MBA in Europe 2011

in Europe MBA
Executive MBA on the rise

Who is afraid of the GMAT?
Flexibility: Distance Learning
> The Market
> The Schools
> The Programmes
With direct
links to all
school
contacts
Jobguide
by matchboxmedia
3
Barbara Bierach
Editor in Chief
bierach@mba-channel.com
In recent years, Europe has become a top destination
for MBA students, challenging the dominant status
of the United States as prime location to receive MBA
candidates. Tis trend is set to continue. With a gro-
wing number of prominent business schools featuring
in the top spots in global MBA rankings, Europe is
closing in on the ranks with the United States in po-
pularity with both, students and employers.
An MBA is a lifetime investment: In your career,
in your network and in your life in general. Choo-
sing the right MBA is essential for the career path
that you want to take. Of course, there are always
two basics that infuence the selection process: Can
you aford the programme? Are your GMAT scores
high enough for certain programmes?
If you have a bad GMAT score for example,
London Business School might not be an option.
Otherwise, you should look closely at which schools
actually ft your goals best.
Some criteria for decision making could be the
business school rankings from Financial Times, Te
Economist and BusinessWeek. Dont base your de-
cision on their data, just use the rankings as a good
frst insight. Many schools focus on some special in-
terests, like entrepreneurship, luxury goods manage-
ment, fnance, marketing, non-proft, real-estate, IT
management or health care. Find out which school
has which specialty and what might suit you.
Ten, its time to start talking to people. Inform
yourself about the recruiters that work with parti-
cular schools and look at the schools job placement
statistics. Speak to people who have similar jobs to
the one that you are seeking and fnd out how they
achieved their goals. Speak to alumni of your pre-
ferred schools and ask them about their experience.
Most schools will help you fnd alumni to talk to or
otherwise there are networks like LinkedIn or Xing
that allow you to search for them.
Visit the school campus and attend school-spon-
sored events to fnd out more about the programmes.
Talk to administrators and current students. Make sure
you consider the location, too. If you want a career ,
in fnance for example, you might want to look into
business schools close to fnancial markets in London or
Frankfurt that can ofer support in fnding internships
and potential jobs. If you are looking for a career in IT
or as an entrepreneur schools on Americas west coast
might be more suitable. If international experience
and languages are a key factor for you, you should
consider schools in non-English speaking countries.
For you, schools in France, Italy and Spain might be
an interesting option.
And dont forget you can always compare schools
in the database of http://www.mba-channel.com.
Good luck with all your endeavours,
Barbara Bierach
The art of fnding
the right school
MBA in Asia and the
Pacifc Region
Coming up in October this
eBook will give you an overview
of the exciting market of
business schools in this region
of rapid growth.
MBA in Canada and
the Americas
A good thing to read during
your Christmas holidays: In
December we will ofer this new
eBook on mba-channel.com.
Monthly updates!
What is happening in the global
MBA scene? Which schools are
ofering new programmes and
how to apply? We keep you
informed monthly and for free.
Choose between the German
and the English version of the
MBA CHANNEL newsletter:
www.mba-channel.com.
Job options worldwide!
Looking for job opportunities
globally? JobguideXpress
INTERNATIONAL keeps you in
the loop about companies, labor
markets, business trends.
Free email-subscription on:
www.jobguide-international.com
MORE SERVICES FOR YOUR CAREER
Follow us on
Come in!
More women than ever

Job market for MBAs:
From surviving to thriving
Jobs and salaries are soaring. According to separate surveys of em-
ployers and graduates released by the Graduate Management Admis-
sion Council there is a pronounced improvement in the job market for
business school graduates, said Gregg Schoenfeld, GMAC Director of
Research and author of the Graduates Survey Report. Based on job
ofers, hiring is up in all industries, and more than half of the students
who were looking for work had job ofers two months before graduation.
Last year, that fgure was lower than one-third.
Here are the major fnding of the Corporate Recruiters and Global
Management Education Graduate surveys:
In 2011, 5 per cent of all graduate business students looking for
a job had at least one ofer at the time of the survey, up from 32 per cent
in 2010, and the average number of ofers was 2.0, up from 1.8.
Graduates of full-time MBA programmes with job ofers generally
expected a higher salary increase than the classes of 2010 and 2009.
The corporate recruiters reported plans to ofer an average base salary
of 91,33 U.S. dollars to MBA students in the U.S., a fgure matched by
European employers at 91,693 U.S. dollars.
Although part-time MBAs average salary increase lagged, some 55
per cent of those looking for jobs had ofers, a fve-year high. Employers,
meanwhile, are signifcantly more likely to hire full-time MBA graduates
but signifcantly more likely to sponsor part-time MBAs.
In 2011, more companies are focused on growth and expansion, and
less on overcoming economic challenges and cutting costs, said Rachel
Edgington, author of the GMAC Corporate Recruiters Survey. We see a
defnite shift from a surviving to a thriving mode.
Barbara Bierach
For years the MBA scene has been very much male-domi-
nated. It still is, but more women are showing interest in MBA
courses and their career options than ever before.
This trend has been building up in recent years with ob-
servers commenting on how many more women they see on
campus grounds as well as in high positions at the business
schools. One of those successful women is Alison Davis-Blake,
who was just recently announced the frst female dean at the
University of Michigans Ross School of Business.
Two surveys also support the observation that more wo-
men are interested in the Master of Business Administration
these days. The QS TopMBA.com Applicant Survey shows that
8 per cent of participants at the QS World MBA Tour in 2010
were women. This is a record number for the tour that orga-
nises fairs for prospective MBA students around the world. The
trend is also confrmed by the GMAC Alumni Perspectives Sur-
vey 2010. According to this recent survey more than 100,000
or 0 per cent of the total people who took the GMAT (General
Management Admissions Test) were women.
Zoya Zaitseva, manager of the QS World MBA Tour, says:
For the frst time ever there are some countries where the
proportion of women was over 50 per cent, and were looking
into why that might be.
One reason for the increasing number of female stu-
dents is the growing support from business schools. Some
business schools are actively promoting their courses with
high-profile business women and have also increased the
number of gender-specifc scholarships.
Barbara Barkhausen
News
How salaries and regions compare
2009 2010 change
in %
USA and Canada 91, 800 87, 700 - 4, 5
Western Europe 91, 200 85, 600 - 9, 3
Asia, without China
and India
71, 600 69, 600 - 2, 8
General Industry 84, 100 82, 443 - 2, 0
Consulting 91, 800 87, 627 - 4, 6
Financial Services 92, 500 90, 926 - 1, 8
Technology 88, 000 85, 815 - 2, 5
Salaries down in 2010
Around the world MBA salaries slipped in 2010 by 5 per cent year on
year. But as more and more employers around the world seek MBAs, their
salaries are steadily equalizing. Here are the fgures in U.S. dollars:
Source:QS
P
h
o
t
o
:

D
i
e
t
e
r

S
c
h
t
z
/
P
i
x
e
l
i
o
5
i-Phone application
helps with GMAT
A new app allows students to study for the GMAT test on the go.
The Graduate Management Admission Council released an application
for iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad at the end of May. Students can now
download the app at iTunes for ,99 U.S. dollars.
The GMAT test is the assessment for graduate business school can-
didates. The computer-based exam was developed by various business
schools. It tests MBA candidates verbal, quantitative, and analytical
writing skills. The test is an indicator of how well a student will perform
during the demanding curriculum at business school.
The new application helps students prepare for the GMAT exam. It
provides ofcial questions and full answers with explanations, and also
ranks the app user against other students performing test questions
on the app. Later, students can also register to take the GMAT exam on
mba.com, and fnd a test centre via the app.
The app is user-friendly with highlighted and underlined text, per-
formance tracking and a question timer. All questions can either be
worked on in Exam mode or in Study mode. Exam mode shows you
the correct answers and your score at the end of each section, whereas
the Study mode gives explanations straight away.
Barbara Barkhausen
My Opinion
Abusinessschool
nowadaysistherightplace
tolearntheskillsofan
entrepreneurbecauseit
canprovideaneducation
thatisformednotjustby
economics,butalsodraws
fromothersocialsciences,
businessandmanagement
theory.Businessschools
haveabroadrangeof
disciplinesandcanhelpto
createtherightmixofskills
andcompetenciesfor
futureentrepreneurs.
Christos Kalantaridis,
Professor of Entrepre-
neurship and Innovation
at Bradford University
School of Management,
Bradford, Great Britain
How admissions
committees work
I was wait-listed at Darden and now I have an interview
at Harvard. Wow! It was a lot of work but this book was my
sole guide in transforming my essays. I would never try to
apply for an MBA programme without this book, writes one
Darian Diggler from Tulsa on amazon.coms review page
about Avi Gordons book MBA Admissions Strategy. Inde-
ed, Gordon knows how admissions committees work. The
author carries an MBA title himself, is a member of the As-
sociation of International Graduate Admissions Consultants
(AIGAC) and directs the MBA Admissions Studio (http://
mbastudio.net). Gordon ofers helpful real-world examples
of archetypical essay themes or interview questions. He
elaborates on how to tackle questions like Why an MBA?
or What are your three most substantial accomplishments?
or What does leadership mean to you? Basically the book
is a beginners course on persuasive writing. Part of passing
the so what? test by a stressed-out admissions ofcer who
has heard it all before is good, conclusive, focused writing
that does not shy away from being personal, unique and
likeable. All in all, a no-nonsense, streamlined book that
tells you what admissions committees look for.
Avi Gordon: MBA Admissons Strategy - From Profle
Building to Essay Writing. 2nd edition, 212 pages, McGraw
Hill 2010.
Barbara Bierach
P
h
o
t
o
:

A
p
p
l
e
,

p
r
i
v
a
t
e
News
6
Wealth
of
diversity
It is a little frivolous to talk of empires
rising and falling in the area of higher
education, but paradigm shifts
occur regularly, and it looks as though
one is going on in the highest levels
of business education right now. The
long-dominant American business
school system faces a signifcant
challenge from the Old World with the
emergence of many well-funded, well
equipped, rigorously academic and
highly regarded European
business schools. With its wide array
of cultures and languages Europe has
a wealth of diversity - and so have its
business schools.
P
h
o
t
o
:

L
.

H
a
n
s
d
o
t
t
i
r
/
F
o
t
o
l
i
a
February 2011 saw the launch of the European Geographic Trends

Report by the Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC),
which runs the GMAT, an exam requirement for almost all leading
business schools. Te report highlights a continuing global trend among
MBA candidates favouring Europe and seeming to move away from
the American business schools.
According to the GMAC report, European business school can-
didates are more likely than ever before to consider business school
within Europe and only 37 per cent of GMAT scores from European
test-takers were sent to U.S. schools. Compare this with 2001, at its
peak, when more than 60 per cent of GMAT scores from European
test-takers were sent to U.S. schools.
Erik Schlie, Associate Dean of the International MBA at IE Business
School in Spain, explains this phenomenon partly in geopolitical terms:
Nowadays, Europeans love Europe and want to stay here. Tey seem
not to have such a big incentive to go to the U.S. as in the past. It used
to be the place to go, an obvious choice for European students to get
out and see the world, but not any more.
Te report also shows that non-Europeans are considering the pro-
position of Europes top schools far more favourably than a few years
ago. Of the [GMAT] score reports sent to European business schools,
64 per cent were from non-European citizens. Indian and Chinese
citizens sent one out of every three scores received in the European
region, GMAC says.
With its century-long tradition of business schools, the MBA scene
was dominated by America until the 1960s when Insead in France,
Spains IESE, Smurft in Dublin and British schools such as Manchester
and London started their own MBAs. U.S. hegemony still remains,
some say. Te infuential Financial Times rankings of 2011 show U.S.
schools occupying half of the top 20 places, with six in Europe and four
in Asia. However, even this is a poor result compared with a decade
ago and is a trend that may have some American business school deans
thinking long and hard about their future direction.
More and more Americans come
I wouldnt write of the American MBA, cautions Professor Simon
Stockley, director of the highly regarded full-time MBA programme at
Imperial College Business School in London. However it is true that
more and more North American candidates are coming to European
MBA programmes. Statistics from 2010, by London-based education
experts QS, support this. Almost as many MBA candidates, given
multiple choice, would now consider a programme in Europe (56 per
cent) as opposed to the U.S. (60 per cent). Tis represents a massive
turnaround from 2007 where 80 per cent of candidates said they were
considering the U.S.
So what are Europes leading business schools doing right? Clearly,
there has been a voracious marketing campaign, partly as a result of the
educational entente cordial begun by the massively infuential Bologna
Agreement of 1999. Tough many business schools thrive outside the
formal university system, Bolognas raison detre, the deep cultural
links between schools in diferent countries has developed, involving a
free-fow of academics, students and educational ideas across borders.
But perhaps the most signifcant diference is that, with few ex-
ceptions, European schools ofer an accelerated MBA programme that
can be completed in twelve to ffteen months. American schools prefer
the two-year model allowing more time, many believe, for students
personal refection and career development. U.S. schools also promote
three-month internships during the intermediate summer break, en-
couraging students to work for a company that may well become their
future employer.
Students prefer the short track
Tis two-year system unearths a new set of problems, particularly du-
ring current times of economic and employment uncertainty. Can a
student justify taking two years out of their career to pursue an MBA,
with the commensurate expenses involved? As Simon Stockley notes,
in harsh economic times, the opportunity cost of salary foregone in
the current economy is hard for people to handle.
Erik Schlie agrees. He talks of the value proposition represented
by the one-year accelerated model, involving a smaller investment in
terms of time out of work, school fees and living expenses. More and
more students are fnding it impossible to be out of the market for
two years. Te employment market is so dynamic that, if you dont
know when its coming back, its hard to justify being out of it for that
length of time.
Nick Barniville, director of MBA programmes at Berlins European
School of Management and Technology, sees the knock-on infuence
of Americas employment statistics impacting positively in Europes
P
h
o
t
o
:

L
.

H
a
n
s
d
o
t
t
i
r
/
F
o
t
o
l
i
a
MBA in Europe
8
Dr. Barbara Allan, acting dean of the UKs triple-accredited Hull
University Business School, concurs: European-based MBA pro-
grammes ofer variety and choice for students of all nationalities that
is difcult to replicate in other regions. In todays global career market,
successfully negotiating this integration is a vital skill. Tere are also
often reciprocal arrangements between European business schools, with
a regular fow of staf and students between diferent institutions.
In terms of diversity, European business schools tend to have far
more varied classes. Te average international representation on Ame-
rican MBA programmes is lower than it is in Europe, which is a major
plus point for internationally-minded business leaders of the future.
American Kelly Longfeld chose Cass Business School in London due
to a perceived lack of diversity in the U.S., but also because of the
historical links between Europe and diferent parts of the world. Te
U.S. is huge and our associations are more with Canada and South
America so in many ways its insulated. Here, there is more access to
Europe, the old world and emerging (Asian) markets.
Difcult visa situation
Finally, the visa situation in the U.S., as well as the UK, is making
continental Europe even more appealing than ever before. In 2002, in
a move designed to protect American jobs, but to the chagrin of lea-
ding employers such as Bill Gates, President George W. Bush slashed
the number of H1B visas available to international students by 200
per cent. Tese visas permit graduates to stay in the U.S. to seek work
after graduating. In an instant, the cream of the worlds top MBA
talent found the U.S. proposal far less appealing, knowing that they
would have about a month after graduating either to fnd a sponsoring
company or to leave the country.
Erik Schlie of IE points out: Tere are struggles for visas and work
permits on both sides, also in Europe. If I want to hire someone for IE
who is not a European this presents difcult administrative hurdles,
and its the same the other way round. Te American company has
to want someone very badly in order to justify guiding them through
the process.
Te fgures speak for themselves and most evidence shows that
the rise of Europes business schools is not a mere fash in the
pan. However more work will still need to be done, and
there is no time for Europes leading schools to rest on
their laurels. In order to retain such a strong position,
Europes business schools are going to have to fght of
other strong and extremely powerful challengers the
ever rising number of business schools of Asia.
Ross Geraghty
business schools: Te job market for MBAs is really tough in North
America. Graduate numbers are still increasing in the U.S., and stricter
visa procedures are leading top international candidates to look at
continental Europe. Strong economic growth and innovative one-year
MBA programmes are helping to attract interesting candidates who
may previously have chosen the U.S.
Te efect has snowballed in recent years. As European business
schools capitalize on their increased competitive edge, deans and course
administrators can start to justify higher fees and improved budgets to
attract more experienced professors. Excellent business academics are
rare and it can be very expensive to lure a professional with an academic
interest away from a lucrative career in a top consultancy or a fnance
career, for example.
However, this kind of faculty sits at the core of the MBA pro-
gramme. Perhaps more than at undergraduate level, top candidates
apply to MBA courses where they know the level of mentorship is going
to be extremely high, and many candidates are familiar with a certain
professors work and drawn to a course accordingly.
European programmes have improved
For Simon Stockley, the gradual, but persistent improvement in teaching
standards in European schools over the last decade is the most signifcant
improvement of all. Te quality of these European programmes has
improved in the last ten years beyond all recognition, he says. Tis is
evidenced by the FT rankings, which have top ten rankings in diferent
core specializations on MBA programmes. Te number of European
schools achieving top ten positions has gone way up, and not just in
one specifc specialization. Tough Imperial College Business School
is best known for entrepreneurship, we are known for having great
marketing professors, and a schools reputation is absolutely down to
teaching quality.
American MBA candidates themselves are noticing the opportuni-
ties available in the leading business schools of Europe. Many American
students, far fewer than their European counterparts, study overseas
during their undergraduate years. As such the opportunity to experience
life, and perhaps pick up a second language, is a very inviting one for
many U.S. MBA candidates.
With its wide array of cultures, languages and economies in a small
area, together with a long history of immigration, Europe has a wealth
of diversity that has business implications on the talented leaders of the
future. Nearly every company interacts internationally in the new fat
world, and I wanted to get a more international worldview than the
typical U.S. school could ofer, says Eric King, an American alumnus
from Barcelonas highly regarded Esade Business School.
>> Europe may be old in terms of demographics, but for MBA
education it is the fastest growing region. Despite all the criticism, many
applicants are attracted by Europes history, cultural legacy and diversity,
diferent religions and visions. Europe is a mosaic of cultures and not a
melting pot like the US and many applicants value these aspects. There
is also a lot of innovation going on and we have high quality institutions
that are still widely missing in most BRIC countries except China. <<
Santiago Iiguez de Onzoo, dean of the Spanish IE Business School
P
h
o
t
o
:

L
.

H
a
n
s
d
o
t
t
i
r
/
F
o
t
o
l
i
a
,

I
E

B
u
s
i
n
e
s
s

S
c
h
o
o
l
MBA in Europe
9
Widening the helicopter
view in management
The MBA is widely considered to be a general management qualifcation, educating MBAs in over-
all management skills so as to understand the function of a business as a whole, sometimes re-
ferred to as a helicopter view. But within virtually all MBA programmes there are what are called
the core specializations and most business schools will feature these heavily in their syllabus.
Not to be confused with specialist MBAs, which students usually select
through electives according to their desired career in management,
knowledge of the core specializations is deemed essential. Here four
experts in the core specializations from some of the worlds leading
business schools explain what goes on in their particular management
domain and why it is important for MBA success:
Innovation
Howard Anderson is a renowned expert in Innovation and holds the
William Porter Distinguished Chair at the Sloan School of Manage-
ment, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With a long busi-
ness background, he is also the founder of Te Yankee Group and the
co-founder of Battery Ventures:
Can innovation be taught or is it inherited? Answer: both. If you have
a spark, a great school can develop it. If you dont never mind.
Heres a hint: we dont teach anything, you learn by discovering.
Instead of a silly lecture about globalization, MIT will send you to a
diferent continent with a team to solve a logistics problem. Instead of
lecturing about what an entrepreneur is, you will come up with your
own idea, form your own team and build a company. If you are at a
school that does not do that: demand a refund!
Most people are going to get an MBA because they want to change
their careers in some way either going to a diferent company or pick
a diferent skill set, right? If you are going back to that same job, just
getting your ticket stamped, stay at home. An MBA programme is too
long, too hard, and too expensive for just that.
If employers could isolate the illusive innovative gene and bypass
the whole interview process by just having you submit a lock of your
hair, they would. But no one has yet fgured that out, so companies do
the next best thing - they look for people that can combine innovation
with experience to fnd better ways of doing things. Innovation cannot
just come from delivering products or services; it may be in logistics, in
fnancing, in marketing. It may be in organizational design or a better
way to package.
Finance
Finance has long been a popular specialization at MBA level, however
after the recent global economic downturn, fresh ideas and innovation
in the feld are required more than ever. Professor Anant Sundaram at
the Tuck School of Business explains how the top MBA programmes
tackle the subject:
In both its theories and in practice, the core ideas in fnance are
founded on a set of logically cogent ideas. Tere are few disciplines
taught in business schools where academic research and the real world
come together as remarkably well as in fnance. Te ideas that underpin
the feld not only win Nobel prizes regularly, but they also form the
basis upon which billions of dollars change hands every day.
Having said that, there are many questions that fnance still con-
tinues to grapple with. For example: What causes recurrent fnancial
crises? What is the role of long tail risks, and how can they be better
understood and analyzed? Why do we witness apparently predictable
irrational investment decision-making by investors and managers? Why
do markets and companies seem prone to herd behaviors? How can
corporate governance practices and incentives be structured so as to
produce value-creating outcomes in the long run as opposed to short
terms? What is the right balance between free markets and regulation
in enabling the best outcomes for society-at-large? Finance education,
which includes some of the top MBA programmes, continues to make
exciting progress in all of these important questions.
Operations Management
Esade Business School consistently appears in QS top 20 for MBAs
specializing in Operations Management. Professor Miguel Angel Heras,
director of the department of Operations Management and Innovation
at Esade explains why Operations Management is often thought of as
the primary function to many organizations:
Operations Management is the corporate area in charge of design-
ing, managing and tracking diferent processes. Tese processes are made
Core Specializations
10
up of interrelated, sequential activities through which the components
and actors required (raw materials, labor, capital, information, the client,
and such) are transformed into products. Te key is the value added
through the process as perceived by the customer, i.e. the end product
has a greater value than the elements pre-process.
At Esade, the Department of Operations Management and Innova-
tion applies a global focus to operations. Its aim is to stay a step ahead
of companies current needs, giving MBA students the knowledge,
skills and perspectives they require to create value for their frms in
the future.
International Management
Historically, the realm of larger organizations, an increase in the ease
of communication and international travel has enabled more SMEs
to compete at an international level over the past two decades. Mar-
kus Venzin, professor of global strategy at SDA Bocconi explains why
managerial knowledge at an international level is a plus point on any
MBAs rsum:
Due to an increased level of globalization, most frms are forced to
operate on an international level by seeking supplies and/or selling their
products and services abroad. Tis, in turn, has boosted the need for
managers that are capable of operating in a multinational context.
Successfully building an international frm is highly dependent on
specifc market contexts as well as the resources and capability endow-
ments of the internationalizing company.
Suggestions such as expand internationally or die, penetrate local
markets as quickly as you can or avoid strategic alliances may seem
alluring but are in most cases misleading. Tis is not surprising. One
size fts all strategic advice is seldom adequate or appropriate.
International business is more complex than operating in just one
national context because of the increased cultural and regulatory di-
versity. Most multinational frms are bigger than purely national ones.
Organizational mechanisms such as coordination and decision processes
are more difcult to understand and to handle.
Ross Geraghty/ www.topmba.com
P
h
o
t
o
:

F
o
t
o
l
i
a

V
Core Specialisations
11
Campus versus Computer
The Distance Learning MBA (DLMBA) is new and improved, but the wider benefts of
campus study should not be underestimated.
For many MBA applicants, the full-time versus distance learning debate
is pivotal. Should candidates take the plunge full time at a top business
school, or utilize the advances in distance learned MBAs by studying
at home? Does the increased credibility of the DLMBA mean study
abroad is now an unnecessary expense or do the networking, skills,
and experiences of full-time study remain an investment of ever-in-
creasing returns?
The new DLMBA
Te Distance Learning MBA (DLMBA) entered the arena in the 1960s
and has been developing ever since. Te old correspondence courses,
featuring boxes packed with books and valuable essays left at the mer-
cy of the postal service, bear little resemblance to the new DLMBA.
Advances in technology have helped transform distance learning into a
credible alternative for those who are prevented by circumstance from
being able to study full time.
Many of the prevailing prejudices against DLMBAs, for example
that they provide an inferior learning environment and are underva-
lued by employers, are now outdated. For one thing, DLMBA courses
increasingly involve some level of personal contact. With business
schools now capable of linking globally diverse participants with online
technologies, what was previously lumped under the title of distance
learning is in reality a wide range of diferent modes of study. Models
based entirely on self-learning are largely being phased out, with many
programmes adopting a blended style, usually involving a number of
face-to-face interventions and periods of online study.
Rather than being merely an imitation of the full-time MBA, the
DLMBA has its own specifc merits in the eyes of employers. What a
DLMBA graduate is made of, many argue, is resilience, self-motivation
and the proven ability to focus on and complete a complex and chal-
lenging task, qualities that employers fnd valuable and transferable.
As Professor Richard Wheatcroft, Masters Programme Director at the
Open University says, Tey have demonstrated their self-motivation
so that concern has genuinely been dispelled.
Tech-savvy students and faculty
According to William McDonald, Director of Academic Programmes
for Europe, at Tunderbird School of Global Management, distance-
learning programmes ofer a viable option for a section of MBA candi-
dates. Speaking to TopMBA.com, McDonald says that the technological
advancements are important for two reasons.
Te generation moving into the MBA age now is used to lear-
ning in the online environment, and acquiring information from that
perspective. Teres a level of trust in where the information is coming
from that the previous generation of MBA students was not accusto-
med to, he says.
Crucially, its not just the MBA students that fnd online learning
easier, but the faculty professors who did not grow up in the Internet
generation, are fnding it easier too. Even faculty that isnt tech-savvy
fnds it easier to post video lectures, host chats and so on.
The key advantage that DLMBAs offer is flexibility. An MBA
student can start at any time of the year, rather than the traditional bi-
annual intake associated with campus courses. Tis has been demanded
by the market, says McDonald, of a higher education industry that has
remained largely unchanged for many years.
Traditionally students are back to school in September, or some
schools ofer a January start, he says. But online programmes allow
schools to deliver throughout the year, and to change the timing and
the format.
And the fexibility is valuable for staf, too. With the well-docu-
mented increase in demand for MBAs comes a demand for well-qua-
lifed faculty, a demand that is proving very hard to meet. For business
schools, the online format allows great opportunities for faculty to
P
h
o
t
o
:

R
o
b
e
r
t

K
n
e
s
c
h
k
e
/
F
o
t
o
l
i
a
Distance Learning
12
spread the learning far wider than they would be able to in a classroom
situation.
Recruiters views
Until a few years ago, campus-MBAs were frst choice in the eyes of
most major MBA recruiters. Naturally, the advantages of a campus-
MBA are still numerous in terms of immersion, language acquisition,
vicinity to peers and faculty on a daily basis, networking opportunities
and so on.
But recruiters are changing their attitude to online learning, almost
as fast as online learning develops. Tere are even recruiters that have
gone on record to say that distance-learned MBAs are just as desirable
as a campus-MBA. After all, if an MBA can balance the extreme rigours
of a full-time job, perhaps a family, personal lives and the challenges
and self-motivation required to complete an MBA, then they are very
valuable job prospects indeed.
Proving your abilities with the latest technology is also an attractive
trait for MBA recruiters. Recruiters are fnding that business schools
are delivering online content that parallels the skill-sets they are looking
for, says William McDonald. Its becoming more and more critical
for people to be able to manage relationships at a distance, to build
rapport with people in other locations, to work across cultures remotely
and virtually. A lot of that takes place on online programmes. In some
ways its a skill-set that you can develop in an online programme and
which is harder in a face-to-face environment.
Accreditation
One negative factor weighing on online programmes is the lack of uni-
versal and recognized accreditation and ofcial rankings. Te boom in
unaccredited online universities or MBA mills has also harmed their
respectable counterparts reputation. As with any MBA programme, or
anything else that you will spend a signifcant amount of time, efort and
money on, do your research. Make absolutely sure that the programme
you choose will actually get you where you want to go. Will recruiters
value it? Talk to some on LinkedIn or by phone. What did the courses
alumni think of the programme? Did it beneft them? Who accredits
the course and what are their thoughts on the programme?
Te most essential component of any MBA course, especially with
the proliferation of online MBAs that are not necessarily associated with
good schools, is their accreditation. Tere are lots of national accrediting
bodies in diferent countries, and three main international ones (Equis,
AACSB and Amba). In many cases, a school that is accredited and that
has an online programme will be accredited too, but its worth following
up. Tere are some schools out there that seem to ofer MBAs you can
simply buy. Sounds good? Well, it may do until the recruiters you go
to dismiss it, and your time and money seem wasted.
Te advice here is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Ross Geraghty, Danny Byrne/www.topmba.com
F
o
t
o
:

F
o
t
o
l
i
a
P
h
o
t
o
:

R
o
b
e
r
t

K
n
e
s
c
h
k
e
/
F
o
t
o
l
i
a
Distance Learning
13
Executive MBA on the rise
Network, expand your skills and develop expertise through working on real life business topics -
these are the objectives for Executive MBA programmes. The courses are taught in small classes
of highly qualifed professionals and are aimed to accelerate their career.
Not even ten years ago the Executive MBA (EMBA) world was quite
diferent from today. Multi-school, multi-campus programmes were
rare, their development even endangered when - after the terrorist at-
tacks of September 11 - travelling on international routes became less
desirable. Despite those poor beginnings the EMBA programs have
grown strongly ever since. Te Financial Times reports that between
2001 and 2010 the number of courses in its league table has doubled,
from 50 in the original classifcation to 100 in 2010.
Nowadays it is those multi-campus programs and studying at more
than one business school in diferent countries that are in rising demand.
Te 2010 Financial Times rating for Executive MBAs has ranked several
of those programs highly (see ranking below).
Managers at diferent career levels
Executive MBA programmes aim at managers who want to develop
their career further. Tey are similar to traditional MBAs but difer in
their schedules, rigidity of curriculum and networking opportunities.
Executive MBA students take most classes with the same set of students
to be able to establish business contacts with managers at diferent career
levels and from diferent companies.
Te Wall Street Journal Survey 2010 underlined the importance
of networking as 35 percent of the participants said their top reason
to do an EMBA was to switch careers or industries. Only 29 percent
said they were seeking a promotion within their current company.
Originally, the latter reason has been the main motivation for attending
an EMBA programme.
The Diferences to a normal MBA
1. Experience needed: An EMBA targets managers that have been in
a supervising role for at least fve to ten years. Participants are therefore
older and more experienced.
2. More restricted schedule: As the participants are mostly wor-
king in managing positions, classes take normally place on weekends
and fridays.
3. Corporate Tuition Support: If a company sees enough beneft,
it might sponsor a managers EMBA. Tis is an important factor as
EMBAs can be signifcantly more expensive than traditional MBA
programs.
Top Schools for EMBA programs
In the following list MBA Channel compares the EMBA rankings of
the top ten Executive Programmes listed in Business Week, Financial
Times and the Wallstreet Journal.
Barbara Barkhausen
No. Business Week Ranking Financial Times Ranking Wallstreet Journal Ranking
1 Northwestern University(Kellogg), USA Joint programme from: Northwestern University
(Kellogg), USA, Hong Kong UST Busin. School, China
University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), USA
2 University of Chicago (Booth), USA Joint programme from: Columbia Business School,
USA, London Business School, U.K.
Washington University (Olin), USA
3 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton),
USA
Trium - joint programme from: HEC Paris, France,
LSE (London School of Economics and Political
Science), U.K., New York University (Stern), USA
Thunderbird School of Global Management,
USA
Columbia Business School, USA Insead, France / Singapore / U.A.E. University of Southern California
(Marshall), USA
5 University of Southern California
(Marshall), USA
University of Chicago (Booth), USA Northwestern University (Kellogg), USA
6 IE Business School, Spain London Business School, U.K. University of Notre Dame (Mendoza), USA
University of Michigan (Ross), USA IE Business School, Spain New York University (Stern), USA
8 UCLA, USA University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), USA Johnson Cornell University, USA
9 Southern Methodist University (Cox),
USA
Duke University (Fuqua), USA Columbia Business School, USA
10 Duke University (Fuqua), USA Chinese University of Hong Kong, China UNC Kenan-Flagler, USA
Sources: Investopedia, http://www.metronews.ca, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Financial Times
Executive MBA
14
MBA in Europe
2011/2012
Copenhagen Business School > p. 14
EBS Business School > p. 15
ESCP Europe Business School Berlin > p. 16
ESMT - European School of
Management and Technology > p. 17
Hult International Business School > p. 18
IE Business School > p. 19
The Lisboa MBA International > p. 20
MIP Politecnico di Milano > p. 22
The Open University Business School > p. 23
Universitt Augsburg > p. 24
University of Rochester/ Universitt Bern > p. 25
MBA in Europe
15
Exceptional business education with a focus
on leadership and entrepreneurship
Dalgas Have 15
DK 2000 Frederiksberg
Copenhagen, Denmark
Contact:
Lee Milligan, lm.mba@cbs.dk
+5-38 15 60 22
www.cbs.dk/ftmba
Accreditation:
AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
Admission requirements:
minimum bachelors degree with
outstanding academic record;
at least two years of professional
work experience; GMAT or CBS test;
leadership potential; strong
English profciency; two letters of
recommendation; interview
CBS MBA Full Time Program. Copenhagen Busi-
ness School is ranked among the top business
schools in Europe and offers a twelve month
Full Time MBA programme comprising 13
core courses, six elective courses, the Leadership
Discovery Process, Entrepreneurial Mindset and
Integrated Strategy Project. It boasts the best fa-
culty in Scandinavia with leading professors from
Denmark and abroad.
Situated in one of the worlds most compe-
titive economies, CBS has access to some of the
worlds most innovative companies that are hap-
py to engage with the school. Tis allows CBS
to ofer its students return on their investment
through intensive and collaborative action-lear-
ning experience, where focus is on putting theory
into practice.
Scandinavian Leadership. Te focus on Lea-
dership Discovery Process and Entrepreneurship
allows for joint refection where students can dis-
cover and hone their leadership skills under the
mentorship of seasoned industry executives. A
Scandinavian management approach to teaching
emphasizes social responsibility through the curri-
culum and is based on values of trust, team work
and respect for the individual.
Diversity. Tere are 50 CBS Full Time MBA stu-
dents from 22 countries in the class of 2010-11.
More than 80 per cent of the students are from
outside Denmark, with about 50 per cent of the
class from countries outside Europe, therefore
making this a diverse international program that
allows students to build a formidable internatio-
nal network. Moreover it is one of the most expe-
rienced classes in the world with a huge diversity
of educational and working backgrounds.
More details on www.mba-channel.com
Copenhagen
Business School
ADVERTORIAL
16
EBS Universitt fr Wirtschaft und Recht i. Gr. Wiesbaden/Rheingau
Excellent management education for specialists and managers!
Boost your career by choosing an
international study programme at EBS!
We inspire personalities to meet the
challenges of the future.
Find out what EBS has to offer: www.ebs.edu
EBS Full-time MBA
Three excellent track options
DBS & EBS Executive MBA
Executive MBA Health Care Management
Rheingaustrasse 1
65375 Oestrich-Winkel, Germany
Contact:
Will Toussaint
will.toussaint@ebs.edu
+9-6 11-1 02 15 2
www.ebs.edu
Accreditation:
MBA: FIBAA
Executive MBA: AMBA
an undergraduate degree equivalent
to a bachelors degree; fuent English
(IELTS or TOEFL); GMAT/GRE; at least
three years of work experience (fve
years for the MBA Accelerated Track
and the DBS & EBS Executive MBA)
EBS Business School is one of the most highly
regarded faculties for business studies in Ger-
many and has developed high standards in the
education and training of specialists and ma-
nagers for the global economy. Renowned for
academic excellence, innovative strength and
entrepreneurial spirit, EBS has made a name
for itself as an important motor for business,
politics and society.
EBS Full-time MBA. Te MBA ofers three track
options: an Accelerated Track of twelve months
for students with extensive work experience, a 16
months Gateway to Germany Track that prepares
international students for a career in the German
corporate world, and an International Track of
16 months including an integrated study expe-
rience abroad. Te core curriculum delivers a
solid foundation in management, leadership and
problem-solving skills. During the practice-driven
programme students will tackle contemporary
business issues in the classroom, in discussion
with management representatives, and in hands-
on project work with international companies.
DBS & EBS Executive MBA. The 24-month
AMBA accredited Executive MBA comprises a
total of 60 contact days. Te dual degree Exe-
cutive MBA is ofered on a modular part-time
basis in Germany and the UK. During the frst
year of the programme students will attend seven
core modules to widen their general management
know-how. In these modules they will be provi-
ded with leadership-oriented knowledge. Te se-
lection of fve elective modules in the second year
ofers students the opportunity to enhance their
knowledge in areas that interest them most.
EBS Business School
ADVERTORIAL
17
escpeurope.de/exec
If you want to:
- Prepare your next career step with the world`s
leading business school Ior career progression*
- Take advantage oI our unique part-time European
Executive MBA composed oI
- 0ore 0ourses
- 12 Electives
- 5 nternational 5eminars
- 1 nternational 0onsulting Pro|ect
- Access great networking opportunities
... then ESCP Europe is the right choice for you!
Join the
Global No. 1!
st
*
ExPaNd
your world
EuropEan ExEcutivE MBa
Heubnerweg 6
14059 Berlin, Germany
Contact:
Ann Kerstin Schoefer
Programme Manager
Executive Education;
mba@escpeurope.de
www.escpeurope.de/eemba
Accreditation:
AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
university degree; a minimum of fve
years successful professional expe-
rience; TOEFL: minimum 100 points;
TOEIC: minimum 850 points
ESCP Europe was founded in Paris in 1819 and
has since educated generations of leaders, contri-
buting to the excellent reputation it enjoys nowa-
days. With fve campuses in Paris, Berlin, London,
Madrid and Turin, ESCP Europe is the European
school of management.
Each year, ESCP Europe Business School
welcomes 4,000 students and a similar number
of executives from around the world. In addition,
the worldwide network of ESCP Europe alumni
comprises over 40,000 members in some 150
countries.
Te ESCP Europe community shares a frm
belief that exposure to diferent people and dif-
ferent cultures, as well as frst-hand experience
of diferent environments, is critical to business
success. Cross-cultural exposure and experience
shape the attitudes and skills that businesses ope-
rating on the international stage require from their
managers.
European Executive MBA. Te European Execu-
tive MBA is designed completely with the needs
of executives in mind. Te programme is aimed at
managers who would like to complete an intensive
course of business studies without leaving their
professional positions. Te European Executive
MBA is a part-time programme taken over an
18-month period. Courses are taught in English
and the curriculum combines core courses, elec-
tives, international seminars and an international
consulting project.
Furthermore, ESCP Europe awards a scho-
larship for small and medium-sized Enterprises
(SME). Te scholarship programme has been
created to help SMEs to fnance the development
of management skills of their key executives in an
international context. Two thirds of the MBA pro-
gramme tuition fees are covered by the scholarship.
ESCP Europe
Business School Berlin
ADVERTORIAL
18
ESMT European School of
0DQDJHPHQWDQG7HFKQRORJ\%HUOLQ
FULL-TIME
and ExEcUTIvE
0%$
Business knows best what business needs. That is why 25 global players from Germany with a workforce of over
3 million founded ESMT. Plug in to the worlds most infuential industry career network. Experience Berlin. www.esmt.org
(6077KHEXVLQHVVVFKRROIRXQGHGE\EXVLQHVV
Schlossplatz 1
10178 Berlin, Germany
Contact:
mba@esmt.org
+9-(0)30-2 12 31-0, www.esmt.org
Accreditation:
AMBA, FIBAA
online application with CV demons-
trating at least three years of relevant
professional experience; two letters
of recommendation; comprehensive
essays including personal statement
reasons for pursuing the ESMT MBA;
of cial transcripts or certifed copies
of grades from each attended univer-
sity; GMAT; TOEFL or equivalent
ESMT Berlin is Germanys leading international
business school. Founded in 2002 by 25 multina-
tional companies based in Germany. ESMT deve-
lops entrepreneurial leaders, who think globally,
act responsibly and respect the individual.
ESMTs one year full-time MBA consists of two
main phases: Mastering Management and Taking
the Lead. During the frst phase, participants are
given a solid foundation in the fundamentals of
management. Te second phase of the programme
allows participants to move beyond the basics to
concentrate on the traits that future leaders need
to excel. Students can specialize in elective tracks
on Technology or Sustainable Business, and also
work on a seven week live consulting assignment
with one of ESMTs corporate partners.
MBA Class size: 40, 18 nationalities, average
age 29, average work experience fve years, 35
per cent women, average GMAT 645; Fee for
2012: 29,000 Euro. Te next intake is in January
2012.
ESMTs Executive MBA is a 21-month modular
programme targeting mid-career professionals.
Te frst phase builds a solid foundation in areas
such as economic thinking, accounting, perfor-
mance management and business strategy. Te
second phase develops strategic leadership ca-
pabilities. Te programme ofers two focus are-
as: technology and innovation, or international
management. Class Size: 35-40; Fee for 2012:
57,500 Euro;
ESMT has 34 full-time and 40 visiting professors,
and is ranked number 17 globally by the Finan-
cial Times for executive education.
ESMT European
School of Management
and Technology
ADVERTORIAL
19
London campus
46-47 Russell Square
Bloomsbury
London, WC 1B 4JP, U.K.
Contact:
admissions.europe@hult.edu
www.hult.com
Accreditation:
AMBA, NEASC, BAC
at least three years of work expe-
rience; 2 years or older; bachelor
degree or equivalent; leadership
potential; GMAT score; strong English
profciency
Hult International Business School is a global
business school with campuses in Boston, San
Francisco, London, Dubai and Shanghai. Hult
ofers a one-year full-time MBA, an Executive
Part-time MBA, Master, and Undergraduate
degrees.
Hult is ranked 1st for International Expe-
rience and 5th for International Business by Fi-
nancial Times. Te Economist ranks Hult the
17th best business school in the U.S., the 27th
best business school in the world, and 1st for
postgraduate salary increase.
Practical Education. Te cornerstone of Hults
MBA curriculum is its Action Project, a real-
world management exercise which provides
graduates hands-on experience and invaluable
industry contacts. MBA students form teams
of fve fellow MBA students for a Fortune 500
company. Your team will compete to develop a
growth plan, which you will present to at board
level upon conclusion of the six week project.
In addition to impressive academic credenti-
als, Hults professors have real-world experience
and a broad understanding of running and gro-
wing successful companies.
Global Career Services Team Support. Hults
student body hails from over 100 nationalities
and brings a variety of pre-MBA functional ex-
pertise to Hult. Hult has highly-connected Career
Services teams based across three continents who
specialize in bespoke international career advice
to help place graduates in management positions
in multinationals worldwide.
Hult International
Business School
ADVERTORIAL
20
Mara de Molina 11-13-15
28006 Madrid, Spain
Contact:
info@ie.edu
www.ie.edu
facebook: /iebusinessschool
twitter: /iebusiness
Accreditation:
AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
completed bachelor degree or
equivalent; previous professional
experience; throughout the admissi-
ons process, candidates will need to
submit a series of documents to be
evaluated for the programme
Based in Madrid and founded by entrepreneurs in
1973, IE Business School has since undergone a
rapid process of growth and internationalization
and is now regarded as one of the leading business
schools. In fact, IE Business School is regularly
ranked among the top business schools by media
including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Financial
Times, Te Wall Street Journal, and Te Eco-
nomist, who consider IEs fagship International
MBA among the best in the world.
The International MBA lasts 13 months, with
two intakes per year, one in spring and one in
fall. Te programme, divided into four periods,
is designed to develop hard and soft skills and
provide students with a solid framework to be-
come global leaders and change agents. Te frst
three periods are made up of Core Management
classes each preceded by an innovative Change
Module that focuses on expanding capacities to
understand and manage change. During the Elec-
tive (4th) Period students have the opportunity
to personalize their MBA experience by choosing
from more than 80 courses, developing their own
start-up through the Schools Venture Lab, going
on exchange to one of more than 40 exchange
partners, participating in various internships, or
by choosing one of the Schools dual degree op-
tions. Te energy in an IE classroom is simply
incredible, says David Bach, Professor and Dean
of Programmes at IE. You have a group of very
smart, quick and highly motivated young profes-
sionals from all over the world who are eager to
tackle problems and fnd solutions! Each session is
a tour-de-force and the energy is contagious.
The schools Madrid campus is right in the cent-
re of the city and boasts a faculty of more than
500 professors, 100 of them full-time, who teach
students from 88 countries.
IE Business School
ADVERTORIAL
21
Contact:
The Lisbon MBA
Admissions Team
info@thelisbonmba.com
+35-1-21 3 82 2 20
www.thelisbonmba.com
Accreditation:
AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
online application; GMAT or GRE
scores; proof of English profciency;
updated CV; university transcripts;
two referees
The Lisbon MBA International is a partnership
between the two business schools in Portugal,
Catlica Lisbon and Nova SBE, in collaboration
with MIT Sloan School of Management.
Te Lisbon MBA International is a one-year
MBA based in three diferent countries and de-
signed to prepare innovative leaders capable of
responding to opportunities and challenges in
todays business world.
Te intense curriculum develops students
ability to think creatively about complex situa-
tions, successfully lead teams and drive change
in the global economy.
Students of The Lisbon MBA beneft from the
combined resources, faculty, and expertise of No-
va SBE, Catlica Lisbon and MIT Sloan, while
gaining a unique management education focused
on interpersonal and leadership skills, as well as
core competencies.
The Lisbon International Program ofers stu-
dents: A solid foundation in management com-
petencies in a 12-month course that includes
core MBA courses, international perspectives,
a wide range of elective courses, and business
case competitions; intense hands-on training in
interpersonal skills and growth during the Friday
Forum Series, taught by renowned international
guest speakers and professors; a summer immer-
sion at the MIT Sloan School of Management
in global strategy, innovation and entrepreneur-
ship, and business law and ethics; individualized
Career Management services and exposure to
various companies in diverse industries; a seven
to nine week summer internship that matches the
students career aspirations or an International
Lab in China or Brazil; support from the highly
successful and tight-knit alumni community and
afliate status at the MIT Sloan Alumni Club.
The Lisbon
MBA International
ADVERTORIAL
22
FIRST BUSINESS SCHOOL IN ITALY FOR STUDENT QUALITY AND COMPANY NETWORK
CONCENTRATIONS IN FINANCE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION,
GLOBAL BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT, DESIGN & LUXURY MANAGEMENT AND ENERGY MANAGEMENT
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT USA, LATIN AMERICA, EUROPE AND ASIA PACIFIC
W
W
W
.
M
I
P
.
P
O
L
I
M
I
.
I
T
Via Lambruschini 4c
Building 26a
20156 Milano, Italy
Contact:
International MBA Admissions
imba@mip.polimi.it
+39-02 2399 9194
Accreditation:
EQUIS
application Form; GMAT/GRE score;
English Certifcate; university degree
and transcripts; two reference letters;
CV
Where Technology meets management.
MIP was established in 1979 as a collaboration
between Politecnico di Milano, one of the lea-
ding technical universities in Europe, and some
leading organizations in Italy. Te engineering
tradition and technology leadership of Politecnico
di Milano allows MIP access to up-and-coming
technology, to play a key role in innovation and
to be at the forefront of company growth and
technological investment.
Te International MBA is a 14-month pro-
gramme taught in English. It equips participants
with strong competencies that will accompany
them throughout their career, providing the
special mix of technical and management skills
required to develop and lead world-class compa-
nies in a range of sectors. Te course focuses on
four fundamental elements: analytical approach
to problem solving, innovation and technology,
soft skills, and collaboration with our wide com-
pany network. Te tuition fee is 26,000 Euro plus
1,700 Euro (university taxes) and the next intake
is May 2012. Students can customize their pro-
gramme choosing from Finance, Entrepreneurship
& Innovation, Design & Luxury Management,
Global Business & Management, and Energy Ma-
nagement or can complete electives abroad under
the International Exchange Program (schools in
USA, Greece, France, Mexico, Germany, China
and India etc). Te International MBA is ranked
in the 2011 FT Global MBA Rankings.
MIPs Career Service is one of a kind. Students
work alongside key stakeholders within important
organizations, challenging themselves in real-
life business situations and consulting projects.
Personal development is key and students receive
professional counselling during both the pro-
gramme and recruitment process.
MIP Politecnico
di Milano
ADVERTORIAL
23
Zeppelinstrasse 73
81669 Munich, Germany
Contact:
Tristan Sage
Marketing Representative
oubsgermany@open.ac.uk
+9-89-89 0 908
Accreditation:
AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA
bachelor degree with honours from
a UK recognised university or equi-
valent; minimum of three years work
experience; ability to study and ex-
press oneself in written and spoken
English. For non-bachelors there is an
alternative entry route
Te Open University Business School, a faculty of
Te Open University, is one of Europes leading
business schools and the major provider of MBA
and management development programmes de-
livered by supported distance learning. Te Open
University Business School is accredited by the
three premier management education associations
AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA, an achievement
that reinforces its reputation as a global top-tier
management education institution. Te Open
University Business School has over 20,000 MBA
alumni located in more than 75 countries.
MBA General Management. The MBA pro-
gramme is designed for practising managers aspi-
ring to higher positions as well as those who want
to become better equipped to do their current
job and develop their leadership skills. It con-
centrates on strategic analysis, interdisciplinary
skills, intellectual stimulation and independent
judgement. It builds these upon a solid founda-
tion of core disciplines including human resource
management, organisational behaviour, accoun-
ting, fnance, marketing and operations.
Te MBA is an integrated programme that
balances the students learning time between 75
per cent of compulsory elements with 25 per cent
from elective courses. Tis enables students to
adjust the curriculum to suit their needs.
MBA Technology Management. This pro-
gramme will help students and their organisation
meet the management challenges of technological
progress. Its designed to develop their leadership
skills and achieve excellence in managing orga-
nisation and technological change in a rapidly
moving business environment. Ofering a Euro-
pean perspective throughout, it is supported by
the EU Comett programme.
The Open University
Business School
ADVERTORIAL
MBA CHANNEL EUROPEAN E-BOOK May 2011
For more informati?>
?E2C75B=1>I@open.ac.uk
www.open.ac.uk/europe
Making a difference...
to your life, your career,
your organisation
The Open University global executive MBA takes you on a personal
journey. It challenges limits and changes the way you think. The unique
study approach ensures immediate impact in the workplace.
The Open University MBA belongs to an elite circle with triple
crown accreditation.
Explore how our world class MBA can change your future and take
your career to the next level.
24
Berufsbegleitender
MBA-Studiengang
Unternehmensfhrung
www.mba-augsburg.de
Position Yourself !
Zentrum fr Weiterbildung
und Wissenstransfer
Universittsstrae 12
86159 Augsburg, Germany
Kontakt:
Anna Fssinger
MBA Programmleiterin
mba@zww.uni-augsburg.de
+9-(0)8 215 98 9
www.mba-augsburg.de
Akkreditierung:
FIBAA - Premium Award
Zugangsvoraussetzungen:
Hochschulabschluss, mindestens
zweijhrige Berufspraxis nach
Abschluss des Studiums,
gute Englisch-Kenntnisse
MBA Unternehmensfhrung. Der MBA Unter-
nehmensfhrung ist ein berufsbegleitender Stu-
diengang, der seit nunmehr zwlf Jahren uerst
erfolgreich am Zentrum fr Weiterbildung und
Wissenstransfer der Universitt Augsburg fr
aktuelle, designierte oder potentielle Fhrungs-
krfte angeboten wird. Die langjhrige Erfahrung
als eines der ersten berufsbegleitenden MBA-
Programme in Deutschland und die stetige Wei-
terentwicklung dieses Programms zeichnen den
MBA Unternehmensfhrung besonders aus.
Fhrungsnachwuchskrfte mit Berufser-
fahrung sowie Verantwortliche in gehobenen
Positionen durchlaufen hier eine Top-Manage-
ment-Ausbildung, die als einziges deutsches
Part-time-Programm einen achtwchigen Full-
time-Auslandsaufenthalt an der University of
Pittsburgh/USA beinhaltet.
Der MBA Unternehmensfhrung gehrt zu
den Top-Programmen in Deutschland und wurde
als eines von insgesamt fnf Programmen mit
dem Premium-Siegel der FIBAA ausgezeichnet.
Zielsetzung. Vorbereitung auf hhere Manage-
mentpositionen durch die Vermittlung von ko-
nomischer Fachkompetenz, Fhrungskompetenz
und internationaler Kompetenz.
Ablauf und Dauer. Vier Semester ber 20 Mo-
nate, berufsbegleitendes Studium, Lehre meist
freitags und samstags.
Studienbeginn. Jhrlich im Januar, nchster
Studienstart ist im Januar 2012.
Kosten. 28.000 Euro, inklusive Studiengebhr
fr den Auslandsaufenthalt in Pittsburgh.
Weitere Details auf www.mba-channel.com
Universitt
Augsburg
ADVERTORIAL
25
Well change the way you think. www.executive-mba.ch
The Rochester-Bern Executive MBA.
Well change the way you think.
It is not a slogan, it is reality.
Andreas Jurt
Managing Director, Credit Suisse
Rochester-Bern
Executive Programs
University of Rochester
Universitt Bern
Engehaldenstrasse 4
3012 Bern, Switzerland
Contact:
info@executive-mba.ch
+1 (0)31 631 3
www.executive-mba.ch
Accreditation:
AACSB
complete application package; inter-
view with one of the programmes
alumni and one with the programmes
management.
International top EMBA since 16 years. Doing
an international MBA program without career
interruption is possible. Since 1995, the AACSB
accredited Simon School at the University of
Rochester (N.Y., USA) and the Universitt Bern
(Switzerland) ofer a dual MBA/EMBA degree
in Switzerland.
Every January, the 18-month programme starts.
Courses are held every other Friday and Saturday
in Switzerland (Tun). An intense, six-week sum-
mer session at the Simon School in Rochester and
a one-week educational trip to Shanghai enrich
the curriculum. Te programmes bi-weekly for-
mat is designed for executives who need a schedu-
le compatible with their business responsibilities.
Students have extensive management experience
and work in diferent industries. Tey come from
all over the world and are well connected within
and beyond Switzerland.
The program offers an integrated approach
to thinking about management problems and a
thorough understanding of the cross-functional
nature of business decisions. Courses follow a
logical sequence proceeding from fundamental
tools to strategy considerations. Tey are taught
by faculty members who have outstanding track
records and live, teach and consult all over Europe
and in the United States. Participants get all the
tools necessary to analyze, design, implement, and
manage successful business strategies.
16 years after its foundation, the Rochester-
Bern Executive MBA programme is still the frst
choice of leaders looking for an applied general
management education of highest quality. An
international focus, outstanding customer care,
and valuable networking opportunities within
and beyond Switzerland make it a unique edu-
cational experience.
University of Rochester
Universitt Bern
ADVERTORIAL
26
Support
Personal Support
Dont be mistaken studying for an MBA is not an individual pursuit.
Although the pile of reading material may be on your bedside table, and
the deadlines for assignments noted in your desktop calendar, others
around you are also experiencing the challenges that an MBA brings
with it and were not talking about your classmates.
To really get the most out of your MBA experience, you need
support from those close to you. Friends and family especially need to
understand what studying for an MBA entails the time, the invest-
ment, the challenges, and most of all, the rewards. As you embark on
your MBA journey, take those closest to you along for the ride. Youll
fnd their support not only to be invaluable, but an absolute necessity.
Just remember to reward them at the end.
MBA Channels top tips will help to keep your personal life on
track and enhance your overall MBA experience.
1. Hire help
Life is often busy even before you embark on your MBA, and for many
female MBA candidates in particular, there are the responsibilities that
go with running a household. Dont try and do it all study for your
MBA and keep up with the washing, the ironing, the dusting and the
DIY. Studying for your MBA is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so get
the most out of your investment. If that means hiring a housekeeper,
a babysitter, a gardener or a home handyman (or possibly all of the
above) then so be it. Your priority is your study!
2. Work out
Time is of the essence when youre study for your MBA and sacrifces
will have to be made but dont let that jeopardize your health. Keep
up your weekly exercise routine and ensure your diet has the right ba-
lance of vitamins and minerals your body and brain needs. Exercise
keeps the blood pumping and the oxygen fowing to your brain, while
foods such as blueberries, almonds and salmon have been labelled brain
food for a reason!
3. Time together
Although family and friends will be 100 per cent behind you while you
study for your MBA, it can be tough for your loved ones to go without
you during this time so ensure they dont have to. Family relationships
still need to be nurtured so make sure your MBA schedule allows some
time together. Perhaps its a movie night with the family, or a bike ride
on Sunday mornings. Children especially will need to understand that
your time needs to be shared between them and the study books, but
a little time is better than none at all.
Get the right backing!
Normal life may feel like it comes to a halt when youre studying for the highly
demanding MBA, so its important to get support from those around you.
MBA Channels tips will help to keep your peronal life on track. And we take a look
at where you can turn during your time at business school.
2
Support
Professional Support
If you think youre on your own as you step into the MBA classroom,
think again. Support is closer than you realise.
6. Referees and mentors
As part of your MBA application, you will have provided some referees
for the admissions directors to speak with about your suitability as a
potential MBA candidate. If youve chosen right (and its important
that you do so), these people will be an infuence on your professional
career mentors so to speak. So, make the most of them. Show your
appreciation for their willingness to act as your referee, by sharing your
MBA experience with them. Let them know what youve learned in the
classroom, the highlights and challenges, and some of the opportunities
that have come your way.
You can also use them as a sounding board. Run essay topics past
them, discuss project ideas with them and get their professional view-
point on your MBA studies. Just be sure not to overwhelm them.
Teyre members of your all-important support network and you want
to maintain a strong professional relationship with them, so treat this
relationship with respect.
7. Employer
You wont have made the decision to embark on an MBA lightly, and
chances are, one of the many people youve spoken to while conducting
your program research is your employer. By dedicating two years to a
full-time MBA program, youre leaving your job behind but thats
not to say you cant return. Speak with your employer about job op-
portunities post-MBA. Would they be willing to hold a position open
for you? Can you return during the summer break to put what youve
learnt in the classroom into practice? Speaking with your employer
about such opportunities will also allow them to get a taste of the new
knowledge and skills youve acquired in the business school classroom,
and also make them aware of the added value you could bring back
into the workplace.
4. Make it count
Admissions ofcers, alumni, lecturers, managers theyll all tell you to
prepare yourself for the time you need to invest in your MBA outside
of the classroom. What you need to ensure is that you make this time
count. Youll know yourself whether youre a morning person, work best
in the evenings, or sufer from that 4pm slump so work around this.
You cant aford to waste valuable reading, research and study time. But
its important others know your schedule as well the last thing you
want is to be interrupted. Put your schedule up on the fridge, post it
on your home ofce door and stick to it. Tat way, not only will you
be able to get into a study routine, those around you will also know
when you are and arent available.
5. Time out
As important as it is to get into a study routine, its just as important to
take time out. Factor in down time according to your routine. When
youre not at your study best, give yourself a break. Update your Lin-
kedIn profle, meet a friend for a drink, or phone your parents to share
your latest MBA experiences.
You wont necessarily be able to avoid thinking about your MBA
after all, this is the period of your life when you need to live and brea-
the it but doing something slightly diferent, and most importantly
in a diferent environment, will help you to keep a better perspective
on things. Te key is to use your time wisely.
28
Support
8. Career Services
Your chosen business schools career services will play an important role
throughout your MBA. It is through the career services that industry
experts, recruiters and contacts get to be in your classroom. And if your
reason for pursuing an MBA is a career change, then the services this
group provides will be even more valuable.
Ashley Arnold, director of MBA recruitment at Henley Business
School in the UK says MBA students have a responsibility to go out
and promote themselves when theyre back in the market. When
people are on the MBA they need to engage with the network and the
facilities, such as career services, so they are better prepared when they
go back out there, he says.
9. Alumni network
One of the greatest advantages of having an MBA is the professional
network you inherit. Not only are you sitting in the business school
classroom alongside other ambitious MBA candidates who are likely
to become valuable contacts in the years ahead, youre also stepping
into an alumni network spanning the globe.
Tis alumni network of graduates, who have lived to tell the MBA
tale, is also a support network, but the onus is on you to manage it.
Tap into the experience of these alums, ask them for advice on getting
the most out of your MBA experience, and fnd out from them what
and where they found the invaluable support they needed while
at business school.
10. Expert guidance
Troughout your MBA studies, its important to remember youre not
alone. If deadlines are looming and the reading list is piling up, turn
to those around you. Your classmates will be feeling the pressure just
as much as you are. But you also have another avenue of support the
faculty. Tose experts at the front of the classroom are there for you as
well, so reach out to them. Tey want to ensure your MBA experience
is a positive one, so tap into their expertise, ask them for guidance, and
make the most of the professional support they have to ofer.
Ann Graham
How far
will you go ?
www.solvay.edu/mba
mba.admissions@solvay.edu
+32(0)2 650 65 17
SOLVAY MBA
- International learning environment
- In the heart of Europe
- Transforming theory into practice
- Two scheduling modes
(10 or 20 months)
Reg
isteR
to
o
n
e
o
f o
u
R
in
fo
-sessio
n
s!
Rubrik
F
o
t
o
:

F
o
t
o
l
i
a
Whos afraid of the
BIG BAD GMAT?
There is little that strikes fear into the hearts of MBA candidates as much as
the Graduate Management Admissions Test, the GMAT. However a GMAT score
is virtually an essential. David Wilson, managing director of the Graduate Ma-
nagement Admissions Council (GMAC) which runs the test notes that 90 per
cent of the worlds leading business schools demand it as a comparison tool
among applicants.
29
30
Te GMAT is a rigorous test, thats true, and it
requires considerable practice and preparation,
not simply because it is tough but because it uses
a unique line of questions and answers that you
will not have encountered before. Knowing how
to answer, and knowing that you must answer
all of the questions or be heavily marked down,
is essential to getting the highest possible score
on the 200-800 scale.
Te GMAT average is around 560 globally.
Top schools will ask for 700-720 but if you are
getting 650 or more you are doing well and most
schools will take a look at you. By the way, many
schools have told me, of the record, that they
shy away from incredibly high scores of 780-800,
which put the candidate in the top half-a-percent
of intellectual achievers. Why? Because people
with that kind of score should be academics and,
generally, academics are not great business people.
In June 2012, GMAC will introduce a new section called Integrated
Reasoning but, for now, there are three main sections in the three-hour
test. Dont believe the myths: You can take the test as many times as you
like, although not more than fve times a year. But be warned, some
schools will ask to see all of your test scores while some will ask for an
average and some are only interested in your highest score.
A candidate profle can ofset a weak score
Terefore, it is worth knowing which schools youre interested in and
what their take on the GMAT is. Ten, study as much as you possibly
can, get books and CDs, trainings, join online GMAT clubs and dis-
cussion groups and lastly dont worry! As Mary Granger, Admissions
Manager of Esade Business School in Spain, says: Te GMAT is one
section of the admissions package that we look at, but it is not the be-
all and end-all. A weak GMAT score can be ofset by strong aspects of
work experience or a candidates personal profle. Te opposite is true
too, of course. A high GMAT score is welcome but doesnt guarantee a
candidate who is not the right ft an automatic entry into ESADE.
Tere is a total of 37 questions in the GMAT and 75 minutes in
which to answer them. Te questions are devided into three sec-
tions Te Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), the Verbal and
the Quantitative Section (often known a Quant):
Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA): Te Analytical Writing
Assessment is split into two essay questions (analysis of an issue and
analysis of an argument) and is designed to test participants under-
standing of an argument, their ability to critique it and their ability to
explore the complexities of an issue or opinion. Tis section changes
in 2012 when one of the questions is replaced with an entirely new
section called Integrated Reasoning.
Verbal section: Split into three sections (reading comprehension,
critical reasoning and sentence correction), the Verbal part of the
GMAT is designed to test participants understanding of the English
language. With a total of 41 questions, and 75 minutes in which to
answer them, students are presented with a mix of the three questi-
on types. Te difculty varies according to your ability, determined
through the GMATs Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) format. In
this section there is no right or wrong answer. Instead of the content
of their answer, test-takers are graded on their ability to develop an
opinion, provide concrete examples to support their ideas and make
them clear to the reader, all the while expressing themselves in gram-
matically correct English.
Quantitative section: Split into two main sections (data sufciency
and problem solving), the quantitative part of the GMAT is designed
to test participants ability to think conceptually around mathemati-
cal problems, complete maths problems or analyze fgures. For many
GMAT test-takers, this section is the most daunting, and especially
so for those who have not considered maths for a long time. Howe-
ver, the maths content covered on the GMAT is not considered too
difcult or advanced. In fact, many will have seen similar questions
before, during high school.
Giselle Weybrecht, a London Business School alumna and aut-
hor of the recent book Te Sustainable MBA, says, out of the many
requirements I needed to prepare for my applications, the GMAT
would prove the hardest. So what are her top tips for GMAT success?
Dont book your test at the last minute or start studying until the last
minute, she says. Tis is especially relevant for the majority of MBA
candidates who may have been out of school and the deadlines and
exams system, for some years.
Use the wide range of GMAT study books and websites available
and take as many sample tests as you can, she continues. Familiarize
yourself with each type of question, and develop a process for answering
each. And lastly, enjoy it! Studying for a test is never fun, but many
people turn it into a challenge, even a game. I charted my progress and
rewarded myself for staying on track. In the end the hard work paid
of and I achieved the score I needed.
Most importantly, the GMAT is just a part of your admissions
process. It is important, yes, but not the defning qualifcation that
will admit you or bar you from the business schools of your choice.
Knowing what you, as a candidate, can ofer a school, what experience
you can bring to the classroom and how you will beneft from the MBA
course of your choice is just as important.
Ross Geraghty
GMAT
31
Strategy for preparing to take the GMAT
Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the test. Consider taking a couple of weeks of work to focus on
your GMAT skills.
Find out roughly what score you would get today by doing an online test or a test on a CD. Find out what
score you need to get into the schools you are interested in and whether your result on a particular sec-
tion is more important. By doing so you will get a good idea of the amount of work ahead of you.
Use a book or go on a course to refresh your maths knowledge and become familiar with the diferent
types of question.
Set yourself a concrete goal such as doing 50 practice questions of one type before moving on to get to
know the skills and strategies required for another section.
Practise using the Ofcial Guide, which gives you retired GMAT questions with answer explanations.
When you get questions which are very difcult dont just give up and read the answer explanations. Try
to work out the answer yourself. Even if it takes you a long time to get the right answer, going through the
logic on your own will be invaluable training for the test.
It is vital that you try to learn as much as possible from your exam practice. Whenever you make mistakes,
spend a good amount of time analysing those questions and come back to them again and again. Do them
again with diferent numbers.
When practising Sentence Correction keep a note of idioms or stylistic details which are new to you. You
never know what might come up in the exam so try to build up your language skills as much as possible.
Practice, practise, practise! Get your hands on as many practice questions as possible. The more exposu-
re you have to a variety of diferent questions, the fewer nasty surprises you will get when you go in on
exam day.
It is important to get practice undisturbed in the run up to the exam, so switching phones of and remo-
ving other distractions is a good idea.
It is important to work on timing but at the beginning of your practice you should focus on getting ques-
tions correct and understanding why you get things wrong.
Consider doing a timed full-length test every week to ten days until the real exam.
Toward the test date use CDs - or do on-line practice tests, which time you. It is very important to be able
to work on your speed in the last few weeks.
Take the test and succeed!
GMAT
32
What exactly is the GMAT?
The GMAT does not measure business knowledge, job
skills, undergraduate knowledge or anything else such
as motivation, creativity or interpersonal skills.
The GMAT is a standardized test designed to measure
your basic verbal and mathematical skills and your ana-
lytical writing skills.
The structure of the test:
Introductory Computer Tutorial
Analytical Writing Assessment (60 minutes)
Analysis of an Argument (30 minutes)
Analysis of an Issue (30 minutes)
Optional 5 minute break
Maths Section (75 minutes)
Problem Solving (23 to 24 questions)
Data Sufciency (13 to 14 questions)
Optional 5 minute break
Verbal Section (75 minutes)
Critical Reasoning (14 to 15 questions)
Reading Comprehension (4 passages with
12 to 14 questions)
Sentence Correction (14 to 15 questions)
Total time: 3 hours and 40 minutes
The CAT and Timing for Success:
Unlike many other exams, the GMAT is a Computer Adaptive
Test (CAT). Tus it is designed to get a more accurate assessment
of your skills and to quickly determine your individual testing le-
vel. Every test-taker gets a question of medium difculty at the
start. After this, the value of the questions changes on the basis of
whether or not the test-taker answered the last question correctly
or not. Te model below demonstrates the principle.
Because the GMAT is computer adaptive, you need to be
mostcareful with the frst questions because these are the ones that
have the biggest infuence on your fnal score. At the end of this
page you can see a model showing the efect that correctly an-
swered questions could have on your score at the beginning of the
test. Te model shows how earlier questions infuence your score
much more than later ones, thus highlighting the importance of
taking great care with the frst few questions.
It is therefore wise to spend a little more time than average on the
frst ten or so questions than on most of the rest. If your ability
range is such that you are more likely to score below 650, you
need to be more careful with the frst questions because you are
slightly more likely to make errors if you try to work fast. Te last
questions, on the other hand, have a minimal efect on the end
result and you therefore do not need to be so careful with them.
Tus we recommend spending less than the average amount of
time on the last questions.
Many books recommend that you spend 2 minutes on each
maths question and 1.75 minutes on every verbal question. Alt-
hough it is true that these are the average times you should spend
on the two diferent types of questions, it is much wiser to think in
terms of blocks of questions. See below for an overview.
For a score above 650
When starting question there should be around
minutes left
10 55
20 35
30 15
For a score below 650
When starting question there should be around
minutes left
10 53
20 33
30 14
It is extremely important to complete both sections because the-
re is a penalty for failing to fnish. Te negative efect is higher if
you fail to fnish than if you answer all the last questions wrongly.
So make sure you fnish the test!
GMAT
33
> Te Ofcial Guide for GMAT Review 12th Edition
ISBN 978-0-470-74451-2
> Te Ofcial Guide for GMAT Review 11th Edition
ISBN 1-4051-4176-X
> Te Ofcial Guide for GMAT Review Quantitative Review
ISBN 1-4051-4177-8
> Te Ofcial Guide for GMAT Review Verbal Review
ISBN 978-1-4051-4178-9
Te Ofcial Guides are created by the GMAT Council from a pool
of past, authentic GMAT questions. Tis is therefore one of the
most realistic sources of GMAT questions. Beware that a very lar-
ge number of questions from the 11th Edition are repeated in the
12th Edition. So if you want more practice questions than are con-
tained in one book, it would be best to buy the Quantitative Re-
view and the Verbal Review in addition to either the 11th or the
12th Edition.
Important: In each of these books the maths questions are arran-
ged in order from easiest to hardest. So if you fnd the frst ques-
tions simple, dont get too pleased with yourself too fast! If you
want to get to the harder questions more quickly, you might like to
try every ffth question or so until they start to get a little harder,
then go back and start doing every single one.
> Te Ultimate Math Refresher for the GRE, GMAT, and SAT
ISBN 0-9677594-0-4: A very good run-through of the maths
rules, but it does not give you GMAT-style questions.
> Manhattan GMAT Prep Sentence Correction,
ISBN 0-9748069-5-1: Tis book does not give you GMAT-sty-
le questions. Instead it gives you an excellent overview of the
rules for the diferent common errors that appear in Sentence
Correction and it tells you which questions in the Ofcial Guide
to look at in order to practice the diferent areas. Be careful to
ensure that the edition you buy is compatible with the edition
of the Ofcial Guide, which you have. Te ISB number above is
for the version compatible with the 11th Edition.
> GMAT Critical Reasoning Bible by David M. Killoran
ISBN 0-9721296-3-4 Princeton Review, Cracking Te GMAT
Kaplan GMAT Premier Programme
Tere are various versions of the Princeton Review and Kaplan as
they are constantly being updated. Tey give you a good overview
of the maths knowledge you need and basic strategies like the ones
covered in the One-Day-Seminar.
> Manhattan GMAT, Reading Comprehension,
GMAT Strategy Guide ISBN 978-0-9824238-5-1
> Kaplan GMAT 800. Tis book guarantees you a higher score or
you can get your money back (US-citizens). Many of the ques-
tions are very hard.
GMAT Preparation Materials
GMAT
3
Just try and get
the WORDS right!
The GMAT is the most important of the admissions tests business schools
require for their MBA programmes. However, for non-native English speakers,
the TOEFL requirement adds another level of complication.
For MBA candidates who do not have a good level of English, the
advice is: start taking TOEFL seriously and improving as soon as you
can. Now, in fact. It would be a pity if you were potentially an ambiti-
ous and talented business leader but failed to get into business school
because you didnt learn the language that most of the worlds MBA
courses are instructed in.
If youre reading this article and can understand it clearly, you will
probably be fne for at least one of the four TOEFL sections reading.
Te other three are writing, listening and speaking. Can you read this
article out loud and be understood by other non-native English speakers?
Te frst trick is to start identifying your weaknesses and to work hard
on rectifying that problem.
Why do business schools need TOEFL?
Te MBA classroom is quite diferent to what most students are used
to. In high schools in many cultures, and even at undergraduate degree
level, there is an increasingly old-fashioned expectation that students
sit facing a wise teacher or professor, who flls their eager minds full
of knowledge. Te students then use that knowledge to pass whatever
tests are required.
At business school, nothing could be further from the truth. As
Mary Granger, Associate Director of Admissions at Esade Business
School in Barcelona says, the MBA classroom is an environment where
students spend as much time learning from each other as they do from
professors. Teres nowhere to hide at the back in silence and hope you
dont get spotted. And the professors, while they lead discussions, will
not tell you what is right or wrong about a case study. You and your
team are expected to work out questions and solutions yourselves.
Tis peer-to-peer education means that a common language of a
high standard is essential. And, in this day and age, that means English.
To succeed in English-speaking colleges and universities, especially in
business school where the required amount of reading and assimilating
complex information is enormous, students need to be able to combine
language skills in the classroom.
Te Internet TOEFL, the preferred method since 2005, is now sco-
red out of 120, with 30 marks for each of the four sections. Luckily for
those who fear grammar which includes most native English speakers,
by the way that section has been removed. Business schools require
diferent scores and, as you might expect, targets at the top schools
F
o
t
o
:

F
o
t
o
l
i
a
TOEFL
35
What is TOEFL?
The TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - has a long history in the academic world. The frst test was taken in
Washington DC by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), a nonproft organization devoted to the research of the rela-
tionship between language and culture. Since then, the test has been developed and administered by ETS (Educational
Testing Service in Princeton, USA). It has become the most widely accepted academic English profciency test in the world
with over 800,000 people sitting for the test each year in over 180 countries around the world.
Paper-Based TOEFL
Te frst TOEFL was a paper-and-pencil test with multiple choice
questions in four language areas: listening, structure (grammar),
reading and writing with a top score of 677 and lasting 3 hours. Te
essay was hand-written and its score reported separately on a score
report. Te paper-based test is now obsolete. However, it is still used
in remote areas where computerized test centers are not available,
and therefore still accepted by some universities and colleges.
TOEFL CBT Computer-based test
In 1996 ETS introduced the TOEFL CBT a computer-based test
which tested the four language areas: listening, structure (grammar),
reading and writing with a top score of 300 and lasting 3.5 hours.
Te TOEFL CBT not only tested the test takers knowledge of
the rules of English sentence structure, but also, for example, the
ability to apply those rules and the use of a variety of vocabulary
in the essay writing section as well as making inferences about the
authors meaning and identifying the main idea of the passage in
the reading comprehension.
TOEFL iBT Interned-based test
Te next generation TOEFL internet-based test was launched in
2005 making the TOEFL CBT obsolete in those countries where it
was introduced. Te TOEFL iBT tests all four basic skills: reading,
listening, writing, and, for the frst time, speaking. Te grammar
section of the past two tests has been removed and is now tested as
part of the other sections, so it is important to use good grammar in
the speaking and writing sections. Te top score is 120 and the test
lasts four hours with a short break in the middle after the listening
section. It measures both receptive and expressive skills equally, and
also measures your integrated skills as half the total score is based
on your writing and speaking abilities. Tis means you must read
and/or hear a passage and respond by speaking or writing on what
you have read and/or heard. Tis section has been added to the test
since, to succeed academically in English-speaking colleges and uni-
versities, students need to be able to combine their language skills
in the classroom. Learning this skill helps to build the confdence
needed to communicate efectively in the academic environment.
In the speaking section, the responses are digitally recorded and
transmitted to ETSs Online Scoring Network where human scorers
rate them by carefully monitoring them for accuracy.
are high. Harvard asks for 109, for example, and Insead 104. Most
schools though, including highly reputable ones such as Manchester
Business School, require in the region of 90. Candidates should learn
what their target schools requirements are and then aim fve percent
higher, just in case.
Business schools also recommend working hard on your TOEFL
prior to having a stab at the GMAT. It makes sense of course. If your
English is of a good standard, and youve studied to improve your TO-
EFL score, the GMAT will be less of a challenge; however its surprising
how many times experts are asked this question. Also the TOEFL can
be taken as many times as you like, as you keep working your score
upward.
When thinking of the two tests, try and remember to keep the
TOEFL simple. You will get higher marks for writing a simple point in
fuent English than you will for brilliantly challenging Einsteins Teory
of Relativety in poor written or spoken English. With the GMAT and
while at business school you will have a chance to shine. With TOEFL,
just try and get the words right.
Te good news is that business schools want you to succeed and
you can go directly to your target schools for help. If you think your
TOEFL score is the weak link in your application, speak or write to
the admissions ofcers at the school. Tey will almost always know of
places, even in your home country, that will be able to help you.
Outside of that, its easier than ever before to get your English to
a level that most business schools will accept. Tere are dozens of free
and paid online courses; tutors are available in almost all countries; the
British Council can help and can be found in most major cities; and
there are literally thousands of resources available. If youre thinking of
going to business school, even if its in a few years time, start thinking
about your TOEFL now.
Ross Geraghty
Evolution of TOEFL
TOEFL
36
A complete overview of the TOEFL iBT
Skills Tested: Reading
Listening
Speaking
Writing
Test Time: 4 hours
Integrated Tasks: Yes
Note Taking: Yes
Computer Tutorials: No computer tutorial - instructions for answering questions are given within each section.
Computer Adaptive: Not computer adaptive each test taker receives the same range of
questions in any given form of the test.
Listening: 4 6 lectures, some with classroom discussion
each lecture 3 - 5 minutes long with 6 questions on each
2 3 conversations
each conversation is 3 minutes long with 5 questions on each
Time: 60 90 minutes
Score scale: 0 30
New: introduction of additional native English accents
longer, more authentic conversations and lectures
note-taking allowed
new questions that measure understanding of a
speakers attitude, degree of certainty, purpose, or motivation
Speaking: 6 tasks
2 independent tasks express an opinion on a familiar topic
4 integrated tasks speak based on what you have read and heard
up to 30 seconds to prepare the response
up to 60 seconds to respond
Time: 20 minutes
Score scale: 0 - 4 points; total of ratings converted to 0 30 score scale
New: Everything! It is a brand new section.
Reading: 3 5 passages from academic texts
approximately 700 words long
includes multiple-focus passages: compare/contrast, cause/efect
12 14 questions for each passage
Time: 60 - 100 minutes
Score scale: 0 30
New: Glossary to defne key words; user-friendly review feature
New task categorize information and fll in chart or complete summary
Writing: 2 tasks
1 integrated task write based on what is read and heard
1 independent task support an opinion on a topic
Time: 50 minutes ( 20 minutes for integrated task, 30 minutes for independent task)
Score scale: 0 5 points; total of ratings converted to 0 30 score scale
New: Integrated task
0 5 point rating
Typing required
Structure (Grammar) No grammar section, although grammar is evaluated in Speaking and Writing responses.
Total score: 0 - 120
Competency Descriptors Yes. They describe performance at major score points.
Toe
3
In October 2006 a workshop to benchmark the scores of the TOEFL iBT to the levels of the CEF (Common European
Framework) was held. Te committee of 20 professors of English, and Pedagogics conceded that a CEF level of higher
B2 C1 was required to participate efectively in an academic environment.
Are you ready to take the TOEFL iBT?
B 2 Independent Speaker
Can understand the main ideas of complex texts of both
concrete and abstract topics including technical discussions
in his or her feld of specialization.
Can interact with a degree of fuency and spontaneity that
makes regular interaction with native speakers possible
without strain for either party.
Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects
and explain a point of view on a topical issue giving advan-
tages and disadvantages of various options.
C 1 Profcient Speaker
Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts,
and recognize implicit meaning.
Can express him- or her-self fuently and spontaneously
without much obvious searching for expressions.
Can use the language fexibly and efectively for social, aca-
demic and professional purposes.
Can produce clear, well-structured and detailed text on
complex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational
patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.
And this is what is tested in the TOEFL iBT. If the school you are applying to is asking for a score around 105 /120 you can assu-
me that they are looking for C 1 level non-native speakers. Tis implies that the academic courses are demanding and unless your
English skills are good, you will not be successful in your studies.
Te TOEFL iBT internet-based TOEFL is the current version of the test and it has changed drastically from its original paper-and-
pencil multiple-choice test.
Te best approach is practice, practice, practice until you feel confdent enough to do the test. Tere are many free on-line practice
questions and tests that you can try, such as the one on the ETS website: http://www.ets.org/toef/ibt/prepare/sample_questions/
Registration
Te test is administered on fxed dates in a network of Internet-based centers. Test center information is posted at www.ets/toef.
Test takers can register
* Tere are Regional Registration Centers worldwide addresses are listed in the TOEFL iBT Registration and Information Bulletin
available at many educational advising centers, colleges and universities.
So you plan to take the TOEFL?
Online: www.ets.org/toef (for testing worldwide)
Phone: 1-443-751-4862 (for testing outside the USA and Canada)
1-800-468-6335 (for testing inside USA and Canada)
Mail: ETS-TOEFL iBT Registration Ofce
P.O. Box 6152,
Princeton, NJ 08541-6152
USA
TOEFL
38
The Week Before The Test
You should allow yourself at least 6 weeks to prepare before you take the TOEFL.
Trying to cram the information for the TOEFL in a few weeks is not efective.
There are some things you can do in the fnal week before the test:
Review strategies: Look back at the tips on preparation and make sure you are comfortable with them.
Review the diferent tasks: Familiarize yourself with the format and the question types in each
section.
Review trap questions: Look back at the questions youve completed. Review any question types that
were particularly difcult for you.
Know the directions: In order to avoid wasting time reading them on the test day, learn the directions
for each task.
Have a template plan: Review the format for your speaking and writing tasks review the structure your
responses should take.
Test Day
Important: Dont review into the night before the test - put your practice material aside and
give yourself a break.
Make sure you know where the test center is and plan to arrive 5 - 30 minutes before the scheduled
test time. There will be a lot of registration activity going on so give yourself time to register and
relax a little before you start.
Bring a valid photo ID such as a passport, ID card to the test center.
Bring 2 pencils to take notes although the center may provide pencils.
You may not take anything into the test center food, bags, laptops, etc.
Dress comfortably.
Especially in the second half of the test you will hear other test-takers speaking. Try to block them out
and concentrate completely on your own test.
Tips on Preparation
TOEFL
39
Some of them read from a prepared speech, some of them may have
pat answers from what they anticipate are going to be the questions,
some of them try to embellish their experience. What were looking for
is the right ft for the individual, and the program, says Joan White,
Associated Dean of MBA Programmes at the University of Alberta
School of Business in Edmonton, Canada. So think twice if you have
landed an interview at a business school and you think that means you
are in. Experts say you have just reached another critical test.
Applicants are often stunned to learn that the interview can even be
weighted as high as one third in the formula used to rank applicants,
observe the experts from ivyleagueadmission.com. Some feel this is
unfair because an hour-long interview doesnt adequately refect their
suitability for the feld. But in fact the interview isnt about academic
ability; its about whether you have the psychological strengths required
to be a leader.
Te reputation of any respected MBA program rests largely on
how well its graduates do in the real world, so the admissions team
must be convinced you will not only do well academically, but go on
to thrive in the competitive world of business. Te interview allows
the school to determine whether your interpersonal skills are as stellar
as your academic ones.
Some schools dont issue invitations for interviews, but leave it
to the applicants discretion. Many candidates wonder if its worth
the time. Many experts will tell you for certain that it is. In fact its
often your best opportunity to persuade the committee that you are a
superior candidate.
Once you have been invited for the interview, confrm via telephone
with whom exactly you will be speaking. A week before the interview
send a copy of your resume to each person you are scheduled to meet.
Tis may be obvious but still: to ace the interview, treat it like a major
job interview. Arrive conservatively dressed and that means business
attire even if its a Skype video call. For women: well-styled hair, no
excessive perfume, makeup or jewelry. For men: wear a conservative tie,
dress shoes and no jewelry other than a watch and wedding ring.
Interview questions are designed to identify your strengths and weak-
nesses and probe mainly the following areas: professional experience,
knowledge of the feld, personality, motivation and personal balance.
So focus on what you can do for them and for future employers, not
what they can do for you. Talk about your skills and the value youve
extracted from your business experiences and how that can transfer to
the classroom and boardroom beyond. Review as much information
as possible on your formal application. At the very least, be prepared
to discuss your three most
signifcant accomplishments and what they mean to you,
personal attributes of which you are most proud;
the abilities that will make you an excellent leader.
Be prepared to discuss your weaknesses
Scott Comber, director of Dalhousie Universitys Corporate Residency
MBA, says the interviewers want concrete examples from your past that
show why youre a good candidate. Give me three things youve done
to develop yourself in the last year, he says as a sample question. But
also: Tell me a time when youve really struggled academically.
Be prepared for a wide range of questions, from casual inquiries
about your family to probing questions about ethical issues. Also be
prepared for general questions about current events and items of interest
in popular culture. Nothing is more disheartening than interviewing
an academic genius who doesnt know who the Vice-President is, write
the experts from ivyleagueadmission.com. Tey advise:
Keep your answers short, but informative.
Avoid sounding self-centred.
Dont reveal insecurities.
Watch your tone. Youll certainly be asked a few stressor questions
that are designed to test your ability to handle confict. Dont get de-
fensive.
Barbara Bierach
Consider it as important
as a job interview!
Applicants are often stunned to learn that many business schools weigh interviews with
candidates as high as one third in the formula used to rank applicants. So think twice if you have
landed an invitation and think that you are in. You have just reached another critical test.
Interview
0
Kirstin
von Elm
Kirstin lives in Kiel, Germany, and
writes as freelance journalist
about business and career topics
for major German newspapers
such as Handelsblatt, FTD, Die
Welt. Kirstin studied Business
Administration in Goettingen,
Germany, and at UCLA in San Di-
ego. She worked for a publishing
house in Cologne, was program
planner with AOL in Hamburg
and business and fnance cor-
respondent with the TV station
n-tv in Berlin.
Correspondent
Contact: elm@
mba-channel.com
Barbara
Barkhausen
Barbara works as print and TV
journalist and is based in Sydney,
Australia. She has been wor-
king as a foreign correspondent
since 2002. Barbara Barkhausen
fnished a masters degree after
studies in Munich and Los Ange-
les and started her media career
at the biggest European TV
station ZDF. Later on she worked
for the renowned flm production
company Bavaria Film for fve
years in several senior positions
before immigrating to Sydney.
Today she works for a variety of
German and Australian maga-
zines, radio- and TV stations. She
is the author of several books,
including one about the German-
Australian economic relationship.
In 2011 she has published the
frst comprehensive book about
Australia for the German market.
Correspondent
Contact: barkhausen@
mba-channel.com
Barbara
Bierach
Barbara has been working as
a foreign correspondent since
2005, frst out of New York City
before migrating to Sydney in
200. Barbara has a masters de-
gree in political science and eco-
nomics and trained in Germanys
Deutscher Journalistenschule in
Munich. The frst years of her ca-
reer she spent as reporter for the
German edition of Forbes. At
Wirtschaftswoche, Germanys
leading business weekly she
then edited the management
and careers sections for many
years. After publishing the best
seller Das dmliche Geschlecht
(The Stupid Sex) she started
free lancing for various German
and Swiss media. She also serves
as board member in Australias
Foreigen Correspondents Asso-
ciation.
Chief Editor
Contact: bierach@
mba-channel.com
Get in touch
Get in touch
Cener
Dogan
Cener is an experienced media
and communications professional
based in London. She studied
media science and intercultural
communication at the Ludwig-
Maximilian University in Munich.
In Germany and in the UK, she has
worked in communication depart-
ments of international organiza-
tions, such as Siemens AG
and Allianz Group as well as in
media agencies. Before setting
up her own business in media
and PR she was responsible for
the communications campaigns
of the QS World MBA Tour, the
QS World Grad School Tour and
QS TopMBA Connect 1-2-1 at QS
Ltd, and for developing strategic
business partnerships and media
relations.
Sales Representative
Contact: dogan@
mba-channel.com;
T: +44-75 95 63 73 27
1
Mary
Petersen
Since 2005 Mary has been a
coach and counsellor, supporting
prospective MBA students with
the entire application process
including writing powerful CVs,
editing application essays, GMAT
and TOEFL training. She started
her career as a high school tea-
cher in Australia before coming to
Germany where she established
Logik Sprachtraining Is your
English up to Business? and later
became an accredited internatio-
nal CV/ resume writer and TOEIC
Test Center. In 200, she was on
the European Committee to map
the TOEIC to the CEF levels of
the EU and again in 2006 for the
TOEFL. Mary has just completed
two books under the auspices of
ETS and Hueber Verlag: Fit for
TOEFL and Fit for TOEIC. Mary
and her team work closely with
three major business schools in
Germany providing them with
GMAT seminars.
Correspondent
Contact: academic-support@
logik-sprachtraining.de
T: +49- 89-9037662
Anja
akmak
Anja has been working in the
feld of international and national
Campus Marketing, Employer-
Branding, Graduate-Recruiting
and HR Communications for 1
years. For more than seven years
she worked with the internati-
onal HR Marketing Consultancy
HR Gardens (former EMDS) as
Project Manager in charge of
candidate attraction, university
liaison and press relations, then
continued her career at an in-
ternational publishing company
where she was responsible for
strategic and operative marke-
ting. Furthermore Anja was one
of the founders and Managing Di-
rector of the frst German Search
Engine for students, graduates
and Young Professionals. Anja
counsels companies in Campus
Marketing and Employer Bran-
ding strategies and activities.
Marketing + Cooperations
Contact: cakmak@
mba-channel.com
T: +49-2 11-31 13 89-23
Gudrun
Mikus
Gudrun studied philosophy, me-
dia, German literature and jour-
nalism. She started her career as
a copywriter and PR consultant in
an accredited full service adverti-
sing agency in Essen, where she
worked as a customer adviser
for diferent industries. Gudrun
was in charge of the creation of
advertisting campaigns for radio,
television and internet, as well as
for consulting services.
Producer
Contact: mikus@
mba-channel.com
T: +49-2 11-31 13 89-27
1st Edition 2011
Published and 2011 by
matchboxmedia and mba-channel,
Dsseldorf, Germany
Chief Editor: Barbara Bierach
Correspondents: Barbara Barkhau-
sen, Danny Byrne, Kirstin von Elm,
Ross Geraghty, Ann Graham, Mary
Petersen; info@mba-channel.com
Publisher: Annette Eicker
Layout: Heike Hassel, Gudrun Mikus,
Ernst Merheim
Sales Representative: Cener Dogan,
dogan@mba-channel.com
All rights reserved (including those of
translation into other languages). No part
of this book may be reproduced in any
form by photoprinting, microflm or any
other means nor transmitted or trans-
lated into a machine language without
written permission from the publishers.
Registered names, trademarks, etc. used
in this book, even when not specifcally
marked as such, are not to be considered
unprotected by law.
Disclaimer: The publisher does not as-
sume any responsibility or liability , spe-
cifcally regarding erroneous information
about the organizations.
Alle Rechte, insbesondere die der
bersetzung in andere Sprachen, vor-
behalten. Kein Teil dieser Publikation
darf ohne schriftliche Genehmigung
des Verlages in irgendeiner Form
durch Fotokopie, Mikroverflmung
oder irgendein anderes Verfahren
reproduziert oder in eine von Ma-
schinen, insbesondere von Datenver-
arbeitungsmaschinen, verwendbare
Sprache bertragen oder bersetzt
werden. Die Wiedergabe von
Warenbezeichnungen, Handelsna-
men oder sonstigen Kennzeichen in
diesem Buch berechtigt nicht zu der
Annahme, dass diese von jedermann
frei benutzt werden drfen. Vielmehr
kann es sich auch dann um eingetra-
gene Warenzeichen oder sonstige
gesetzlich geschtzte Kennzeichen
handeln, wenn sie nicht eigens als
solche markiert sind.
Eine Haftung des Verlages, insbeson-
dere wegen fehlerhafter Angaben zu
Unternehmen, ist ausgeschlossen.
Imprint
Get in touch

MBA in Europe 2011

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

MBA in Europe 2011

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

in Europe MBA

Executive MBA on the rise

More women than ever

February 2011 saw the launch of the European Geographic Trends

You might also like