MBA Students Help Find Economic Solutions for the Nation's Capital

When District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray enlisted a consortium of the city’s business schools to create a five-year economic development strategy for the nation’s capital, the idea seemed more novel than tactical. After all, it was an unusual assignment, especially because 16 first-year MBA students would do much of the fieldwork.

This week the mayor released The Five-Year Economic Development Strategy for the District of Columbia to praise from the business community. It’s a self-assured vision that looks to generate 100,000 new jobs and $1 billion in new tax revenue by 2017. It reflects Washington’s current economic situation and imagines an even brighter future for the District. It is a strategy that is both thoughtful and achievable.

The MBA students who served as the foot soldiers in this process hailed from The George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University and Howard University. They broke up into teams and studied the city’s seven industry sectors—federal government and federal government contracting, higher education and health care, hospitality, professional services, real estate and construction, retail, and technology.

The report is a testament to this energetic band of student fellows who weren’t afraid to test their skills, forge a new career path (albeit temporarily), and look with new eyes at deeply rooted economic challenges in Washington, D.C. If the report proves to be a success, as I know it will, it will be because of their superior work.

The mayoral fellowship attracted top-of-the-line candidates, all stars in their own right at their various schools. When they came together, the chemistry could be unpredictable but it also was high-spirited and generous. It was a regular reminder that we had recruited a smart, talented and committed group of fellows.
Our team had two Peace Corps volunteers and one Teach for America volunteer, as well as fellows who took more traditional routes to business school, working for Fortune 500 corporations or excelling in consulting companies. We also had public servants who had worked around the globe, from the U.S. Army to The Capital Markets Board in Turkey.

I was pleased to see how international our fellows were. It wasn’t unusual for the group to talk about their adventures overseas, not just because they liked to travel but because their families lived in distant places like India, the Middle East and Russia. In fact one of the fellows, Georgetown’s Sandeep Pillai, who hailed from India, invited everyone to his wedding in India in January.

Pulling a group of ambitious MBA students together could easily turn into a festival of egos, but what was most encouraging was their ability to work in teams and bring the best out in each other. We were especially pleased by the friendships that grew out of the fellowship, as students like Erica Clarke from Howard and Erin Monahan from American explored the city’s arts and culture scene to pull together their chapter on DC’s hospitality sector.

Working all summer long, the fellows interviewed more than 180 key leaders in Washington’s private, public and academic communities, analyzed sector economic data and proposed some 50 initiatives to enhance DC’s current job creation and economic development efforts. When they weren’t fanning out across the city, you could find them haunting the hallways at GWSB and lunching every summer Friday, thanks to the smart catering work of Georgetown fellow Michael Greenwald.

American’s Andrew Olson took on extra duty to guide our efforts on a sophisticated economic impact model we used to evaluate the various initiatives in the report. Other gifted fellows, Eric Igwe from Howard and Chaitanya V. Gopineedi, Julia Robbins and Dmitry Terekhov of Georgetown, matched his work and determination.

I was especially proud of the contributions of GWSB students Kevin Curley, Shruti Garhwal, Omar Hamwi, Stephan Kallus, John McKiel, Dan Roth, Fatih Saglik and Daniel Stoops. I was impressed with their professionalism and dedication to the project. GWSB has worked hard to bring skilled students to our campus, and this group of individuals represents the best in academia.

I welcomed the news that the fellowship has helped at least one of our fellows find a permanent job. Daniel Stoops, who was on the Strategy’s federal government team, has accepted an offer from Deloitte to start as a senior consultant in its Federal Strategy & Operations practice after graduation. When we first envisioned this fellowship, one of our chief goals was to give students the valuable consulting experience that would lead to a career and meaningful work. I am heartened to hear that we have succeeded

The future of The Five-Year Economic Development Strategy for the District of Columbia hasn’t been written yet. It will be discovered over the next five years as the mayor and his staff implement the dozens of initiatives included in the report. As for our 16 student fellows, I have no doubt they will not only excel in their careers but will become the leaders the business community so richly deserves and needs.

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

When does it make sense to earn your MBA?

From a young age, we’re taught that education is the vehicle that can take you wherever you need to go in your career. While increasing your level of education is never a bad thing, it requires more critical thinking and tough decision-making with each additional level you pursue.

Many professionals are faced with a tough question once they enter the workforce: Is a graduate degree necessary to pursue my career goals? For many, the question is whether to pursue a master’s of business administration degree. MBA programs are one of the most common graduate degree programs for professionals, because this type of graduate degree can be applied to so many professions.

So how do you determine if earning an MBA is what’s best for you and your career? Here are four reasons getting an MBA could make sense for you.

* If your employer will cover part or all of the costs. Many employers want their employees to grow with the company and be able to transition easily into a management role when the time is right. Obtaining your MBA is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a management role, so your employer may be happy to assist you in that venture. Online MBA programs are becoming more and more popular, and usually offer the flexibility to learn while you remain in your current job – a bonus for you and your employer.

* You find yourself needing another marketable skill. You may find that your resume falls a little flat for the types of careers you want to pursue. Obtaining an MBA is an effective way to bolster your qualifications, and you’ll be able to market what you’ve learned in your master’s program when the time comes for an interview – and then apply that extra knowledge once you’re on the job.

* You know you want to be in management. It’s possible to advance to the ranks of management without earning a graduate degree, but an MBA can improve your chances. Not only can it help you get a job in management, it can give you the managerial skills to excel in your role once you get the job.

* You have time to do it. Even if earning an MBA makes sense on other levels, you should have the time you need to commit to a graduate program. Finding flexible online MBA programs with course options that fit perfectly into your schedule might be exactly what you need to successfully obtain your degree.

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

Managing energy's biggest risk: leadership

In the past, CEOs in the energy industry devoted much of their time to strategy. Today, CEOs in the sector, tell the executive search consultants from Egon Zehnder International that they spend far more of their time dealing with external stakeholders, making sure the voice of the industry is being heard by governments and managing boards that have become highly risk-averse, short-term focused and bureaucratic. As a result, "the industry faces what could become the biggest risk of all: a shortage of future chief executives and top leaders who have the requisite competencies for navigating this complex new world", write the consultants.

The role of CEO of an energy company requires new leadership skills: the ability to act as the public face of the company in an era of unprecedented "headline" risk, to diplomatically champion upside potential with wary boards that tend to focus on down-side risk, and to engage with policy makers and regulators to help the public understand energy's critical role in a growing global economy.

Many of today's energy CEOs spend more time on leadership development than ever before. They know that the typical development path of many of today?s top executives did not take into account the unforeseen changes in the CEO role. And they know that their companies have to compensate for that gap ? and soon, especially given the coming "silver tsunami" of experienced leaders retiring.

(03.05.2012) Source: Forbes

The multi-talented MBA

ONE argument which is often trotted out in favour of a liberal-arts curriculum, at least for undergraduates, is that being exposed to a variety of subjects leaves the mind supple and agile. Knowledge of accounting, say, is all well and good for standard problems, but to embark on fundamental change it is better to think as a biologist or philosopher would. If this is true, then the fifth of American college students majoring in business would seem to have put themselves at a disadvantage.

Your correspondent was reminded of this while browsing the winter issue of the MIT Sloan Management Review. In one piece, Leonard Berry of Texas A&M University, Ann Mirabito of Baylor University and Gale Adcock of SAS Institute, a software firm, describe how SAS takes care of its employees’ health-care needs on-site:

The SAS Health Care Center, which started modestly in 1984 and now has a staff of 55, including four physicians and 10 nurse practitioners, does not charge for services and collects no copays. Same-day appointments are common, and care is unhurried; clinicians may spend 30 minutes or more with a patient... As its own health insurer, SAS avoids the cost of paying staff to negotiate claims payments with insurance companies, as most private medical practices have to do. And SAS estimates that each on-site patient visit saves two hours of employee work time because the individual remains on campus, resulting in productivity savings of $3.6 million in 2010. 

Thirty years established, SAS’s approach sounds charming and useful. But it would take an enormous amount of work to implement something similar from scratch. The tasks involved might include: designing the facility; hiring doctors, nurses, and other health staff; establishing relationships with hospitals; buying equipment; and explaining to employees how to take advantage of the new service. One would need a background in health economics, or a willingness to learn a great deal, quickly. (Perhaps it’s worth noting that Ms Adcock did not start out with a business background, but as a nurse.)

The Management Review also features an interview with Dave Stangis, vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability at Campbell Soup. Mr Stangis has a broad title, but until reading the interview you might not have guessed that his responsibilities include negotiating the installation of solar panels at three different sites (in two countries), educating shipping partners on environmental certification programmes, and worrying about the health of children in Camden, New Jersey. Unlike Ms Adcock, Mr Stangis does have an MBA, from the University of Michigan.

Most likely neither Ms Adcock nor Mr Stangis, if asked at the start of their career, would have been able to predict their current duties with any accuracy. This might well be something for aspiring MBAs, especially those who still have other educational possibilities open, to keep in mind. A broad-minded approach to education now might well make for a much more interesting job in future.

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Award-Winning, Ivy League Educator to Lead Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University

Strayer University today announced the appointment of Daniel Szpiro, Ph.D., an award-winning instructor and expert on financial management from Cornell University, as dean of the Jack Welch Management Institute (JWMI). Dr. Szpiro’s appointment is effective June 11, and follows his most recent position as associate dean for executive education at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.

“Bringing Danny Szpiro on as our academic leader is a huge achievement for us and absolutely integral to our mission of being the best, most impactful, highest-quality online MBA in the world,” said Jack Welch, founder of the Institute, and an active presence in the running of the program and its curriculum. “The JWMI MBA and its certificate programs are all about teaching business ideas and practices that you can put to work immediately to make your organization run better and smarter in every way. Along with his impressive academic credentials, Danny’s background in Executive MBA education at Cornell makes him the perfect fit for us.”

In his new role, Dr. Szpiro will lead all aspects of the Institute’s academic function, including oversight of faculty, curriculum development, and instructional delivery.

“In addition to his expertise in online delivery models, Dr. Szpiro brings a wealth of experience and deep knowledge of business leadership to this role,” said Strayer University President Michael Plater, Ph.D. “The Institute’s students will also benefit greatly from his more than 10 years of experience in private industry, where he held numerous senior financial and strategic management roles.”

As the associate dean for executive education at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, Dr. Szpiro was responsible for the University’s portfolio of Executive MBA and non-degree executive development programs. He was also the founding director of the Cornell-Queen’s Executive MBA program. Prior to joining Cornell University, he was the director of the National Executive MBA program at Queen’s University School of Business in Canada, which was named as the No. 1 ranked Executive MBA program in Canada by Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Dr. Szpiro holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, an MBA from Queen’s University, a master’s degree in international accounting and finance from the London School of Economics, and a doctorate from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. Dr. Szpiro has also researched and published widely on issues such as online education, executive offsite learning, capital investment systems, and purchasing controls.

For Daniel Szpiro’s biography, visit: www.jwmi.com/content/about-jwmi-executive-team

For more information about The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University, visit:www.jwmi.com

About Strayer University

Strayer University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has been in operation since 1892. The University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration, accounting, information technology, human resource management, education, health services administration, public administration and criminal justice to working adult students at 94 campuses in 23 states and Washington, D.C., as well as worldwide via the Internet. Strayer University also offers an executive MBA online through its Jack Welch Management Institute. For more information, visit www.strayer.edu or call 1-888-4-STRAYER (888-478-7293).

Contact:

Strayer University
Sonya Udler, 703-247-2517sonya.udler@strayer.edu 

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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.

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.