Are MBAs nothing more than Barbies and Kens in business look?

Thomas Sattelberger, former Chief Human Resources Officer and a Member of the Management Board of German telecommunications provider Deutsche Telecom, has always been very outspoken about his opinion on MBA graduates. He calls them “Barbies and Kens in business look” and “self-proclaimed high potentials” whose goal it is to solely increase their power and bank account. In a recent interview for the German online portal “Spiegel Online” he said that whoever thought a U.S. American or British MBA degree would give him a career in every German company, had gambled away. He instead would search for talents from different backgrounds and with knowledge of sociology, psychology or history. He said: “Education, reliability and sustainable economic management are more important than shareholder value.” Sattelberger has recently taken on the role of human resources ambassador for the initiative New Quality of Work (INQA) where he will design solutions, recommendations and bills in relation to the work field - a position that will give him more opportunities to realize his ideas about education and management.

Sattelberger is clearly playing the role of the devil’s advocate – something that is precious to have as it instils dialogue and eventually new ways and ideas. MBA Channel has spoken to four German business schools about his views, the Barbie and Ken image, differences in MBA education between the U.S., the UK and Germany and the German competencies they need to teach to make a difference for Europe’s economic powerhouse.

Reading Mr Sattelberger’s opinion - what do you think? Do you agree with his view?

Felix Müller, Director Henley Business School Deutschland, Frankfurt
Mr Sattelberger has always been very provocative in his statements which helped him getting heard and stimulating the debate around MBA education. I appreciate this since the MBA and its benefits are still quite far away from being understood. You will find all types of personalities among MBA graduates and some may show the behaviours described by Mr Sattelberger. For us at Henley Business School, these behaviours are clearly against our beliefs and what we have been teaching our students in the past 66 years: We are strong proponents of responsible management and leadership and we pride ourselves by the fact that Mr Sattelberger’s former company Deutsche Telekom is working with Henley on three professional programmes developing leaders and managers supporting the transformation skills Deutsche Telekom requires. 
US companies – and the US culture in general - are much more capital market driven than European ones and this also shows in the MBA programmes. If we like it or not, publicly listed and globally active companies like Deutsche Telekom have to understand this way of thinking and making business and an American MBA helps you in doing so, following the idea of “know your enemy well!”.

Are MBA graduates Barbies and Kens in business look that are only after power and money?

Heidrun Hoffmann, Senior Program Manager, MBA Program, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Vallendar, Germany
The WHU answers this question with a clear No. The application process for the MBA programme encompasses an extensive application form, a minimum of one reference and the TOEFL- and GMAT-tests (TOEFL: min. 100; GMAT: mind. 600). Apart from these formal criteria we lead two personal interviews with applicants where we pay attention to personality, social competency and the ability to work in a team. Our method of teaching and learning is based on interaction and group dynamic, Barbies and Kens would be outcasts. That’s something we try to rule out during the application and enrolment process.

Mr Sattelberger is especially critical towards MBA graduates from U.S. American or British MBA programmes. Is there a big difference between MBA graduates from these countries and Germany for example?

Professor Dr Udo Steffens, President of the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management 
Each school has, of course, its own spirit or ethos which is reflected in the curricula or its way of teaching. Through site visits, MBA students will experience the distinct local or national management culture of their school’s home country. The US corporate culture is highly shareholder-value driven. In Germany, on the contrary, workers’ participation has led to a consensus-oriented corporate culture. All this is echoed in the MBA programmes and has an impact on MBA graduates. Ger-man companies across all industries recruit from us. Our graduates work in management consulting, IT and the manufacturing industry, banking and finance, for NGOs and development banks. We are extremely proud that we also see more and more entrepreneurs among our students and graduates. Thus, we initiated our own venture capital fund. Here, Frankfurt School Family members can seek advice as well as financial resources to start their own business.

As the American and European markets differ in quite a few aspects - which competencies do you teach especially for the German market for example?

Volker Stößel, Head of Communication, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
We are teaching a General Management approach added by soft skill and entrepreneurship classes. Our MBA education aims at preparing the students to later on work in different functions for national as well as international companies or to set up their own business. Besides the official curriculum we offer German language courses to our students. Additionally, international students have the opportunity to experience the German corporate culture by taking so called field projects. In such a consultancy project up to four students solve real-life questions posed by companies. During the field projects the MBA students are involved into the culture and processes of the companies.

Link to Thomas Sattelberger’s interview on Spiegel Online

Cities with most global appeal

New York ranks first as a global business centre in a worldwide survey of cities, London, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong all trail the Big Apple on the Global Cities Index. But Beijing and Shanghai emerged as potential rivals within 10 to 20 years, according to the index.

The survey - conducted by Bloomberg and consultancy A.T. Kearney - examined 66 of the world's busiest commercial urban centres, judging each on the scope of its business activity, labour force, access to media and information, cultural amenities and political influence. The goal was to find a measure that would help corporate and government decision-makers determine which of the world's cities will best attract and shape the future flow of people, ideas, capital and goods.

New York may be challenged to retain the top spot. Trends that may reduce its influence include "the growing chasm between the very rich and the poor," said James Parrott, chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute, a New York-based research and education organization backed by organized labour. "It weakens our consumer base, makes it harder for the city to remain a truly open society with lots of opportunity, and - although it's a national problem - not enough local leadership has been focused upon redressing that."

Polarization over politics in Washington, driven by "backward-looking perspectives held by people who even deny the reality of climate change, presents a risk for the city and the US in competition with the rest of the world in the 21st century," Parrott said.

(03.05.2012) Sources: Bloomberg

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.

Getting Rid of Misconceptions About Online Executive MBA Programs

Can online executive MBA programs actually improve your career opportunities? Whatever your specific career goals, you can be sure that the Executive MBA can provide a solid boost for you. However, no one can deny that for many nowadays, there are certain commitments that make its pursuance a bit difficult.

Those with a lot on their plate can still pursue the degree through distance learning, fortunately. Prior to applying for the course, you must of course learn as much as you can. That out of the way, we now move on to some false assumptions people often make about the course.

One often-made assertion is that it is faster and less expensive. Frankly, this is untrue given that most schools charge more or less similar rates for the actual lessons in the two kinds of courses. Even the packages offered by some colleges cannot present major budgetary advantages, at least not if the primary consideration is cost per credit.

Truth be told, there is indeed an element of truth to the statement that Web-based courses let you cut down costs. The true financial benefits of the Net-based classes are found in the fact that you need not pay for things like commuting to campus. And because many online instructors tend to save their studying materials in PDFs, you may skip buying more textbooks.

The typical number of credit hours asked of students is going to be around thirty-six credit hours. Thus, the average length of the course would be about a couple of years. Although there are several accelerated online EMBA options offered, if you encounter a program promising an EMBA in just a short year, you could be coming across a fraudulent school.

The Internet programs also suffer from a regularly cast disparagement that they are easy compared to the regular programs. The actual ease associated with EMBAs is more properly given to their accommodation. This obviously does not mean that you have simpler or more elementary lessons with which to contend.

It is in fact just as hard. The basic course demands and activities, even if adapted for the Internet format, are still the same. The absence of professors from your side may even render it harder than the conventional course if you are not used to studying by yourself.

Of course, there are other ways of communicating with class members, including instant messaging and so on. However, the response rate can be somewhat slow. There can be no doubt that only self-motivated people who do not need to depend on others can prosper in these courses.

One more misconception is that all Web-based courses are equal. One should refrain from holding them all in equal regard. To determine legitimate schools from fraudulent ones, check the school’s accreditation and visit the US Department of Education site if the online school you are eyeing is indeed legit.

It would be irrational to expect every last college in the country to be included in the USDE’s compilation, however. College Navigator can be a good alternative if the school is not on the USDE list. Overall, executive MBA programs are still worthwhile alternatives for those who cannot pursue an EMBA the conventional way.

Should small business owners do an MBA?

Could an MBA be the catalyst that your business needs?

There is a definite perception that an MBA is more suited to those who wish to pursue a career in the corporate world and that MBA graduates are the future CEOs of global business. Conversely, there is a perception that entrepreneurism is a built-in characteristic that only the lucky few are born with.

I would argue that the perfect businessperson should have a blend of both entrepreneurial spirit and solid business acumen.

So, what skills could a small business owner learn from an MBA? Here I have highlighted three key benefits that an MBA could provide to a small business owner.

Finance

One of the most important things about being a small business owner is to have a good handle on finance. After all, cash flow is probably the single most challenging aspect of being a small business and ultimately companies go bust because they run out of cash not because sales slip a few percent or the social media marketing campaign didn’t quite do as well as expected.

Finance is a core part of any MBA program and having a solid grasp of finance can only help small business owners to make better informed decisions and evaluate risk more effectively. Being an expert in the finances of your business could be difference between you or your competitor going bust in times of economic strife!

Sales & Marketing

Another core part of the MBA curriculum that would definitely help small business owners is sales & marketing. A lot of people think they know about sales & marketing and that they do it well, but if you ask them to provide proof that an activity or campaign has been successful they are unable to provide sound return on investment (ROI) figures. Measuring sales and marketing activities is key to understanding what works and what doesn’t and in a small business environment, where time and resource is precious, you need to know this!

Networking

The final benefit of doing an MBA (assuming you would not opt for an online MBA) is the opportunity to network with people from a range of different backgrounds and industries. The benefits here are twofold; firstly you may uncover a new customer or strategic business partner and secondly you could learn techniques from other industries and perhaps even be the first to apply these to your own sector.

Barriers

The main barriers to small business owners doing an MBA are obvious – time and money! To address the first problem of time, there are many options now for doing an MBA with many business schools recognising the need to provide flexible courses. Some schools even offer weekend classes to help people who are too busy to attend class during the week. Another option is to look for a course that has a blended curriculum of classroom and online study.

With regards to the second problem of cost, this may not be quite such an issue for a small business owner as it is for somebody who is trying to forge a career in the corporate world. The reason for this is that the requirement to get your MBA from a top business school is not there. If you are a small business owner you can freely choose the MBA that fits your needs and not worry about whether your MBA comes from a top ranking business school like Stanford. If budget is really tight then you could look at a completely online MBA, however, you would lose the benefit of networking opportunities mentioned above.

In summary, don’t exclude the idea of an MBA if you are a small business owner. It could be just the catalyst that your business needs!

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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Fake College Degree’s & MBA Programme Scams - How to discern the genuine ones from the fake ones ?

Fake College Degree’s & MBA Program Scams are growing and seem to be everywhere online these days and can fool even the most diligent of the Internet masses not to mention the diploma mills and the plethora of other various degree scams that are online these days, how do you tell if the program you’re thinking about enrolling in his legitimate or not? In addition how do employers spot these well thought out frauds?

That’s a great question and will go into some detail below on how to steer clear of those unscrupulous characters and make sure that you’re getting what you pay for. Not only are there numerous fake college and university websites trying to steal your hard earned cash there is also a good amount of people that just want to buy their degree rather than work for and in some cases the paperwork looks quite legitimate and these companies have confirmation phone numbers set up in case an employer calls to check up on the legitimacy of a diploma. In many cases people are able to pull the wool over their employer’s eyes successfully.

These fake diplomas and fake college degrees are not cheap either, the average college degree from a diploma mill costs about $4-$500 and for that you will get a “life experience” degree that basically utilizes your vast life experience and calls that a college degree. If you’re looking for a little more advanced degree like a scam MBA program you just need a little more money, a little more life experience and there you have it. They send out a nice packet with all the appropriate paperwork and certified degrees stamped as well assign and believe me they look quite authentic.

So the question is how do you tell if you’re thinking about actually taking some classes online or getting your college degree online and don’t have the cash for a major university at the same time you don’t want a fake college degree or worse yet have to study for some fake curriculum to get a degree from a non-accredited illegitimate university or college. Let’s start with some of the more obvious telltale signs and then we’ll get into a little more detail.

Avoiding Diploma Mills and College Degree Scams

1) First up make sure that your search for an online university or college is only on schools that are accredited and what that simply means is a team of investigators have showed up to that specific college or university and spent some time digging around, asking for qualifications in making darn sure they have all their ducks in a row. I could go into a little more detail on accreditation but I think you get the general idea if they are accredited by a legitimate institution you’re pretty good to go. Now when I sayaccredited by a legitimate institution some of these online universities will try to fake their accreditation however you can quickly and easily check up on this with a simple Google search.

2) Next up on the list is something a little more obvious that makes it pretty quick and easy to avoid all the hassles of trying to identify whether or not an online school is a diploma mill where it’s going to take your money and issue you a fake college degree or worse yet put you through the paces of a fake MBA program stamp. Simply look at the URL you are visiting and if it ends in .EDU chances are you’re at a legitimate school, college or university considering only accredited online schools, universities and colleges can purchase a .EDU domain name. The EDU domain provider is required to verify accreditation before issuing an EDU domain name to any college or university.

Now there are some schools that have .COM domain names or .ORG and that doesn’t necessarily mean they are crooks in disguise at first glance it just means they require some further investigation before throwing down your hard-earned cash. As you know, anyone anywhere in the world can purchase almost any domain name, put up a website and pose as just about anything and believe me many do, for one reason and one reason only bats to steal your hard-earned cash and many of them escape any kind of prosecution since they are beyond our borders and there are lots of unscrupulous characters all around the world that focus their full-time attention on separating Americans from their money.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest just remember if you are considering an online degree there are numerous terrific and legitimate programs online from accredited colleges and universities as well as many Ivy league universities are offering online programs these days making it possible for students around the globe with the financial resources to get an education that wasn’t possible before. Many of these universities are using cutting-edge technology to deliver a wonderful online learning environment with the same great faculty that teaches in our classrooms across America , UK and around the world. Just take the extra time to do your diligence and be sure that you’re not taken advantage of with any of these diploma mills or fake college degrees scams and least of all MBA program scams.