MBA ZoNe - B-School Blogger

Decision-Making in an Imperfect World

by Stacy Blackman Consulting

In response to a growing number of employers complaining that many MBA graduates lack crucial decision-making skills, Dean R. Glenn Hubbard of Columbia Business School has created a new twist on the classic teaching format known as the case study. Invented by Harvard Business School nearly a century ago, most B-schools use this device to some extent, which relies on a narrative arc, protagonist and clear story line to illustrate typical scenarios one might encounter in the business world.

According to MBA Toolbox, however, this model can deprive students of an authentic learning experience because the teacher is too much of a star and the students are too passive. As a result, the students fail to develop important skills that they need for success in their business careers.

Executive Learning on Location

by Stacy Blackman Consulting

The current business environment requires operations within an international context, and those looking for hands-on experience in other countries might consider the exciting new executive management program created by Georgetown University and ESADE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. Known as the Georgetown-ESADE Global Executive MBA, the program will be offered by Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business and Walsh School of Foreign Service with ESADE Business School. It will be delivered in six 11-day modules on four continents, and is designed to meet the needs of accomplished executives whose scope of work is global.

Acting Lessons…Not Just for Thespians Anymore

by Stacy Blackman Consulting

What can b-school students learn in a theater class? Plenty, it seems, as a growing number of prestigious MBA programs are including acting classes as an innovative way to boost leadership, communication and presentation skills. In a “Leadership as Acting” course at MIT-Sloan, students perform a condensed version of Shakespeare’s “Henry V”, in which a small group of people with a common goal and an inspiring leader can achieve great things.

Stanford to Change Curriculum Structure

"Perennially at or near the top of all the major rankings, the Stanford Graduate School of Business has little reason to fiddle with its formula for success. But that is just what the school has decided to do. After a four-month review, the faculty has approved major changes to the curriculum that will allow students to have a greater say over which courses they take..."
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Source:  The Economist

London Business School Blog Launched

Take a peek Inside the London MBA.  The London Business School has launched their blog.  "News and views from the London Business School MBA community"

CEO's Creating Own B-School Programs

"Top schools are letting CEOs tailor programs to get the most bang for their buck. Alan Hassenfeld, chairman of toy maker Hasbro, says executive leadership training programs don’t work unless top management gets involved. He ought to know. He has been instrumental in starting a customized one-week program with the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College to train 200 of Hasbro’s best and brightest from around the globe..."
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Source: Chief Executive Magazine | Jul 2005

Custom-Designed Programs at Top Schools

"CEOs are turning to custom-designed programs at top schools to educate the senior ranks. Bill Franz recalls the moment with clarity. As director of training and development for Osram Sylvania, the global lighting company, he had just spent about $400,000 to put four teams of six managers through the firm’s Global Managers Institute..."
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Source: Chief Executive Magazine | Jul 2004

Harvard B-School Dean to Step Down

"Stunning the campus, B-school Dean Kim Clark is leaving to head the Idaho unit of Brigham Young University. The search is on for a successor. Since he came to Harvard as a freshman in 1967, Harvard Business School Dean Kim Clark has left the university only once -- to serve as a Mormon missionary in Germany. Now, at 56, Clark is once again answering the call of his church. On June 6 he announced he's leaving Harvard to become president of Mormon-affiliated Brigham Young University-Idaho in Rexburg..."
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Source: BusinessWeek