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Junio 27, 2006 Picking your time – The advantage of work experience before the MBA While a number of business schools in India and across the Asia Pacific region will still accept students straight after their first degree, a growing proportion of top MBA programmes around the world insist on a significant level of hands-on experience in the workplace. One of the main reasons schools now insist on this level of experience, is the expressed preference of recruiters for individuals who can ‘hit the ground running’, as soon as they graduate from an MBA programme. According to the latest TopMBA.com research from the organisers of the QS World MBA Tour, which surveyed more than 500 employers in more than 30 countries, over 50% of potential employees of MBAs look for candidates with at least a year’s prior work experience. Only around 8% of organisations are willing to look at individuals who have clocked up less than a year’s experience before embarking on their MBA studies. However, this pressure from recruiters is only part of the reason behind the drive for experienced students. Sandeep Gupta worked for major companies such as Cadbury Schweppes and Siemens before studying at Cranfield School of Management, UK. He believes prior work experience plays a key part in getting the most out of the MBA experience: “Sitting in the classroom, during a case study discussion, it’s easy to identify with the characters involved because, more often than not, you can see a similarity between what you have experienced in the past and what the case study depicts.” He continues, “However, since you are now sitting outside the workplace, you can see the situation with a more neutral perspective and can identify who could have done what to produce a different outcome. There’s also an element of glamour and awe associated with words such as ‘vision’, ‘strategy’ and the like, which are used liberally on an MBA programme. These words have little meaning unless you can fit them into the bigger picture. And the only way you can do that is through prior practical experience.” Sandeep Gupta’s view is shared by another Indian MBA, Rajesh Kothari, who studied at IESE, Spain after six years working in the financial services sector at home. “I found my work experience was invaluable to me on the programme. Making a real contribution to classes is extremely important – this most certainly isn’t the sort of study where you just politely sit and listen. When you want to make a point in class it definitely helps if you can draw upon previous experience and if you don’t have it, it really shows. The case study approach offers a very practical form of learning and the ability to draw upon six years in the workplace was a major bonus.” Source: www.TopMBA.com 
Mayo 23, 2006 Aqui va una noticia interesante sobre networking, del site CNN Money en partnership con la revista Fortune. Five months of networking, still no new job (FORTUNE) - Dear Annie: Is it really true that senior-management jobs are more often found through networking than by any other means? I'm skeptical, because it just isn't working for me. I'm in charge of international marketing for a division of a large global company. In the aftermath of a merger last year, my job is less interesting than it used to be. I'm ready to move on, and since January I've been doing everything the networking experts recommend: going to conferences, heading up a trade-group committee, getting in touch with former colleagues and other acquaintances to hear the scuttlebutt about possible openings, etc. But so far, nada. What do you think? Dear NZ: I think you haven't given it enough time yet. Five months may seem like forever when you're anxious to make a change, but networking your way into a senior-management position may take longer. Doing all the right things, as you have been, puts you out ahead of most of your competition. The ExecuNet poll shows that, while 84% of senior managers agree that broad networks of personal and professional contacts are crucial to success, just 19% say their own networks are in "excellent" or "very good" shape. "Networking is time-consuming," says ExecuNet president Mark Anderson. "But sooner or later, the payoff will be there, and probably when you least expect it." Anderson recommends that everyone - not just people who are currently seeking a new job - spend at least one hour a week getting to know peers at other companies, going to work-related social events, or even meeting new people through volunteer work. "Over the course of a year, just one hour a week adds up to a full workweek of effort, and you'll be amazed at how many new connections you've made," he says. Anderson speaks from experience. Some years ago a friend from an old job told him about ExecuNet, and he started looking into it. Later the same year, Anderson went to a Stanford alumni luncheon and got to chatting with ExecuNet CEO Dave Opton. The two hit it off, and Opton eventually hired Anderson. "I got this job through two different networking events that were six months apart. It's not always quick," he notes. "People tend to attribute a promotion, or a great move to another company, to luck, or to being 'in the right place at the right time.' But far more often, it's the result of networking," Anderson adds. "The more people know who you are and what you're good at, the 'luckier' you're likely to be." So hang in there.
Octubre 27, 2005 Articulo muy bueno sacado del blog Deans Talk. Business Schools: America x Europe As an alumnus of both the American school system, namely Dartmouth College, and the MBA program at Instituto de Empresa perhaps I can provide a shareholderâ??s view to this fascinating conversation between the Deans... When deciding on a business school to attend, there are some striking visual differences one gets immediately upon viewing schools on either side of the Atlantic. The two schools I most heavily considered in the United States were Tuck, the business school of my alma mater, and Kenan Flagler, the business school of the University of North Carolina, located in my hometown of Chapel Hill. Both are impressive to behold in person. Kenan Flagler sits atop a hill, overlooking the valley that is home to the Dean E. Smith Center, the Santiago Bernabeau of North Carolina where basketball is a religion. Nestled among soaring pines Kenan Flagler is a castle built of the red brick so often seen in North Carolina. Tuck, with its columned façade, is the regal exclamation point at the end of short lane (appropriately named Tuck Dr.) lined with some of the older buildings of a College that predates the very nation it sits within. The dark rich browns of the woodwork within seem forged by the history of schoolâ??s lengthy prestige. The impression is captivating in a country where so few things arenâ??t intended to impact their newness upon an observer. In contrast European business schools look like charming places of business rather than castles in the kingdom of Business. One need not read the fine print of admissions literature to note a resource difference. In weighing the pro and cons, one quickly notes the greater diversity of programs and students in a European MBA to counterbalance the resource disparity. But additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the newness of the European MBA programs leave them unshackled by the weight of historical customs and the sometimes burdensome allegiance to tradition that we Americans are so quick to criticize in Europe. European programs are much faster to innovate. European schools borrow heavily from their American counter parts, but also from a larger bag of ideas, be they derived from national traditions or wholly new ideas. Changes in the curriculum, the length and structure of the program, the way disciplines are taught, the composition of the student body, et al. happen with a frequency and depth that an older institution would find unsettling. The rapid improvement of European MBAs is a testament to the value of this ability to innovate and evolve quickly. There are differences within the student culture that color the educational experiences as well, and here I am somewhat reliant on my close friends matriculating at MBA programs in the United States. The most relevant is the greater comradery and degree of collaboration among students in a European management program. It is hard to determine the exact cause of this difference. Certainly, the more aggressively competitive culture of American business plays a role. But what most impressed me about European business schools was the active manner in which the students seek to gain from the differing experiences of their classmates both within the classroom and after the books close. This active integration exponentially enhances the value of diversity and provides an understanding and skill set I am not convinced are matched in an American program. Perhaps the greater diversity of European MBA programs attracts students predisposed to maximize the range of experiences and viewpoints of their fellow colleagues. The relationships between the alumni and the institutions differ as well. Alumni of European programs maintain an interest in their programs. There are efforts to manage the brand and the ranking is closely followed, but mostly it is a passive relationship. Alumni of American institutions are more like citizens than former students. They actively seek to improve and defend the school either through donations of time and money or through constructive criticism. Brand management plays a role here as well, but beyond that there is a sense of connection to the great people of the past, present and future that walked those halls and an onus to uphold the institution. The ramifications of this extend beyond alumni giving and affect networking, job searching, and the image of the school within the business world. Is this a function of time or can European MBAs quicken the development of this bond between alumni and school? Much has been said to whether America and Europe are convergent or divergent Western ways of thinking. There is concern on both sides as to where the meeting point may be or whether a schism might reduce the ability to borrow from each other. As someone with a vested interest in each, I would prefer a model more akin to a double helix, closely and intricately linked but forever distinct.
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