Structuring An MBA Consulting Course: Aligning Pedagogical Strategies To Meet The Needs Of A Business Schools Critical Stakeholders

Abstract

At a time when business schools of second-tieruniversities face budget constraints, the MBA consulting program has become avehicle to build a schools reputation and to engage the business community inorder to raise financial resources. Business schools also face competition fromon-line programs, and consulting assignments help to define a schools competitive advantage. Finally, an increasing number of students with little or no prior business experience are seeking the MBA edge to help them find their first positions. As a result, the consulting program is rapidly becoming aninstrument of choice to facilitate the transition from campus to professional environment. This article presents the pedagogical strategies implemented by auniversity with limited resources and for which the consulting program has been designed to address the needs of both external and internal stakeholders.

Embedding MBA Students in Local Incubators and Accelerators

“…Finally, the university benefits from having faculty members and graduate students work alongside small business owners in the region by creating positive outside perceptions (Cook, 2015;Green & Williams, 2016) and by potentially growing its financial resources through the development of these faculty-business owner relationships. An MBA consulting program also has a positive effect on the reputation of the university, helps attract incoming MBA students who would otherwise choose a competing university, and fosters a more professional campus environment (Roche, Downie, & Diriker, 2013). Both sets of university representatives, faculty and students, were given a platform to display their skills and knowledge to provide an added value to the Accelerate Acadiana program and were able to utilize the platform to continually promote the quality of the MBA program.…”

Student Versus Industry: Non-Agreement in the MBA Curriculum Content

“…The most compelling evidence of MBA popularity was the increasing number of business students seeking graduate education leverage to help them secure a better position (Roche et al, 2013). The gap between business education and industry was traceable to the undergraduate accounting and finance courses, which lacked focus.…”