Why Student Candidates Choose the Otago MBA

New Zealand Adventure

An accepted premise exists concerning why International students choose the Otago MBA.  They either want to experience New Zealand or contemplate remaining in New Zealand after graduation.  A significant number of our students choose to apply for a Graduate Job Search Visa and secure employment in NZ upon completion of our Otago MBA programme: see immigration to NZ below.

We receive the usual responses to our inquiries of student candidates: "Why have you chosen the Otago MBA?"  Some students focus on our global perspective, diversity of students or location in the booming Asia/Pacific region.  We are indeed fortunate to enjoy cultural diversity both in and outside of the classroom.  Others point to our reputation (oldest and only full-time MBA in NZ), the respect our programme enjoys internationally, and the University of Otago's research focus: we're not just a teaching school.

Most candidates appreciate our small class size, personal attention, one-to-one relationships with our educators, emphasis on practical (real business) experiences in the classroom, as well as the desire to know each candidate well in our admissions process.  They describe us as like a family and point to the camaraderie among our students, networking opportunities, as well as our mentor and professional development programmes.  "We enhance career prospects."  Our student candidates recognize that we deliver distinctive value at a reasonable price relative to our competitors.

Still, candidates who choose us almost universally express their desire to study in New Zealand.  "I'm a nature loving guy," they say, or "I'm adventurous."  New Zealand is beautiful, peaceful, and they care about carbon emissions and the environment.  They have beaches and mountains (the Southern Alps), and Dunedin is a college town.  It's an English-speaking country, with a stable economy, entrepreneurial opportunities, and the people are friendly.  I want to try something new, push my boundaries, meet people from diverse cultures, and try outdoor/adventure activities.

A few student candidates express the feeling many may harbor: "I see this as a life changing opportunity," "I want to live in New Zealand," and "I would like to retire in New Zealand."

The Otago MBA's unique competitive advantage may be the opportunity to receive

a world class education in one of the most spectacular places on the planet.  You decide: come

for an education and maybe stay for a lifetime.

David

Immigration to New Zealand:  New Zealand Immigration does not permit the Otago MBA to advise students about matters related to securing residency in the country.  Any candidate interested in pursuing his or her career in NZ should investigate this issue directly through NZ Immigration.

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