Business School Research

I am a Computer Science Engineering graduate from Bangalore. I have been working in TCS from the past 2 yrs as a Programmer Analyst. I recently took the GMAT without any coaching and scored 600 (Q 47, V26). I used to score in 650s in my GMATprep mocks. My aggregate score in the 4 yrs of engg is 68%. The University topper would have an aggregate of 75-80%. I am a people's person and find it exciting to meet new people. I easily share a rapport with them. A voracious reader from a young age, I have diverse interests and have been doing extracurricular activities ranging from Writing, Pencil sketching, learning new Indian languages, playing Indian Classical music on the guitar. I have been actively involved in Charity. I have been volunteering to teach English to underprivileged kids in GOVT run schools. I have helped start a Library in one such school. I really adore my Alma Mater VVSSPHS to whose Library I make frequent contributions of good books that I think would shape the minds of young people. I am planning to do my MBA in Marketing in the US. I am looking at a school with affordable fees, so I chose TAMU - college station, Georgia Terry, UT Dallas, and NUS Singapore. These schools have a mean GMAT...

UK’s Economy has struggled for the past 2 to 3 years and with the recent Visa restriction, finding jobs that offer the best ROI has become quite challenging. Let us compare two schools – Cass Business School and Lancaster University Business School, and find out which MBA program is better for you.

Location

Lancaster has historic ties with the British Monarchy, and is known for its cultural and educational centers. The presence of Lancaster University has transformed the City into a hub for higher education. Earlier, the City was known for its manufacturing industries especially textile Industry but from 1980s, the city’s economy became less dependent on industries and now is comprised of small businesses with 90% of them employing less than 10 employees. The only manufacturing industry that has maintained its presence felt is the aerospace industry. The city has embraced the service sector with hospitality, financial, retail, distribution and Business services dominating this sector.

Cass Business School on the other hand is located in London, one of the financial and commercial capitals of the world. Over 80% of...

Both Haas and Tepper are among the top Business Schools in the US. Haas School of Business is located in Berkeley, California – in the University of California, Berkeley campus - one of the 14 colleges and schools that are part of the Campus. Tepper School of Business is located in Carnegie Mellon University’s campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Location

Berkeley’s economy is primarily driven by the educational sector. According to recent employment statistics, the University of California, Berkeley was the top Employer, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was at a distant second.

Pittsburgh offers a much diverse opportunity. Although initially known for Steel trade, the city has transitioned to a hub for technology companies, with over 1600 high tech companies contributing towards the economy. Healthcare and Financial Services companies are the other two popular sectors.

Ranking

Haas School of Business has a clear advantage over Tepper. When you consider the average rank of MBA programs from US News, BusinessWeek, Financial Times and The Economist, Haas has an average rank of 10 while Tepper ranks at 20.

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Risk cannot be measured objectively and the metrics to measure risks are means to face uncertainties that lay ahead with a decision. The risk that an Asian MBA aspirant perceives might be non-existent for American students. Although the overall risk depends on the culture that the students are exposed to, let us look at some of the General risks that an MBA Aspirant face while choosing an MBA program.

1) Location Risk

Although the location of the job post-MBA is a crucial factor for choosing one program over the other, students who plan to be part of an MBA program don’t research in detail about the constraints and opportunities of post-MBA job locations. One metric that gives a sense of the economic state of the location is the GPD growth rate. A 3-Year GDP growth rate might give you a short-term view of where the economy is heading but if you read F1GMAT’s 5-Year GDP growth rate of top MBA Destinations, you will get a better picture of some of the best post-MBA locations.

2) Industrial Risk

If you have read MBA Employment report, most schools will...

INSEAD Business School had announced the Abu Dhabi Module in Sep 2012. However, the first class of the Module began in Jan 2013. The program gives students in France and Singapore the opportunity to work with the government, and Businesses in UAE.The Module has 10.5 elective credits. It is divided into three parts: Doing Business in the UAE and the Middle East, Negotiation Dynamics and field-based project with a local company. For the Module, 35 Students from 22 nationalities have been selected from over 1000 student INSEAD MBA Class.

Students learn through lectures, interaction with local and regional Business Experts, and field-based projects on actual cases. Some of the local partners for the Field-based projects include Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), Masdar, Mubadala Development Company, and MBC Group. In addition to local companies, Global companies such as Standard Chartered Bank, Booz, and McKinsey & Co. are also part of the Abu Dhabi INSEAD Module. From the Govt. side, Ministry of Sound is a key partner in the program. The primary goal of the Module is to deepen the understanding of Middle East, especially UAE as a destination for doing Business.

What...

IMD and INSEAD MBA programs seem to be different tier programs but both MBAs are often shortlisted by aspirants who are planning to get into a top program in Europe. Let us look at eleven factors and compare the MBA programs.

1) Size

The primary difference between the two programs is the class size. IMD is targeted for a select few with just 90 students selected every year for the Full-time MBA Program. INSEAD Full-time MBA, on the other hand has over 1000 students.

2) Location

IMD’s Campus is located in Lausanne, a French speaking City in Switzerland. It is just 62km from Geneva, one of the Financial Centers in the world. The largest employment opportunity in Lausanne is for the services sector, followed by Manufacturing and Processed Goods sector. INSEAD on the other hand has a three-campus structure: Fontainebleau (Main Campus), Singapore and Abu Dhabi. With this structure, students can leverage the strengths of each of the locations – Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

3) Ranking

When you compare the average rank from three major rankings: Financial Times Global MBA Ranking, The Economist Full-time MBA...

Although many students might argue that MIT Sloan is at a different level when compared to Tuck, the following comparison will give you a clearer picture on which MBA program is best suited for you. The Comparison is based on Location, Ranking, Curriculum, Exchange Programs, Internships, Post MBA Salary, and  Career Service and Alumni Network.

1) Location

MIT Sloan is located in Cambridge, a city in Massachusetts, located in Greater Boston Area, in the United States. Cambridge is known for Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of the world’s most renowned institutions. During the 19th and 20th Century, Manufacturing sector was the largest employers in the City but from the inception of MIT and Harvard, the universities became the largest employer with the 2010 census indicating a combined employment of 20,000. It is the sixth largest city in the United States. Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth is located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. Hanover is a small town with a population of just 11,200, according to 2010 census.

2) Ranking

Except Economist, all other major publications that include US News...

If you have missed the first part of the series, read MIT Sloan vs Tuck MBA: Comparison Based on Location, Ranking, Class Profile, Curriculum, Exchange Programs and Internships

7) Post MBA Salary

When it comes to median and mean Base Salary, MIT Sloan MBA Students have reported a higher mean base salary of $118,406 against Tuck’s $115,000. When you look sector wise, MIT Sloan has better compensation across all sectors except VC, Hedge Fund and Private Equity sector. Tuck also has a higher percentage of representation (4%) in PE sector and Consulting (36%). MIT has a larger representation in Manufacturing (18.1%). For details, check out the comparison table below.

Some of the top Hirers for MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2012 are McKinsey & Company , Amazon, Boston Consulting Group , Bain & Company , Citi and Google. Tuck also attracts similar recruiters with companies like Amazon, Apple, McKinsey & Company, Time Inc. and JPMorgan Chase &...

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania offer world’s best MBA programs. Let us compare the programs based on 9 factors: Location, Ranking, Cost, Class Profile, Curriculum, Experiential Learning, International Learning Opportunities, Post-MBA Opportunities, and Alumni Network.

1) Location

Booth is located in Chicago, the third largest city in the US and home to 29 Fortune 500 companies, Federal Reserve Bank, and five major financial exchanges - Chicago Stock Exchange (CHX), the Chicago Board Options Exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade, and the NYSE Arca. The City is one of the most diversified economies in US with contribution from a wide range of sectors that include Finance, Manufacturing, IT, and Health Care. Chicago is known as the global center for derivatives trading. It is also known for sustainability, hosting 23 leading Clean Tech and Wind Energy Companies.
 
Wharton's main campus is located in Philadelphia, the second largest city in US East Coast. The city is known for healthcare and biotechnology, financial services, media,...

If you have missed the first part of the series, Read Booth vs Wharton MBA: Location, Ranking, Duration, Cost, Class Profile and Curriculum.

6) Experiential Learning

Learning by doing is an approach that some of the top Business Schools have adopted. Booth and Wharton have implemented them through Exchange Programs, Summer Projects, Student Club Projects, and Labs.

At Wharton, the Experiential Learning is focused on leadership development rather than individual functions. Booth on the other hand looks at experiential learning at Functional level with Lab Courses in Management, New Venture, Private Equity, Social Entrepreneurship, and Clean Tech.  Both Wharton and Booth offer experiential learning opportunities through Elective Courses. Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior are two courses that involve Experiential learning at Booth.

Chicago Booth provides experiential learning through Lab Courses. The Management lab, in addition to offering opportunities in developing strategic thinking,...

While many credit Harvard Business School for the introduction of the case study method, few know that it was the second educational institution to use it. The first was the Harvard Law School, in 1870. HBS adopted this method in 1920.  Today, the case study method is the most popular tool in management education. And not surprising, the best colleges in the world have adopted this tool.

What is the case study method?

Case studies are the presentation of real life business scenarios that are complex and dependent on multiple variables. It includes information about that scenario as well as specific conditions in which it takes place. It could be a business dilemma, a policy decision, or an ethical question. Students have to analyze the facts, and find a feasible solution. The proposed solution should be supported by data and should be logically reached. In class, the professor would...

MBA Aspirants who have shortlisted their top three Business Schools but still are not sure about the quality of the course, should consider enrolling for free online courses through Coursera. It is a non-profit online platform founded with the vision of educating millions of students. Students can watch lectures conducted by world-class professors, take interactive tests, and get an understanding on the quality of lectures. The Management courses cover areas in Business Strategy, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, General Management, Finance, and Operations Management.

The top Universities that are taking part in the initiative include Stanford University, Columbia University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Florida, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Duke University, Case Western Reserve University, Pennsylvania State University, IE Business School, Rochester University, University of Michigan, City University of Hong Kong, Princeton University, National Taiwan University and Northwestern University.

MIT has been the pioneer in offering free online courses with the MITOPENCOURSEWARE platform. Sloan School of Management is also part of the platform...

Business School research should be the most important activity in your MBA Application process. If you get this process right, then all you efforts in GMAT Preparation, MBA Application Essays, Interview, and Recommendation Letter will fall into place. Let us look into nine key selection criteria:

1) Post-MBA Goals

MBA Applicants have different goals. It is important to define goals, clearly, according to your background and motivation. Not all applicants want to enter investment banking, or start their own Business. Some might look at an MBA as a mean to switch job functions, increase prospects globally, or use it to explore various career options.

If you have read Switching Industries after MBA – Not Easy! you will understand that many MBA students chose a career path that was not anticipated before joining the MBA program. They were able to do so after gaining exposure to various electives and experiential learning. That does not mean that you should not have a clear post-MBA career path but be open about choosing industries and...