Are we thinking ahead?

This developmental paper focuses on a key product of Business School education, the MBA, exploring whether it equips managers sufficiently to deal with problems and organisational change.

There has been a widespread criticism of MBA programmes. MBAs have attracted envy, mistrust, competition and derision. Ranking systems and league tables have been created, with the qualification morphing into a global industry.

Whilst there has been extensive research conducted about the effectiveness of MBAs, most have looked at the MBA from the perspective of the student and not from that of a business.

Do MBA programmes have a positive impact on managerial decision making and business performance?

This paper forms part of a wider research project that will explore the problems that medium-sized businesses (MSBs) are facing in the UK. This has relevance and impact because MSBs offer significant potential to play a key role in driving the economic recovery forward.