Perversion of the MBA as a Degree

Can A Sub-700 GMAT Take You Out?

Poets and Quants ran an article, "Can a Sub-700 Take You Out?" that read: "A score of 700 on the GMAT just isn't worth what is used to be. A comparison of the average scores at leading U.S. business schools with ten years ago shows that with the exception of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, you’d be within 10 points of the top 7 schools, and ahead of the game for the rest of the top 20.

And while breaking the 700 barrier back in 2003 would secure you a place in the top 92% of test takers, the same score today means you have scored in the top 89%.

It's this kind of perverse logic that corrupts the MBA as a degree.  

Just look at the numbers: (1) top school report average GMAT scores, so even schools with a 700 avg. admit good students with less than a 700 score; (2) not all top 20 programmes average 700 (e.g., from QS TopMBA #6 Columbia 670, #8 Rotman 673 & #16 HEC 630); (3) the term "doomed" implies that you cannot get a good education from programmes outside the top twenty.

Here's an except from the most recent QS TOPMBA Global 200 report: "The top three schools are ...the strongest in terms of students’ average GMAT scores, suggesting that there is a close match between the perceptions of employers and the best qualified MBA students. However, the correlation is far less precise beyond the leading three. ...Columbia, Rotman and Fuqua all make the top ten for employer recognition yet have average GMAT scores of under 700."

Note: The correlation between programme reputation and GMAT score is loose at best; QS equates GMAT score to "best qualified MBA student" (a fallacy); and the average GMAT score in the QS Global 200 was 632 (We're talking about a few points!  Not evident from the quote).

Even more interesting is that GMAC's own data show an inverse relationship between GMAT score & age, as well as discrimination against females.

(1) The highest test scores (by age category) were posted by students of less than twenty years of age: kids. Males of this age averaged 604, while females averaged 597 (though this demographic accounted for only 0.6 % of test takers).

(2) Test scores drop precipitously for both males and females: i.e., inversely correlated with age and presumably attributes associated with age, such as experience, maturity and wisdom. Females: age 20-21 (avg. 572); 24-25 (528); 31-34 (504); 40-49 (449). Women over the age of 21 years averaged less than a 550 score and would likely be excluded from many top MBA programmes.

(3) The number of woman sitting for the GMAT dropped precipitously after the age of 23 years: age 22-23 (N=27K); 24-25 (17K); 26-27 (12K); ... 31-34 (6K).

(4) Women consistently posted lower average test scores within age categories, oftentimes with meaningful differences (e.g., age 26-27: male avg. 571 vs. female avg. 533).

(5) Three countries, the U.S., India and China, accounted for 71% of all GMAT tests taken in the world, with the U.S. accounting for over 90K (of 238K) test takers. India (577) and China (582) significantly outperformed the U.S. (532) on average.

This last observation from the data suggests that the GMAT is largely a U.S convention valued most by those wanting to study in the U.S. and not valued as highly across the globe.

(see Observations on the GMAT)

Otago MBA - QS TopMBA Global 200 Ranking

Otago MBA - QS Ranking

I have written elsewhere that the Otago MBA management team made the decision long ago to design a fully-integrated programme to deliver best value to our students, rather than compete on rankings of spurious meaning (see design decisions and rankings).  Nonetheless, it's useful on occasion to examine how we stack up relative to other prestigious programmes.  Here's an analysis of the QS TopMBA Global 200 Rankings.

The QS TopMBA Global 200 programmes are distributed as follows: 90 are located in North America; 60 in Europe; 35 in Asia/Pacific; 10 in Latin America; and 5 in the Middle East or Africa.

The Otago MBA ranks 32nd in the Asia/Pacific region and is identified as an Emerging Regional MBA programme. We take satisfaction from being included in the QS TopMBA Global 200, but take an even closer look. The Otago MBA:

Is the only MBA programme in New Zealand ranked in the QS Top 200.

Performs well (22nd in the Asia/Pacific region) on average GMAT score (632).  The average GMAT for all QS TopMBA Global 200 programmes is 632.

Averages more years of work experience than all but one other programme in the Asia/Pacific region (10 years).

Averages more years work experience than all but 3 programmes in the entire QS TopMBA Global 200 rankings.  (No North American MBA programme averaged more years of work experience than the Otago MBA.)

Offers a well-designed MBA programme; centered around mature, experienced peers; at a competitive price ($37.4K domestic, $45.2K Int'l) relative to other prestigious schools of business (see INSEAD - $59.5K and Melbourne School of Business - $70K).

 Note: An inverse relationship exists between GMAT score and age (see Observations on the GMAT), making the Otago MBA's performance on these measures even more satisfying.  We choose to emphasize experience/wisdom rather the recency/comfort in taking standardized tests.

 David

Our Otago MBA Graduates

We begin the Otago MBA by selecting the right candidates and then we strive to educate the whole person, with emphasis given to the student's reasoning abilities and character.  The question remains: "What should a graduate of our MBA programme look like?"  We adhere to a well-designed Assurance of Learning (AoL) programme that ties student assessments (course-by-course) to specific learning objects and cumulatively aligns with the following graduate student profile.  

As a professional, we expect our students to demonstrate maturity, experience and self-motivation. They should possess clearly articulated career ambitions; embrace “scary” challenges as growth opportunities; work well independently or confidently alongside seasoned professionals; as well as deftly network with business colleagues (e.g., through social media).

As a scholar, our graduates should demonstrate the ability to think conceptually within relevant business disciplines (e.g., economics, finance, marketing, human capital, operational excellence or international business), as well as within practical professional literatures (e.g., sustainability, leadership, and ethics).  They should possess the ability to capture complex business problems in a credible business frame; express an independent voice in business discussions; and make a genuine intellectual contribution to strategic decisions.

As an effective communicator, our graduates should possess the ability to construct well-crafted arguments in professional presentations; express him or herself efficiently and fluently in written documents; confidently express independent opinions with business colleagues; identify appropriate / relevant business analysis; translate those analyses into quantitative methods; and confidently support arguments with accurate, rigorous and reliable data.

As a leader, our graduates should demonstrate character (e.g., remain ethical and honest); slow the world down to think critically, thoughtfully and reflectively; remain respectful of individual and cultural differences; positively impact others (i.e., adhere to a Hippocratic Oath: Above all, do no harm); demonstrate refined interpersonal skills (e.g., manage relationships); overcome difficulties and work without trauma; accept prediction errors as learning opportunities; and remain coachable: listen and accept advice/guidance.

We emphasize consistent themes across our core programme with the intention of

instilling these skills and qualities in our students: a transformation occurs

 as they near graduation.

Cheers,

David

The 540 Professional Consulting Engagement: Melissa Barry

The Product-Market Fit

Melissa Barry is another outstanding student from our MBA 37 class, a talented and accomplished

individual who has earned the respect and admiration of our entire Otago MBA family.

Melissa came into our Otago MBA with a PhD in neuroscience and little experience in business: she learned quickly and won our David S Wright Memorial Prize for the highest level of academic improvement in the 2013 class.  Now, she has selected a global high-tech 540 client, an industry-leading company well-aligned with her background in medial sciences, as well as her career ambition of working in a business strategy / market analysis position for a technology systems company. 

Melissa's background in science has placed her in an advantageous position to perform well in her 540 consulting engagement: she possesses refined conceptual reasoning and writing abilities.  Melissa submitted an acceptable project proposal in the first draft (an uncommon accomplishment) and her project included complexities which deserve discussion here.

As Melissa quickly identified, this project is a product-market analysis (the two central concepts of her project), with both the product and market requiring precise definitions based on her data analyses.  The complexities arise owing to the nature of the company and market. For instance, the product deals with the cutting edge of science and science ultimately wins. So, the needs and desires of customers may not fully matter, if science says that the future of the market (and product) requires her client to move in a particular direction: i.e, remaining on the cutting edge of knowledge. 

The client's strategy will also influence the direction they go with this product.  Melissa's client is positioned as the top-of-the-line, technological leader in the industry and will need to offer the best product available regardless of whether it fits all customers.  The company's commitment to customer service may play an important role in bridging the gap between "what the client's product can do" and what less intellectually advanced customers are prepared to do. Other customers may not be able to financially keep up and thereby not constitute a viable market for Melissa's client. 

This last issue raises questions about what a market rollout of the product should look like. While, an initial definition of the intended geographic market may emphasize size and profitability, Melissa will need to assess whether all markets are equal.  Some geographic markets may be easier to penetrate than others based on factors that make them more receptive, progressive or influential in driving future sales. 

This point raises questions pertaining to Melissa's methods and particularly the data used in her analyses: she may not be able to rely solely on data from the within the client's organization (i.e., data that capture the current situation).  If the project involves forecasting trends, then Melissa will need to gather interview data from industry experts (or thought leaders) concerning projected trends in the client's science technology, as well as the attractiveness of target markets.

I would like to emphasize that Melissa Barry is off to a fantastic start with her 540 Professional Consulting Engagement. Her experience in our programme (repositioning her career) and her 540 project (well aligned with her career interests) may represent the ideal model we aspire to deliver to our students. My comments here are simply intended to provoke all of our students' thinking about the kinds of complex business problems we routinely address in the 540 experience.

Cheers,

David

The 540 Professional Consulting Engagement: Update 22/01 & Questions

It is my intention to offer periodic updates on our students' 540 projects, so everyone feels motivated to continue to make progress.  Nevertheless, I cannot help but start with a "feel good" item.

Praise for Silvia Scherer: comments from Tim Loftus

"One of the great benefits of participating in the Otago MBA was the exceptional people in the program. I had the great pleasure of working with Silvia in my syndicate and developing a meaningful lifelong friendship in the process. Silvia's leadership skill and emotional intelligence were incredible assets to our group work and to the overall atmosphere in our classroom. Silvia's extensive international experiences and unique perspective on management added a necessary dimension to the educational experience at Otago.

I am thankful for having had the opportunity to work with a professional like Silvia and I am honoured to call her a dear friend.  Silvia is a wonderful person and her friendship was a highlight of my MBA."

Status report:

James Nation has an approved project proposal, as well as a supervisor (Jodyanne Kirkwood - entrepreneurship), Confidentiality Agreement (CA) and Human Ethics Application.

Ryf Quail submitted an excellent first draft of his proposal and will easily receive approval with minor revisions.  Ryf will be working with Richard Higham.

Melissa Barry has identified a terrific client, well aligned with her career ambitions, and has an exceptionally well-written proposal, including a professional Gantt chart for managing her work.

Mal Sirisekara will be working with one of the top consulting houses in Auckland on a corporate strategy project involving the assessment and valuation of takeover targets.  He is writing his proposal.

Jarrod Kreft has locked in a high profile, multinational sports apparel and accessories client and is drafting his proposal.  We have identified an ideal supervisor for Jarrod's project.

Questions:

Mal asked the question:  What is the procedure in finalizing the supervisor? Does the MBA contact them or are we supposed to talk to them? 

It is the Academic Leader's (my) responsibility, in conjunction with our MBA team and project panel, to select an appropriate supervisor for each project.  We're in a position to evaluate the needs of all students and determine best fit with the available resources (faculty) in the Otago School of Business.  Our selection of the faculty supervisor will depend on the project scope, relevant business discipline and methods/analyses.  You should not approach faculty without coordinating with me.

Melissa Barry asked:  Does the Human Ethics Application need to be sent in with the proposal?

No.  Melissa, a PhD in Neuroscience, is all over the Human Ethics Application owing to her background in medicine.  Most of our projects will require a Human Ethics Application because we encourage you to use multiple forms of data: hard and soft.  For instance, whenever possible you should interview industry experts to validate your work and expand your professional network.  

The University requires us to devote honest effort to this process, but the innocuous nature of our projects means that we get a rubber stamp approval.  The real benefit to our students is in structuring a credible research instrument (survey or interview schedule), so you get the data you need for your analyses.

Cheers,

David 

The 540 Professional Consulting Engagement: the Proposal

To current and future students:  A common scenario plays out in the 540 experience.  Our student meets with the client and is bombarded with overwhelming immediate, context-specific information, enough to make his or her head spin. It is the student's job to bring this information back and allow us to help structure a suitable project. We abstract away from the immediate and irrelevant data to ask, “What kind of problem is this?” We separate the noise (e.g., opinion and situational details) from a credible understanding of the problem and solutions.

Then, our students (you) work with the Academic Leader to structure a two-page formal project proposal consistent with our standard template, available from me.  The proposal constitutes an informal contract between you and the Otago MBA concerning the 540 requirements for graduation: this is an internal document only and not for circulation to the client.

The proposal also represents a very important working document intended to remove the grey and confusing mess of a complex business situation and add clarity. The proposal should provide sufficient structure to allow you to work efficiently in collecting data and completing your analyses. We do not want you to grope your way through the project.

Your proposal will contain the following: information about you, client profile, current challenge, your project (description, purpose, objectives, scope of work, and methods), schedule of deliverables, start and finish dates, as well as contact information for your client.

• Client profile: Offer a short (two or three sentence) profile of the client, emphasizing information required to understand the challenge this company or non-profit agency faces: create a context. 

• Current challenge: Briefly describe the complex business problem, a challenge, this company faces (e.g., increased competition, lagging performance or untapped market – the reason for your project.

• Academic frame: Capture the challenge in an appropriate business frame (e.g., marketing, finance, economics, operations, strategy, sustainability or international business) that informs your methods and analyses (e.g., right data, collection methods and data analyse). 

• Any 540 project focuses on business concepts. Some concepts delimit the project scope (this product or those competitors), while other concepts are defined by your analyses. You need to clearly identify the concepts of focus for your analyses.

• Project description: You next describe the project scope, purpose and objectives for your analyses.

• Define the project scope based on concepts: limited to this market (countries), performance (financial), operations (supply chain) or other concepts / delimiters that enable you to focus your work.  The purpose defines the intended benefit to your client and objectives describe the specific questions addressed.

• Methods: Every project requires the student to collect and analyse data. You should include hard data whenever possible and may conduct content analyses (i.e., of annual reports), a survey (i.e., questionnaire data) or interviews with key constituents or industry experts.

• Clearly describe (1) the data; (2) how you will collect data; (3) specific research tool – an interview instrument; (4) sources of data; and (5) how you will analyse the data.

At this point, you should have a well-honed grasp of the work required to complete your 540 project with minimal wasted effort.  Please ask if you have any questions.  

Future students: Few opportunities exist in your professional career to perform on a big stage,

with the spotlight on you and the backing of professionals who will help you look good.

This is your chance to advance your career or make a transition to a new career.

Express your interest now.

David

See also: Conceptual Reasoning and Mentored Consulting Engagement.

Back to Work: the 540 professional consulting engagement

Queenstown - Lake Wakatipu

The holiday's over and it's time to get back to work.  You may have surmised from previous posts that our 2013 Phase One coursework has ended and our MBA 37 students are either completing Phase Two electives through an Int'l exchange (e.g., at Duke and UNC) or starting their 540 consulting engagement. Most students will enhance their marketability with both an Int'l exchange and project, but they have some flexibility about the timing of these endeavors.

It is my intention to allow future students to "peek inside the Otago MBA," so we (our students and I) plan to open up our discussion of current projects to you. You can listen in and direct questions to me. This format for discussion has two benefits for us: 1) I do not need to repeat explanations N times; and 2) our students can learn from each other. Students face the challenge of completing the 540 project away from Dunedin and separate from their MBA support network: something we can address here.  For you, our future students, this is what you need to know up front:

Preparation for the BUSI 540 project begins the moment the student walks through our front door.  The Otago MBA programme is designed as an integrated educational experience from orientation to 540 business project, with core courses introducing students to relevant academic disciplines, business analyses and quantitative methods; and professional development activities affording opportunities to clarify career ambitions, hone professional skills and build a network. 

The formal project process begins with a conversation between you and the Academic Leader (me) about your career ambitions: “What do you want to do with your career?” and “Where do you want to go?” 

We then work with you to identify a suitable client and project aligned with your career interests and with an appropriate intellectual challenge.

It is your responsibility to find a sponsor (your contact) in a corporate or nonprofit client (oftentimes with our assistance), gain an understanding of the client’s operation, and map a well-defined challenge this organization faces.

Please be aware, the client does not define the project. Clients are oftentimes confused (why they need our help), define the project in terms of a solution, and lack the ability to capture the work in an appropriate academic frame.

You will need to think through the challenge (i.e., a complex business problem), ask a lot of questions and push back on your client to steer the project in an appropriate direction. We (our MBA team and professional educators) assist in this process.

Most of our MBA 37 students have identified a client and are currently drafting a proposal for their project.  You should now have a suitable frame for grasping the conversations that will occur under a common title: The 540 Professional Consulting Engagement. 

 Cheers,

David

How we select MBA candidates: part two

Otago MBA - Advancing your Career in the Global Economy

I previously described our ideal MBA candidate (see selection) as well-grounded ≡ a person who is settled, consistent and comfortable with him or herself as a person.  This person should possess a solid base of work experience; demonstrate maturity and character; possess (somewhat) clearly articulated career ambitions; and move with self-direction and conviction to achieve those ambitions.  This candidate must possess the capacity for conceptual reasoning to perform well in our Otago MBA Programme.

Here, I'll describe how our selection process works and how you can

"ace" the interview process.  We want you to succeed.

Click on Register your Interest to complete an online form that allows us to determine whether you satisfy our entrance criteria: we ask for basic contact and demographic data, as well as information about your education and work experience.  This data goes to Susan Steer, our admissions manager and a really nice Brit, who drinks tea and somehow empties her email inbox before leaving work each night.

If you satisfy our entrance criteria, Susan will call you within a few days to discuss the programme and answer any questions you may have about us.

The Application Process:

Following your initial discussion with Susan, we will ask you to send us your Curriculum Vitae (CV), which we will review and then we will invite you to join us in an interview, most likely through Skype.  

We ask you to make a five-minute (maximum) presentation on a topic of your choice.  Here's a key insight: we want to evaluate your conceptual reasoning abilities, so don't stress out about the topic.  Choose a subject of interest to you, define key terms (e.g., see well-grounded above) and construct a logical argument with support, such as examples and references.  

Here's an example.  I might choose to discuss photograph, defined as an art form used to capture images of people, landscapes and still-life compositions.  Then I could explain that the objective is not to simply capture pretty pictures, but to allow the viewer to see something that is impossible without the technology.  I could illustrate the idea with an example from a favorite artist (photographer) and explain the technology used to control light though shutter speed and aperture choices, with reference to a professional resource: NPhoto. 

You may choose a topic related to business, current affairs or something of personal interest to you.  Then, don't try to impress us: let us get to know you.  You may want to consider how your topic transitions to our interview: does it give us something to talk about?

We use the interview to (1) get to know you as a person (our central focus); (2) identify what you can contribute to our next MBA class; (3) assess whether you're up to the challenge; and (4) understand how the Otago MBA fits with your career ambitions.  You should anticipate two interviews lasting ≈ forty-five minutes to an hour, with us represented by Ian Lafferty (Director), Olga Meglinskaya (Curriculum Delivery Manager), Susan and/or me (David Baucus, Academic Leader).  Ask yourself, how many MBA programmes will devote this level of effort to get to know you?"

Confirmation of an Offer

If we (you and our MBA management team) agree that a good fit exists, you will receive an official letter confirming your acceptance onto the programme. You will need to apply for admission to the University of Otago, and supply further information to confirm your place. This may include a deposit, GMAT test result, English Language test results, references, original documents, and an Education Credential Evaluators (ECE) assessment of your qualifications.

Don't hesitate to contact Susan.  Good Luck!

David

Meet our Otago MBA Team: Professor Denis Kobzev

Professor Denis Kobzev

All elements of our business model must fit together to deliver best value to our customers:

 this includes the selection of professional educators we place in the classroom. 

I would like to introduce Denis Kobzev, a thoughtful friend and gifted educator who has earned the respect
of our Otago MBA management team and students. Denis holds the positions of Director of Business Education, Leeds Trinity University, UK; Associate Fellow, Operations Management Group, Warwick Business School, UK; and Visiting Professor in our Otago MBA: teaching Operational Excellence.

Denis brings a broad base of global, practical knowledge into the classroom through his experiences in senior management positions at international giants Procter & Gamble and Schering Plough. Denis can also boast prior involvement in business / development projects in Europe, Middle East and Africa in collaboration with corporate partners (e.g., ASDA, Aushan, Migros, IBM, Accenture, HSBC and BT Group), as well as the United Nations and World Health Organization.

Denis has aided in the design of leading management programmes in Germany, Russia, Norway and Australia. He views the active exchange of knowledge among experienced professionals as "the heart of a good MBA programme." Last year, Denis designed an experiment in collaboration with Olga Meglinskaya, our Curriculum Delivery Manager, to promote critical reasoning through peer assessment. He asked our students to sport a different (uncomfortable) hat and critique the reasoning of peers, and thereby learn to refine their own thinking abilities. The experiment was a valuable contribution to our programme.

We depend on the talents of gifted educators like Denis to

deliver best value to our MBA students.

Cheers, David

 

The Future of the MBA

Long exposure at Allans Beach, Otago peninsula

A recent article from The Financial Times, "The future of European MBAs," debated the role of technology in the delivery of MBA programmes and the future of the degree.  I encourage you to read the article and offer the following excerpts here.

Most professors think the disruption being caused by the availability of cheaper online education will actually raise standards at top-flight schools.

Simon Evenett, academic director of the MBA programme at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, seems to speak for the majority when he says he can see a future dominated by the three Rs – retrenchment, relevance and rigour. He sees the three Rs as a process which will see some MBAs close while the top programmes become even better at what they do.

“A shake-out is coming which will force MBA programmes to focus on what they should be doing,” Prof Evenett says, there will be more concentration on the transformation an MBA is supposed to bring, as well as a response to demand from employers for an ability to work across cultures. “It will put an even greater premium on quality,” he says.

Peter O’Connor, dean of academic programmes at Essec, agrees that online MBAs will remain second tier: “For me, the value of an MBA is the value an employer places on the MBA. They are going to do their homework. Certainly, the feedback we have at this present moment is they don’t value online learning so much.”

Working against online learning is the emergent requirement for greater social competence, that many professors mentioned. "The blunt fact is that the world’s business schools do not prepare people to be fantastic colleagues, they prepare people to be fantastic analysts and that has to change,” says Stephan Chambers, MBA director at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, adding that schools need to train people that you would want to work with.

Prof Chambers says the MBA of the future will have to respond to its future global context. He thinks MBA programmes will be supporting the movement towards greater corporate responsibility while at the same time preparing students to deal with what he calls “unparalleled global risks” including pandemics and food and water shortages.

“What we need are individuals who are capable of stitching all that together,” he says.The important skills of the future, will include decision-making in different cultures and linking science to industry.  “I think the world is desperately short of people who can handle that amount of complexity."

Every element of our Otago MBA is designed to provide personal attention

to you; to educate you as a whole person; to engage you in classroom experiences characterized

by rich dialogue and shared inquiry in pursuit of knowledge concerning the most

 compelling business problems facing global business leaders today.

David

Our Mentored, Professional Consulting Engagement: Scary?

The Catlins, an excellent place to explore south of Dunedin.

One of the great things about NZ is the ease of access. With a population of just 4.4 million people, our Otago MBA team has access to many of the most senior business executives and government officials in the country. For instance, Lauren Rosborough, Senior Economic Adviser at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, will meet with our 2014, MBA 38 students.  Try arranging that in the U.S.

Our BUSI 540 Consulting Project

Back to business, this post explains how our BUSI 540 consulting project works; why it isn't as scary as you may believe; and why this experience is better than placement. 

Okay, stretch your right hand out flat in front of you, at eye level: that's your client.  This client may be Z Energy, Downer, or ANZ Bank, some of the largest corporations in NZ; an adventure/sports related business Mons Royale, Icebreaker, Kathmandu, Siliconcoach or Real Journeys; an NGO like the Cancer Society of NZ or Mines Advisory Group; or a company located in another part of the world: BBC or Otto Group.  All of these companies have been past clients and we endeavor to place you on a stage with a high-profile client, with the chance to gain entry into the right industry, company and/or professional network.

Now, extend your left hand out flat in front of you, about 15 cm (6 in) lower than your right hand: that's you.  A level playing field does not exist between you and your client.  The client can make your head spin with the amount of immediate, context-specific information available. This can feel scary. Even so, clients are often confused, the reason why they need our help.

It's your job to bring the available information back and allow us to help you structure a credible BUSI 540 consulting engagement.  We (you & our team) abstract away from immediate data and irrelevant noise to say: "It's this kind of problem, requiring this kind of solution."  We frame the project within the relevant business discipline (e.g., marketing, finance, economics or sustainability) and design analyses that lead to substantive conclusions and recommendations.  Stated simply: we level the playing field and place you in a position to interact with the client as an equal, with an independent voice and something valuable to say.  

The BUSI 540 professional consulting engagement isn't so scary, 

with us in your back pocket.   

How is this better than placement?  Placement is passive, with you a less-than-active collaborator in managing your own career.  We don't leave you on the sidelines.  We offer you a platform (the 540) to demonstrate your worth to potential employers and earn a position.  Some students secure a position immediately; others parlay the experience to gain entry in the right industry; and still others leverage new contacts to secure a position.  You decide: would you rather be in a position to drive your own career or remain dependent on someone from placement for your career?

I am personally responsible for mentoring students through our BUSI 540, so I

invite you to apply and look forward to working with you.

David

See also: Conceptual Thinking; Placement? You're kidding, right?; and Past Projects