Interview

Women across the western world have achieved a revolutionary success in the last 40 years. According to a recent article from the Financial Times the proportion of women with paid jobs across the western world has risen from 48 per cent to 64 per cent since 1970. This has given a massive boost to the economy and changed women’s lifestyle and thinking. However, there are still income gaps and the boards of big companies are widely deserted from female executives. A lot could be gained from achieving these last steps of equality. It is time to call for action – something that some of Europe’s leading business schools have done now. Amongst them is the University of St. Gallen. MBA Channel has spoken to Prof. Dr. Simon Evenett, the Academic Director of the St Gallen MBA programme, about the ideas behind the initiative.

“The Financial Times” ranks the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad as the highest placed newcomer in its 2011 global ranking. That is due to impressive salaries for alumni and due to an extensive international network with other prestigious schools like Stern, Booth, WHU, Essec and HEC. MBA Channel spoke with IIMA’s director Professor Samir K. Barua about the school’s image to be one of the toughest business schools to get into and the relative value of international accreditations.

India is one of the most exciting MBA destinations at the moment. The economy has been going strong in the last few years and MBA applications are on the rise. On top of this a new foreign education bill is in discussion which will allow the entry of foreign universities into India. Schools like Duke University’s Fuqua, York University’s Schulich and Georgia Institute of Technology have expressed interest in setting up campuses in India. MBA-Channel spoke with Ajit Rangnekar, dean of the Indian School of Business about the new competition, the lack of quality education on the subcontinent, and a higher number of scholarships.

“You won’t have one career your whole life,” says Sydney based career coach Pauline Müller. “So manage your career at all times!” Pauline Müller, an Australian with Indian heritage who is married to a German journalist, has done exactly that her own life long. She has been in the work force for 30 years now and has had careers that span across four completely different areas: from being a lawyer with the public prosecutions office to managing the administration of a court and other government agencies to being a consultant to heading the compliance department for two of Australia’s major banks. She has seen it all and at the peak of her career decided to live her life again and leave her all consuming work. After a year of readjusting her life, she started from scratch, following what she enjoyed doing and became a career management consultant. Today, she helps executives find their right career paths – something she has done so many times herself.
MBA Channel spoke to her about the secrets of being successful in different careers.

“We are small, but great” - The Leipzig Graduate School of Management wants to grow, but with consideration for quality and a sense of proportion. Bachelor degrees will not be offered but a family-friendly part-time MBA, more personable service and new scholarships. Rector Andreas Pinkwart spoke about his plans to MBA-Channel.com.

At the annual conference of business school in Berlin MBA-Channel.com interviewed Francesca Gino from Harvard Business School. The economist wrote her PhD at home in Italy, in Harvard she researches issues like negotiations and decision making, teamwork, ethics and innovation.

Is Europe the right continent for an MBA education? Definitely, says Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño, dean of the Spanish IE Business School. MBA Channel spoke with the Spanish management expert about Europe’s challenges, global entrepreneurship and online learning.

MBA Channel talked to Professor Murali Chandrashekaran, the Academic Director for MBA programs of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM),
about chances and challenges in training truly global managers.

A recent study by the Association of Business Schools that interviewed 476 prospective MBA students in 79 countries about their aspirations and expectations revealed a strong interest in entrepreneurship. The report called “Tomorrow’s MBA” shows that the salary increase after graduation is becoming less of a distinguishing issue between schools. Students are reacting to the downturn in corporate hiring in recent years and are looking at other career options. Whether they want control of their own careers in their own business or feel the need to manage change and a variety of projects in a large business, “entrepreneurship skills are increasingly valuable”, say the authors of the report. MBA-Channel asked Christos Kalantaridis, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Bradford University School of Management if you can really train to become the next Richard Branson or Bill Gates.

China European International Business School (CEIBS) in the People’s Republic of China is the shooting star amongst Business Schools. Since February the school has a new dean with John A. Quelch, previously teaching in London and Harvard. Now it’s time to be in China, he says. MBA-Channel spoke to John Quelch about the impact of Asia on Business Schools and how he is going to turn CEIBS from a regional into a global brand.