The Business School Broadcast - 24th November 2017

Europe’s leading LGBTQ conference attracts top speakers and a record number of delegates.

There was strength in numbers at EUROUT2017, Europe's leading LGBTQ conference for graduate students, MBAs, PhDs, alumni and their allies from top business schools around the world. This year’s event, which took place at London’s Hilton Tower Bridge, featured 40 speakers, 400 delegates, 50 companies and representation from 20 business schools globally.

The three-day conference was organised by Out in Business, one of London Business School’s (LBS) most popular student clubs with 900 members.

According to respondents of more than 1,000 executive MBA (EMBA) alumni across the globe, 72% said the EMBA program had a positive impact on their career. For those graduates, an EMBA degree resulted in promotions, substantial salary increases over time, career changes or even launching their own business.

However, Michael Desiderio, executive director of the Executive MBA Council said, "Interestingly, the results show that earning potential was not the main factor for prospective students when deciding to attend a program; rather, it was an increase in business knowledge and skills that could positively impact change for their career course." 

While enrolment in the university's full-time MBA program has remained steady, with 565 applicants in 2017 compared with 548 applicants in 2010, the university's Carlson School of Management is trying to offer more course options that align with the changing MBA market to attract students.

The school is offering more interactive class time, face time with instructors, classroom assistance and online components as it attempts to sustain admissions.

"It's a changing market and a changing environment," said Phil Miller, the assistant dean of MBA programs at the university. "We're evolving and we're adapting."

Dr Susan Rose, Head of Henley Business School – Malaysia and associate professor in marketing management asks whether Black Friday is good for business and good for the customer?

“Clearly Black Friday stimulates shopping interest in retailers and brands which has to be good for business. Anything that raises brand awareness and interaction with the customer is welcomed by business."

Staying with e-commerce, “If the Australian online retail market has any inefficiencies, companies like Amazon will expose them”, according to Steve Tadelis, an adviser to the e-commerce giant, University of California Berkeley economics professor and Distinguished Fellow at Melbourne Business School’s Centre for Business Analytics.

Speaking at the Centre’s recent Talking Data breakfast, Tadelis said Amazon’s arrival in Australia, one of the world’s most popular online markets, will be a test for everyone involved in local e-commerce – from retailers to suppliers to the logistics companies in between.