Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
Decisions, Decisions: Will changing MBA recruitment help
Business Schools and boost the Mid-Size sector?
James Blackmore-Wright* and Ting Wang**
The first MBA programme was launched over a century ago and much has changed; the
marketplace is more global and the requirements of critical business sectors are more
dynamic than ever. Despite the level of change, Business School recruitment strategies have
remained static and the requirements of the mid-sized sector are often overlooked. With the
plethora of ranking systems available, much is made of an applicants desire to improve their
earning and employability prospects.
With overall applications decreasing and the economy looking to the mid-sized sector for
growth, we ask whether recruitment teams are making the right choices and if MBA
education equips practicing managers to make the right decisions. We examine the decisionmaking dynamics for MBA students at a UK Business School, one that is recognised for its
achievements in graduate employability. The study is undertaken against the backdrop of the
ever-changing mid-sized sector.
We observe that salary increases are not always the key driver for applicants, highlighting
the need to re-examine how consumers think and behave. An emphasis should be placed on
problem- solving and decision-making skills that will help the mid-sized sector. We conclude
the article by discussing the implications for our findings for recruitment teams, Deans and
MBA programme designers.
Field of Study- Management
Keywords: MBA, MBA recruitment, MBA value, Problem solving, Decision making,
Mid-Sized businesses, Growth
1. Introduction
In over a century of the MBA there has been consistent debate over its relevancy,
value and future. Critics have challenged Business Schools to reshape their offerings
to ensure that practicing managers become more effective in their decision-making
(Bennis & O’Toole, 2005; Khurana, 2007;Mintzberg and Gosling, 2002; Pfeffer &
Fong, 2002).
There is a lack of clarity about whether an MBA equips managers with the right skills
(Boyatzis et al, 2002; Navarro, 2008;Rubin & Dierdorff, 2009; Samuelson, 2006) or
makes them too reliant on understanding the functionality of business (Mintzberg,
2004).
When considering value, the dogmatism of graduates ensures a lack of fit for the “real
___________________________________________________________________
*James Blackmore-Wright. University of Northampton, England. Email:James.blackmorewright@northampton.ac.uk.
**Ting Wang. University of Northampton, England. Email: Ting.Wang@northampton.ac.uk
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
world” (Grimbly, 1993), with graduates poorly prepared to make decisions when the
task is complex and quantifiable (Bennis and O’Toole, 2005). MBA education has
occasionally failed to provide graduates with essential soft-skills (Blackmore-Wright,
2014).
Why do an MBA? A common assumption is that graduates are prepared for the rigors
of senior management, although recent discussions note that a “positive student
experience” is the most important characteristic of any programme (Antonacopoulou,
2009;Christensen et al, 2012;Paes de Paula & Rodrigues, 2006;Vazquez et Al,
2012;Vaara & Fay, 2011).
Some Business Schools place more emphasis on the satisfaction levels of students
than on ensuring that they are sufficiently equipped to solve complex problems
(Blackmore-Wright, 2014). “Satisfaction” is becoming increasingly important in the
MBA sphere, spawning numerous ranking systems and increasing competition. Key
metrics range from satisfaction with faculty to salary increases (Halperin et al, 2009).
Ranking systems suggest that increasing earnings is the main motivation for
applicants. Do specialist skills increase in line with satisfaction and salary increases?
Lack of clarity here supports the viewpoint that problem solving and critical thinking
are often overlooked by Business Schools (Boyatzis et al, 2002;Navarro, 2008;Rubin
& Dierdorff, 2009;Samuelson, 2006).
Ranking systems are often inconsistent (Blackmore-Wright, 2014). In 2013, the Booth
School of Business achieved the number one ranking in the world from “The
Economist” for it’s full-time MBA. A key part of its ability to maintain its leading status
has been the increase in its graduate’s salaries, with some achieving uplifts of 66%
(Economist annual ranking of full-time MBA programmes report, 2013). The same
programme appears in tenth place in the Financial Times rankings. The Financial
Times report reported a salary increase for Booth of 108%, whilst Harvard graduates
achieved a 121% increase in salaries (Financial Times annual ranking of full-time
MBA programmes report, 2013).
Rankings criteria also include the number of faculty that hold doctorates and the
number of women on advisory boards. Conspicuous by its absence is the lack of
feedback (or performance reviews) from businesses. If “business” is truly at the heart
of an MBA, a programme should be “relevant”. Some authors have been critical of
how relevant certain programmes are and have challenged Business Schools to
improve how students approach problems, make decisions and lead teams (Bennis
&O’Toole, 2005; Ghoshal, 2005; Khurana, 2007;Mintzberg, 2004; Pfeffer & Fong,
2002).
Nearly two decades after Porter and McKibbins’s pivotal paper (1988), there have
been numerous attempts to identify exactly what constitutes the critical features of an
MBA. Navarro (1988) summarises them as multi-disciplinary integration, experiential
learning, soft-skills, ethics and corporate social responsibility. Mintzberg (2004)
argued that having an MBA graduate in its ranks might do more harm than good to a
business (Mintzberg, 2004). Mintzberg (2004) also argues that management should
be a practical experience and not an academic process; perhaps why key topics such
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
as Strategic Management have not been successfully integrated into MBA
programmes (Feldman, 2005).
Managers need to get all they can from management education, as continually
developing their skills is a crucial component of business success. Critics have
suggested that MBA programmes compound a lack of people management skills by
offering generic solutions, ignoring that leadership is often developed at an individual
level (Benjamin and O’Reilly, 2011).
How managers view their own environments and assess situations has been shown
to be a crucial element in making effective, strategic decisions (Gavetti, 2005;Kaplan
and Tripsas, 2008;Reger and Huff, 1993;Walsh, 1995).
Effective decision-making is crucial for success in any arena (Blackmore-Wright,
2014), from choosing the right MBA programme to strategic, operational challenges.
Minds have to be made up in a multitude of different circumstances; in order to make
critical decisions managers need a combination of logical, objective analysis and the
ability to be decisive under pressure (Rosenzweig, 2013). Speed of decision-making
is also seen to have a major influence on business performance (Baum and Walley,
2003). Any business that can make faster decisions gains a degree of competitive
advantage and those that are slower risk being outmanoeuvred (Kownatzi, 2013.
Research that has examined the key characteristics of successful MBA programmes
conclude that the reputation of the Business School, quality of the programme,
curriculum and facilities are very important, Miller, 2006; Parker et al, 1989). Others
have investigated the motivations of prospective students who seek to enhance
salaries (Dailey et Al, 2006), accelerate promotion (Beck and Williams, 1989) and
who study for personal satisfaction. Few studies have attempted to analyse the
decision-making processes of MBA students whilst evaluating the rationality of their
behaviour. The authors intend to conduct this analysis whilst also considering the
impact on a key business sector- Mid–Sized Businesses (MSBs), where a pilot study
has taken place.
2. MSBs & Pilot study
Both the Director General of the CBI (Future Champions Report, 2011) and the Work
Foundation Report (2011) indicate that an increase in MSB performance will have a
positive impact on the UK economy and that a skills shortage is a major barrier to
growth. Increasing managerial skills and the development of MSBs are both local and
national priorities. The responsibility for MSB development lies within a number of
areas, from practitioners and financiers to policy makers and academics. According to
the CBI (Future Champions Report, 2011), if this sector were to perform at its
potential, the UKS’s GDP would benefit by £50bn by 2020.
The CEO of the CIPD (Closing the Knowledge Gap Report, 2013) underlined that
there has been insufficient investment in the development of managerial skills and
leadership at all levels and that the demands placed on managers are set to increase.
The CIPD (Learning and talent development survey, 2013) showed that over 72% of
businesses surveyed reported that they had a deficit in management and leadership
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
skills, although 66% of them reported that they provided “sufficient” training and
development. Whilst they acknowledged that a variance in the quality of training
provided doesn’t explain the degree of such a mismatch the question remains, “are
we teaching the right people the right things, and at the right time?” (BlackmoreWright, 2014).
Growing the mid-sized sector will have a positive impact on the UK economy
(Blackmore-Wright, 2014). To establish whether there are commonalities in problem
solving and skills requirements, the researcher conducted multiple key-informant
interviews to generate case studies of prominent MSBs.
The initial (comparative) case study data is to form part of a longitudinal study
involving 50 organisations. The lead researcher understands that a detached
observation is not being carried out and adopts an interpretivist position; finding
deeper meaning about a phenomenon through a central interaction between
researcher and the object of investigation (Farquhar, 2012).
Acknowledging that the sample size is limited (10 cases), the researcher undertook
periods of participant observation and conducted in depth interviews that encouraged
participants to freely explore their experiences with regards to challenges they faced
and how they approached them. The research team has worked intentionally on
mixed methods research, using qualitative data to better position a hypothesis
(Bryman and Bell, 2011).
The context and boundaries of problem solving and decision-making in MSBs are
unclear and therefore case study investigation is an appropriate methodology (Yin,
2014). Interview data was triangulated against internal resources, including employee
performance reports, and entered into N-Vivo as the main analytical tool.
20 face-to-face key-informant interviews have been conducted. Problem solving and
decision-making was explored from different viewpoints and conducted with
executives. Interviews were recorded with the permission of the respondents and
later transcribed. The interviews provided the opportunity to explore the drivers of
growth within different organisations, what restricts performance and how well
equipped each organisation is to address their challenges.
20 hours of participant observation (Jorgensen, 1989) was also undertaken and
included the following: Senior management meetings, conferences and customer
evaluation sessions. Additional sources of information included internal
documentation, strategic planning material, board presentations and marketing
material. These sources were used to “corroborate and augment evidence from other
sources” (Yin, 2014). Analysis came through coding and involved the use of
Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967).
3. Pilot Study Findings
We make a comparison with the key elements of MBA education and note 3 key
insights:
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
Insight 1: Creativity in the creative sector can be stifled through adherence to
out of date models
Many would expect that a creative design agency with a turnover in excess of £100m
would look to the future with the same energy that is applied to current challenges.
We found that the business employed “creative thinkers” to primarily deal with design
issues and to manage high-profile accounts only. Creative thinking was not applied to
the future direction of the business.
The industry uses a standard, bill for time model. This model hasn’t changed
significantly in the last 30 years. A new model may allow entrants to flourish if it
offered greater flexibility, value and results. An executive told us:
“ I’m sure that someone out there is capable of changing the model. Someone could
be a major disruption in the industry. Would they want to? It’s a very labour-intensive
business and margins are constantly under pressure. We are always working in this
paradox; there are three elements to our world- speed, quality of service and cost.
You can have two out of three but you can never have all three. We all [creative
agencies] do the same thing, in the same way that they have always done. There is
no evidence of that changing any time soon, although we worry about change. I
believe that the current agency model will be with us for some time”.
Insight 2: More emphasis is placed on bringing in experienced problem solvers
than equipping the current management team
Observing a £300m turnover FMCG business highlighted that growth was at the
heart of every employee message, although the business had fallen short of growth
targets in recent years. We found that the business wanted to bring in managers who
were already equipped to solve problems and make decisions. Interestingly, the
possession of an MBA signified a higher problem solving ability. An executive told us:
“ We have to do better and we have to find ways to fuel our own growth. Continuous
improvement is a big part of that, we have to find ways to improve, better ways of
working, better engagements and ways of freeing up cash so we can bring in people
who can help us to work better in the future”.
Insight 3: MSBs often place themselves in “the shadow” of their larger
competitors.
Logistics is rarely seen as a glamorous sector. This is in despite of significant gains in
the industry and higher investment. We studied a £100m logistics business and it was
making great gains but was resistant to new knowledge. An executive told us:
“ Acquisitions are our best tactic. We can add more people and more turnover to the
organisation. I find the stress fun, although my employees don’t like the uncertainty.
It’s difficult to attract people who like uncertainty and respond well to it. Bringing in
experts, bringing in MBAs is a risk because they won’t be as hands on as people with
“real” experience.
MBAs are often seen as a panacea for the issues of MSBs but they are often treated
with suspicion and mistrust (Blackmore-Wright, 2014). The insights from the initial
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
case studies and the importance of the MSB sector led us to want to understand why
students wanted to do an MBA. Could MBA education attract / benefit those who
could help MSB performance?
4. The Methodology and Model
The researchers adopted a mixed methods approach that “combines the collection,
analysis and integration of quantitative and qualitative data in a single or multi-phase
study” (Creswell et al, 2005). This approach allowed the researchers to achieve more
depth and greater insights. Triangulation refers to the use of additional methods in
order to examine the same dimension of a research problem more deeply (HesseBiber, 2010).
A key aim of the study is to examine a range of standardised factors that are drawn
from literature, involving comparison of different groups of samples. A conceptual
model was developed to describe consumer decision-making and was drawn from
previous models and MBA literature.
The model was designed to evaluate multiple factors in four themes and was
established through the rational perspective of consumer decision-making (evaluating
every possible factor of an MBA provide to avoid any disadvantage) and also
designed to recognise the importance of external influencers (e.g. recruiting staff and
MBA alumni).
Conceptual model
A survey was developed based on the conceptual model, consisting two parts. Part
one involved collecting personal data (e.g. gender, nationality, education and
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
employment backgrounds). Part two asked respondents to weight factors on a fivepoint Likert scale.
Taking into account that a consumer’s perception of a product may vary before and
after purchase (Solomon, 2010), three different classifications were used:
1. Prospective Students
2. Current Students
3. Recent Graduates
The survey population (Prospective) included students who matched the Business
School’s current “target criteria”, e.g. First degree, relevant work experience and post
graduate qualifications.
Composition Sample
Prospective
MBA Students
Available
Population
(Fitting
Business
School criteria)
Number
of
respondents
Number
of
respondents
(Excluding
participants with
random
answers)
Sample
Population
Recent
Graduates
Total
Number
200
Current
MBA
Students
50
569
819
160
45
49
254
144
43
42
229
57
43
42
142
The researchers utilised cross-sectional analysis because, as per Bryman and Bell’s
(2011) indication, it is a valid way to “collect a body of data in connection with two or
more variables, which are then examined to detect patterns of association”. Crosssectional studies are then used to analyse the relationships between variables. Here,
the researchers aimed to identify the relationship between the motivation of MBA
students and factors in their decision-making. A key aim was to rank the importance
of five thematical attributes: Quality, reputation, graduate outcome, service and
curriculum design.
Regression and correlation analysis was used to compare data across the three
sample groups. A reliability test was also constructed to examine survey validity and
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
data accuracy. Cronbach’s co-efficient alpha was used to test internal consistency.
According to Pallant (2010), any Cronbach’s alpha value presented in the reliability
table that is lower than .5 suggests that the reliability is questionable, and therefore
should not be used.
Survey data reliability
Variable Set
Motivation
Reputation
Quality
Facilities & Service
Graduate Outcome
Curriculum
Information resources
Number of Factors
5
3
4
7
4
4
8
Alpha
.699
.826
.795
.831
.669
.707
.868
5. The Findings
We see that personal development ranks highly as a key motivator for doing an MBA:
Motivations
All
Participants
n=142
MBA
Graduates
n=42
Personal Development
Promotion
Salary Increase
Networking 3.65
3.84
Experience 3.29
3.30
a
new
culture
4.39
4.13
3.78
3.84
3.30
4.57
4.00
3.53
3.61
3.05
Current
MBA
Student
N=43
4.47
4.00
3.53
Prospective
MBA
student
N=57
4.19
4.11
3.89
The survey asked respondents to rank on a scale of one to five the level of
importance they attributed to the five reasons given to obtain an MBA. The five given
motivations mirrored individual needs from both a personal and career perspective.
It is apparent that personal development (skills and intelligence) is the principle
reason for study, rather than increasing salary levels.
MBA consumers do rank the channels where they seek information to aid them in
their decision-making. The survey included eight sources and only respondents who
have made the decision to undertake an MBA are included (Data from prospective
students is not considered).
Channel Ranking
Information Resources
MBA Graduate
n= 42
Current MBA Student
n=43
College/university professors
4.15
3.86
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
College/university Website
Rankings publications
School Admissions consultants
School recruiting staffs
Co-workers/peers
Current students/alumni
Social networking sites
3.74
3.64
3.36
3.29
3.29
3.24
3.17
4.08
3.85
3.69
3.59
3.54
3.46
3.44
It is evident that the MBA providers website will have a strong influence on student
decision-making. Ranking systems do play a crucial part and social networking sites
were the least useful information source for choosing an MBA provider.
The ranking of human influencers shows that academics are the most influential
source of information, followed by admissions staff. Interestingly, current students /
alumni did not play a critical part, according to current MBA students and recent
graduates. A series of five attribute types; university reputation, programme quality,
graduate outcome, facility / services and curriculum structure formed the body of the
survey. Each of the main attributes consisted of several sub-factors. The average
mean values of each of the main attributes are displayed below:
Mean Values
Main theme
Facility
Reputation
Curriculum
Graduate
Outcome
Quality
All
n=14
2
3.32
3.62
3.64
3.98
MBA
graduate
n=42
3.31
3.71
3.74
3.93
Current
student
n=43
3.22
3.50
3.63
3.90
4.00
4.19
3.87
MBA Prospective
Student
n=57
3.41
3.65
3.58
4.08
3.98
The top three most important characteristics of the MBA provider that influence
decision makers are: employment opportunities as graduate outcome, learning
experience, and qualifications of teaching staff. MBA consumers also found that
information on the following factors was relatively less important (mean value ≤ 3.50,
3 = moderately important) in their decision-making: city location (mean = 3.50), class
size, local economy, class profile, extracurricular activities, and catering for married
students (mean = 2.46).
Critical differences were seen among the three groups with regard to the most
significant characteristic of the MBA provider. In particular, the top three criteria that
MBA graduates selected were: learning experience, employment opportunities, and
links with business. For prospective MBA students, the three most important factors
were: employment opportunities, leaning experience, and potential outcome of
increase in salary.
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
A regression analysis was used to evaluate the impact of the motivations on the five
criteria, which were considered by MBA consumers (below). Five motivations were
grouped into two categories, professional and personal related motivation. The two
types of motivation were regressed on the five criteria separately. Personal related
motivation was critically linked to every criterion, especially to the quality factor (beta
= 0.343, p < 0.01), curriculum factor (beta = 0.386, p < 0.01), and the facility/service
factor (beta = 0.30, p < 0.01).
Regression Analysis
Motivation
Professional
Personal
Reputatio
n
Quality
Facility
and
Service
Graduat
e
Curriculum
Outcome
B
.25
1
.21
3
B
.1
76
.3
43
B
.13
6
.30
0
B
.31
6
.26
0
Sig
.004
.042
Sig
.00
9
.00
0
Sig
.07
6
.00
2
Sig
.00
0
.00
0
B
Sig
.441
.054
.386 .000
Correlation analysis was then used to identify the relationship between the
motivations of pursuing an MBA and the evaluation criteria:
Correlation Analysis
Reputati
on
Qualit
y
Facilit
y
And
Servic
e
.276**
.202*
.317**
Gradua
te
Outcom Curriculu
e
m
Salary increase
.308**
.305**
.525**
.103
**
**
**
Job Promotion
.293
.342
.459
.055
*
**
**
Different
Culture .198
.274
.235
.272**
experiencing
Personal Skills/Intelligence 0.109
.319** 0.058 .277**
.259**
development
Networking opportunities
.289**
.370** .307** .488**
.279**
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). *. Correlation is
significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
6. Summary and Conclusions
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
The top three motivations are personal development, job promotion and salary
enhancement. There is a difference between graduates and current MBA students in
terms of networking and cultural experience. MBA graduates felt more motivated by
experiencing a different culture, whereas current MBA students have more need for
networking.
Regarding the general criteria that MBA consumers have used, an average of the
respondents found the perceived quality of the MBA programme and the potential
outcomes after graduation were the most two critical factors. The reputation of the
university was less important. Among a series of detailed characteristics of MBA
providers, employment opportunities, learning experience, as well as qualifications of
teaching staff were the three most significant attributes in MBA consumers’ evaluation
process.
The correlation and regression analysis suggest personal related motivations are
positively related to the five criteria, especially the significant impact of personal
development motivation on the quality criteria.
Personal development in skills and intelligence is a great concern for MBA consumers
according to our current study (n = 71). As shown below, this group of respondents
felt employment opportunities to be the most influential factors in their decision
making, with learning experience (mean = 4.41) and qualification of teaching staff
(mean = 4.27) following respectively. Similar to the result of the other three groups,
the majority of factors that concerned respondents were quality related factors.
MBA recruitment Directors should consider a recruitment message that is based
around experience rather than financial gain.
Top five criteria of respondents motivated by Personal development
Criteria of respondents motivated by Personal Mean
development
N=71
Graduate Outcomes Factors -Employment
4.54
Quality Factors -Learning experience
4.41
Quality Factors -Staff Qualifications
4.27
Curriculum Factors -Teaching Methods
4.14
Quality Factors -Links with business
4.13
Networking needs are a moderate motivation according to our current study.
Respondents (n=31) considered networking as an extremely important (mean =5)
motivation. They rated employment opportunities, however, as the most concerned
criteria (mean =4.53), and viewed one of the perceived graduated outcomes networking opportunities as the fourth criteria (mean = 4.34). Quality factors such as
qualification of teaching staff (mean = 4.47), business links (mean = 4.47), and
learning experience (mean = 4.34) seemed to also play a significant part in this
group.
Proceedings of 10th Annual London Business Research Conference
10 - 11 August 2015, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-922069-81-8
Some MBA providers use brand strength and ranking position to attract students.
However, due to the mounting competition in the MBA market, other MBA providers,
such as the Business School in the study, have been forced to reinvent themselves to
offer new courses or become more specified in certain areas in this even more
complex market. Any Business School that can be categorised as per the study will
benefit from gaining an in depth understanding of their consumers and how they
evaluate providers.
The MSB market is under represented at Business School level and needs the skills
and expertise that an MBA can offer.
As an industry, we must serve this sector and provide it with skills through our MBA
offerings to help drive the economy forward. Problem solving and decision-making
should be at the heart of our thinking.
If this can be achieved, perhaps the industry can move to making better decisions
regarding how MBA value is measured and judged, especially by significant and
undervalued business sectors.
Having the right graduates with the right skills, the MBA can add significant value to
MSBs.
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