Abstract

Much attention has been paid to the current state of graduate business education, specifically the MBA degree, and the seeming disconnect between industry needs and what business schools are preparing MBA graduates for. A comprehensive study on the state of MBA education was completed in 2010 by Datar, Garvin, and Cullen (2010), the goal of which was to document the forces reshaping business education and the institutional responses to them, as well as provide suggestions on a path forward for MBA education. This research picked up where Datar et al. (2010) left off: the purpose of this study was to identify criteria for a new model MBA. The Datar et al. (2010) study defined the unmet needs, but what remained undefined were the (a) skills; (b) capabilities; and (c) techniques that are central to the practice of 21st century management, and the (d) values; (e) attitudes; and (f) beliefs that should be part of a 21st century leader's world-view and professional identity. This study used a qualitative approach to add meaning to the variables defined above; specifically interviews with 14 participants were used to gather perceptions of 21st century leadership and management from MBA stakeholders as part of an in-depth and detailed inquiry. This study also reviewed five Southern California business schools in order to identify best-practices curricula. Based on the data gathered in this study a new model MBA was posited. A discussion of the findings and the implications for MBA education was included in Chapter 5.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dissertations (EdD) -- Organizational leadership; Business education -- United States; Master of business administration degree -- Evaluation; Business schools -- Curricula

Date of Award

2014

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Schmieder, June;

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