they offered during times that are clearly built for working professionals, such as evenings and weekends?

• Can you take classes anytime?

• Can you scale up or down the number of credit hours you're taking during any given term?

• Can you begin the program at different times of the year, or only in the fall?

4. Talk to current students. "There's no substitute for talking to current students to give you a sense of what is really happening in the program," says Cates. Conversations with professionals currently enrolled in the program will help you determine whether the program may meet your needs, she adds.

5. Evaluate whether the program offers career support. Good online MBA programs will offer leadership development and career coaching, says Cates. They also offer robust alumni networks that can come in handy when you're looking for a new job.

Meridith Levinson covers Careers, Security and Cloud Computing for CIO.com. Follow Meridith on Twitter target="_new">@meridith. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Meridith at mlevinson@cio.com.

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The Advantages of Online MBAs for Parents

Working parents have major obligations which can be as rewarding as they are demanding. Is it realistic to earn an MBA while juggling a full-time job and a family? While it might not be easy, most most worthwhile endeavours aren’t — and online MBA programs, like Kenan-Flagler Business School’s MBA@UNC, now deliver some of the world’s highest-rated business education curricula in a more flexible and accessible format than ever before. While highly motivated and intrepid working parents have earned MBAs from all types of programs, online MBAs offer certain definite advantages.

Flexible Scheduling

Online MBA programs eliminate the time required for commuting to campus and allow much greater flexibility in scheduling than traditional, campus-centered graduate education. Asynchronous coursework can be completed at the student’s leisure, and advanced learning technology makes it easy to collaborate on projects with classmates around the world. Even those aspects of the program that do take place on a fixed schedule, like weekly virtual class sessions, can be completed from the comfort of the home or office. While the coursework is rigorous, these programs are designed to remove all unnecessary impediments between students and a high quality business education.

Synchronous and Asynchronous Technology

The best online MBA programs use a blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning technology to recreate the personal feel of a traditional MBA program while affording students maximum flexibility in how they complete about their coursework. Synchronous technology, such as video-conferencing for virtual classrooms, allows groups of students and faculty to interact in real time. Asynchronous technology, such as a specialized social network, message boards and email, allow students to respond to each other on a longer timeline, which is particularly important for working parents or students in different timezones. This mixture of balanced educational technology provides many of the benefits of face-to-face interaction, while offering the flexibility and accessibility that only online education can provide.

Work From Home

For parents who work from home, or those who would like to, an online MBA program provides a unique advantage. In many ways, business professionals must make their own schedules, meet with challenging deadlines, and communicate with distant clients and colleagues. These skills will be exercised and strengthened by an online education, while students learn the concepts and practices that will help them sharpen their business skills, expand their networks and advance their careers.

Acquiring a graduate level business education is a challenging and exciting process for anyone, but online MBA programs are particularly well suited to the lifestyles of working parents, who would miss out on priceless family moments by spending nights or weekends commuting to a campus. After all, bettering yourself and your career should not need to come at the cost of family. And online MBA programs will give you the most flexibility in how you choose to balance the demands and rewards of your personal, professional and educational commitments.

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Start evaluating: The pros and cons of the online MBA

Online MBA courses are designed for convenient access from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. If they choose, students can embark on the tough challenge of studying part time while working to pay the bills, looking after a family, or even studying full time on the opposite side of the world from where the actual business school is based.

For clarification, TopMBA.com defines online MBA programs as courses that are taught solely online, without visiting the school. Distance learning MBA programs are hybrid courses, where the predominant mode of study is online, but the student will be expected to attend some campus based lectures, such as a residential course during over a long weekend.

Choosing courses
But with so many different studying formats, and with few previous students as a result of the online MBA’s relative infancy, how does a potential MBA student decide which online MBA course is the right choice?

One option is to look at business schools that have already been accredited after operating regular MBA courses on campuses for many years. Many of these schools argue that MBA students are taught very similar if not the same curricula, and therefore graduate with the same skills.

“No matter which MBA platform a student chooses, everyone earns the same (qualification)” explains Jason Simmons, manager of admissions and recruitment, W P Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in the US. While he points out that options for elective courses may differ depending on which medium the MBA program is taught in, “all involve the same core curriculum, which includes a strong foundation in accounting, management, finance, marketing and supply chain.”

Drawbacks
While one obvious drawback to any MBA program taught exclusively online is the lack of face to face with fellow students, many argue that learning deep online skills is essential for the technologically evolved world.

“Teamwork is still a key component so students learn how to work in geographically dispersed teams, which is becoming commonplace in the corporate world,” says Eric Richards, chair of the Kelley Direct Public Programs at Indiana University’s Kelley Business School, USA. “Our online courses are very interactive, just as our face to face classes are. The only difference is the way in which the interaction occurs.”

A crucial aspect of online MBAs when compared to traditional campus based MBA programs is the availability of the online lectures, usually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As Richard Wheatcroft, masters program director and senior lecturer in management at Open University in the UK tells TopMBA.com, “sometimes it matters more what the individual is doing, than the institution they are studying at.

“From a recruiter’s point of view, at a top business school with both full time and online MBA programs, graduates come out having studied a very similar syllabus. However, a graduate who has studied full time can only claim they can work hard. An online MBA graduate has already been working hard (while studying part time) for the last two years,” Wheatcroft notes, drawing attention to the benefits of gaining work experience while studying.

However, Wheatcroft, whose distance learning MBA at Open University is predominantly taught online did concede that there are drawbacks to an online MBA. “Networking is a problem, as online meetings simply can’t replace face to face interaction with fellow students,” he explains. “Also, there clearly isn’t the same (on campus) recruitment going on, as it’s a disconnected network, so it’s impossible.”

Eric Richards at Kelley Business School points out that the need for an online MBA student to have a great deal of self-discipline to graduate. “Since you are not required to be in a certain location at a certain time you must be disciplined enough to join in discussion forums, chat sessions, team meetings, and do your class assignments on a regular basis throughout the week,” he explains. “If you need to be at a class at a certain time to motivate yourself to keep up with your studies, an online program like Kelley Direct is not for you.”

Value to recruiters
Finally, probably the most important consideration for any online course, MBA or otherwise is how much it is valued after graduation. “Accreditation is very important here,” points out Wheatcroft, whose MBA course is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The other international accrediting body that accredits schools overall is EQUIS, based in Brussels. AMBA (the association of MBAs) is based in London and accredits individual programs rather than schools. There are a number of schools that have one, two or even all three of these heavyweight accreditations.

“There are also national accrediting bodies in separate countries,” says Ross Geraghty, managing editor of the TopMBA Career Guide. “As there is little to stop almost anyone starting a business school or online MBA, it’s very important that online MBA candidates seek out and research a school’s accreditation before handing their fees over.”
In fact, many experts are becoming concerned over some online business schools that seem to operate purely for profit, rather than to educate their students. “Sometimes you want to ask, are you running a business or a business school?” Andy Policano, chairman of the board of AACSB International and dean of the University of California at Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business enthuses, before giving his advice to prospective students.

“Some schools really do appear to be more concerned with making money than educating their students,” Policano worryingly points out, reiterating the importance that prospective students check that a business school is properly accredited before handing over their tuition fees. Accreditation really is that important. Just because an organization calls itself a business school, it does not necessarily mean they are genuinely interested in educating their students. It appears that, unfortunately something that many would assume to be an essential part of selecting, and paying thousands of dollars in tuition fees is all too often overlooked by eager students.

Richard Burns

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