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Submitted by Admin on Fri, 2014-10-03 15:03

2014 Financial Mail Survey on South African MBA Programmes

Annually, the Financial Mail interviews South Africa’s Business Schools and MBA Programme Directors regarding critical issues affecting higher education and specifically the MBA degree. They further conduct a survey that’s disseminated to graduates of an MBA program in South Africa.

This year the publication boldly stated: MBA – “it’s more than just a badge”; and Business Schools agree. It is no longer just about knowledge, but also about “personal growth” and “leadership”, something the NMMU Business School’s believed since its inception as they distinguish themselves with specific focus on Leadership.

A MBA has a “transformative” quality, not only skills wise in the sense that it offers “practical management and business lessons”, but also in the way it impacts a learner’s views of the global and national business landscape and the world around them. The Financial Mail article, Ranking the MBAs, emphatically states that an MBA instils individuals with the know-how to “think round corners”.

Market research in South Africa did, however, find that after graduation there are individuals that are left disappointed in the sense that “the degree [did] not bring all the benefits they expected”, This can mostly be ascribed to those initial expectations being unrealistic, them not getting totally immersed in the MBA journey, or the incorrect choice of school or programme for that matter.

Evident from the comments by the various Directors of Business Schools and MBA Programmes in South Africa buy in from company and family is essential and “[c]ompanies that get the most benefits are those that support their employees who embark on a MBA.”

Below some of the statistics, according to the Financial Mail research, are highlighted:

What employers think MBA graduates bring to the business (%):

SKILLS%
Strategic planning
94
Strategic insight93
Research ability87
Leadership ability84
Intellectual ability81
Self-starting ability74
Crisis-handling ability73
Entrepreneurial ability72
General management ability70
Ethical orientation66
Team player58
People skills51

 

What their MBA taught graduates (%):

SKILLS%
Effective decision-making89
Solve problems88
Leadership88
Prepare written reports85
Be a team player
85
Think strategically84
Communicate84
Manage business processes84
Think creatively83
Manage people82
Work with numbers76
Solve ethical dilemmas73
Solve corporate governance issues68

For more on this and the MBA reaccreditation process, please visit: http://www.financialmail.co.za/coverstory/2014/09/25/making-the-most-of-an-mba-more-than-a-badge.