The Business School Broadcast

We take a look at what’s been happening this week in the world of MBA.

A chance to look behind the scenes of executive education

We start at the London Business School where they are getting ready for the LBS Live: Reflect. Refocus. Reimagine. event on 24^th November. Entry is free but places are limited so if you’re interested in a day of immersive experiences and the sharing of cutting-edge ideas you need to get in quick. With a number of thought leaders and experts set to appear, register your interest today and avoid missing out.

Is it time to consider an MBA in Oil and Gas Management?

With continuing uncertainty around the oil and gas industry MBA Director at Robert Gordon University (RGU) Dr Ian Broadbent has said that now is the time to consider an MBA in Oil and Gas Management. While he agrees that the industry is starting to see some green shoots of recovery, companies are faced with more challenges than ever and expect their leaders to deal with increasingly stringent requirements.

How did you spend your summer?

Over at Harvard there was the feel good story of Drew Fink . With the backing of Harvard’s Summer Fellows program Drew spent a summer working on solutions to reduce the burden of administrative hurdles that refugees face while handing back more personal control the individuals in question. In a world where it’s all too easy to become cynical and driven by personal gains, it is vital for business schools to place an emphasis on helping others during studies.

What’s in your bag?

It’s always good to get an insider’s view and Yale School of Management recently asked a number of EMBA students what they pack in their bags for weekend classes. Certainly, an interesting take on what it takes to be short on time and long on responsibilities while desperately trying to maintain a healthy work/study/life balance. Along with the expected technology required to accommodate work and study on the go there are also some great tips to be had. Expect to see a lot of branded swag, water bottles and healthy snacks to look after the body as well as the mind, and aspirin for when things become a bit too much.

How MBAs can develop cross-cultural skills

The FT (subscription required) also focused on integration and the importance of diversity in a piece entitled ‘How MBAs can develop cross-cultural skills’, written by an associate professor of managing people in organisations at IESE Business School. Not for the first time a light is being shone on leaders and their ability to get the most from cross-cultural teams, something achievable through awareness, empathy and openness. The writer argues business schools should be putting more focus on highly diversified small teams, a cross-cultural mindset across all subjects and structured reflection.   

IP lawyer turned MBA

We also came across an interesting piece from Above The Law that conducted an interview with David Saenz, the COO of an urban delivery technologies company called Stuart, with a focus on his transition from his role as an IP litigator to the c-suite via his MBA at the London Business School. A great read for anyone apprehensive about taking the leap into studying an MBA and switching career path.

And the winners are…

Finally this week we take a look at the news that University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business students reached the finals for the US$1 million Hult Prize. While the team who were pitching an app called Kwado, a web-to-text message platform that connects employers with jobseekers didn’t win the prize the process was about more than that for EMBA student Francis Duahn. He said, “The experience, the learning, the associations and connections we made — all of those are classified as winning instead of just the actual prize.” The story is made all the more remarkable by the fact that from the age of 12 until 27, Duahn was a refugee wandering between countries in West Africa and now the app that he is so heavily involved in is making a social impact in refugee communities seeking work.

Congratulations must of course also go to the winners, a team representing Rutgers Business School, and consisting of student Gia Farooqi, new graduates Hasan Usmani and Moneeb Mian, and alumna Hanaa Lakhani. Together they created the Roshni Rides start-up which uses a pre-loaded transaction card, encourages ride-sharing and employs existing rickshaw drivers.