WHATS SPECIAL ABOUT MBA

MBA degree is one of the best known and probably least understood
academic awards in the world. It is an academic qualification which its
main purpose is purely vocational. Many have argues that it is one of the
results of globalization and advancement of Information and
communication technology (I!"# the rate at which many people are
rushing for the acquisition of the degree demands attention. !he original
design of the MBA has been to make the holders professional business
manager and all rounder in every aspect of business management.
!he $pecialty in MBA has been as a result of so many concerns
%. It has helped some people in adding to their business management
skill
&. It has helped people add to the list of qualifications that they have.
!his has made them to secure good management 'obs
MBA offers a lot of things to the holder. It makes him a professional
business manager and all rounder in every aspect of business
management. It makes the holder versatile. !his is because the training
e(poses the individual to all aspect of business modules. It broadens the
vision of the holder and widens his knowledge of business management.
It is a conscious and practical effort of building business managers. !hat is
why its holders are held in high esteem and employers go for them
because they know what they can offer.
MBA makes better )*+s. It teaches its holders how to be versatile. ,or
one to be a better hief )(ecutive he must have a good knowledge of
virtually every aspect of accounting# human resources management#
marketing# quality control# public relations and others and all these are
what MBA teaches.
UNIVERSITIES ROLES IN SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION
!he -niversities were established in a period where there was high
optimism and hope that they would be ma'or instrument for the socio.
economic transformation of their countries. It was envisaged that they
would accomplish the following tasks/
%. 0roduce graduates equipped with the skill and competence required
by their countries for national development.
&. 0romote the advancement of learning
1. !ransmit cultural values that advance national unity as well as
provide public service
!he above roles were the main functions of which the universities were for
formed.
Apart from the traditional roles of the universities in the transformation of
the society# there are other roles that they are supposed to play/
!o maintain adherence and loyalty to world academic standards
!o encourage elucidation of and application of the cultures
!o develop completely the human resources for meeting manpower
needs
!o train the 2whole man3 for national building
!o meet global academic standards and inculcate universal
academic values# on the other hand# to respond to the peculiar
demands and needs of their societies.
It is argued that for universities to be relevant# they are supposed to
perform the following functions
0ursuit# promotion# dissemination of practical# logically oriented
knowledge
!o understand the research based on local problems
0rovide intellectual leadership which fosters the diffusion of
meaningful programmes of socio.economic relevance.
0romote more e(tension work with artisan# farmers and small
business.
,rom the foregoing# once the above are achieved# it will go a long way
in the transformation of the society.
WHICH MBA?
MBA degree is one of the best known and probably least understood
academic awards in the world. It is an academic qualification which its
main purpose is purely vocational in most cases to produce general
managers and others including training# rather than education such as
non.academic sub'ect as communication# interpersonal relations and how
to get a 'ob.
!here are good reasons for the difference between MBA and most other
postgraduate degrees. 0eople who want to develop a career in business
find that their interest and work become broader and they need little
knowledge about more sub'ects.
!he MBA is# therefore not about teaching in more depth something with
which students are already familiar# but rather about e(posing them to a
broad range of unfamiliar business function.
An MBA has become the most popular business qualification in the world.
Indeed# it is the only non. professional qualification for practicing business
men and women. !he degree is recognized in virtually every country as a
firm qualification for management. It is sought after by ambitious men 4
5omen all over the world# and in many organizations is rewarded by
increased salaries and promotions.
*6I7I8 *, MBA I8 !9) -8I!): $!A!)$ *, AM)6IA
!he MBA began life in the -$A around the turn of the century. !he origin
was a two year academic programme and most students enrolled
immediately after taking a first degree. !his model won rapid acceptance
and was widely copied. !he MBA programmes in the -$A were being
attacked for their lack of academic rigour and poor relevance to business
issue.
,or the business schools# the impact was devastating and their response
instantaneously. !hey quickly revised both their admission and their
teaching standards. !hey also establish their now well known style of
academic business research which soon proved a valuable stimulus#
however esoteric it might have become. !he class model of the American
MBA emerged consisting of a first year of required courses to provide a
grounding in the basic core of management and a second year of electric
courses to allow specification or deeper study.
:ifferences in $tyle
It used to be possible to talk about distinct American 4 )uropeans styles of
MBA programme. In general )uropean business schools were said to
place greater emphasis on work e(perience as a prerequisite for entering a
programme and their students tended to be slightly older. Apart form the
few eurpoean schools were followed the American model# their
programmes are shorter# generally also much more likely to include
company based pro'ect. )urope# especially the -;# was also seen as none
to the greatest variety of types of MBA programmes such as the modular
MBA# the onsortium MBA# the $pecialised# !he ompany or tailored
MBA and the :istance learning MBA
5hile it is possible to over generate# many of these distinctions are now
disapprearing. Most of the Movement has been on the American.side. !e
!wo year MBA is still the norm in the 8orth America but it is losing its
universities. Many schools have introduced accelerated tracks# year round
teaching and other innovations to cut the length of programmes. $chools in
the region are also fervently embracing some of the ideas of distance
learning< most notably in )(ecutive MBA programmes and harassing them
to new telecommunication technology to enhance their global reach.
IS A DEGREE WORTH IT
!he introduction of the colonial rule in the country has bought about
development. It has e(posed the country to western education and at the
same time thwarted most of our cultural heritage.
,ormal education can be defined as proper# prescribed and recognized
teaching and learning process introduced by the western culture.
Before one can answer this question# we have to find out the following/
5hat is happening in the labour market=
5hy are we producing graduates we cannot employ=
!he number of graduate increases by the day and we have over supply of
graduate relative to the 'ob growth figure.
In this present day and age# in my view# a degree is not worth it. 5hy= !his
is because even after spending four years in the -niversity# one comes out
without a good 'ob to equate the degree which he has. !his comes to
answer the questions asked above. *ne doesn+t need a formal education
to meet up with the prevailing economic condition of the country what one
needs is to have the knowledge of being able to do what ever craft that is
available.
A first class degree does not help one when one is faced with a high rent# a
housing crisis and a double.digit unemployment.
A typical e(ample is this< a degree holder who went through a rigorous
process of studying coming out of the school will not even get a good 'ob
to equate the certificate that he is parading. Also after reading a particular
course# one comes out doing a differently 'ob entirely from his field of
study. 5hat then makes a degree worth it=
!here are numerous e(amples to back up that a degree is never worth it
$ome even have certificate without knowing e(actly what it is all about.
!hey cannot defend the certificate that they own. Many establishments
work on man know man or what I may term godfatherism# so how will
someone without a godfather get a 'ob.
In my own understanding# unless something is done# there will be a time#
when vocational 'obs will be of a better value than a good degree.