The Business School Broadcast - 6th October 2017

In this week’s Business School Broadcast, we introduce a new leader, acknowledge efforts to tackle global poverty, find out it’s never too late to learn, and wonder if MBA students are still happy to carry heavy bags with them everywhere they go.

100 Women: Do women on boards increase company profits?

The BBC take a look the dangers of looking at this question and argue if it's too simplistic, before going on to perhaps the more pertinent issue of why there has to be evidence in the first place to consider 50% of the population for top jobs.

Is this the end for the humble textbook?

The FT (subscription required) focus on whether it’s time to ditch the heavy textbook for good and move all course materials online. Some professors at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management are doing just that, distributing course materials to all their students via WeChat, the group messaging app created by Tencent.

Proving age is just a number

If you’re looking for inspiration this week, then this one’s for you. Graduating with an MBA from the International University of Management (IUM) was Pendukeni Iivula-Ithana, Namibia’s minister of home affairs and immigration. Not only was she awarded the merit award (best student) in her program, she also did so at the age of 64, reflecting, “Age is just a number and not a limitation to achieve what you want”.

Chicago Booth given a US$75 million gift from two alumni

More endowment news, hot on the heels of last month’s news that Michigan Ross is receiving US$50 million from its largest benefactor, Related Companies chairman Stephen Ross, and three other top schools had raised close to US$25 million between them. Chicago Booth has announced Amy and Richard Wallman, a couple who met at the University of Chicago’s business school 40 years ago, are providing the graduate program with the second-biggest gift of all time.

Even that figure, however, is dwarfed by the potential of the gift that University of Hawaii alumnus and real estate investor Jay Shidler has donated to his alma mater’s business school (named, unsurprisingly, for him):a collection of mainland commercial properties, which could earn the university a staggering US$7 billion over next century.

A potential consequence of Trump's immigration policies?

Nottingham Business School have announced that it has seen a 25% uptick in interest from international students. And current students have put it down, at least in part, to President Trump’s proposed reformation of the H1-B program, and fears that they wouldn’t be able to gain international experience in the US post-graduation.

Stanford launches research center focused on global poverty and development

Stanford’s new Center on Global Poverty and Development will bring students and faculty from across the university together with policymakers and business leaders committed to fighting poverty. The center has been created to support global poverty research, inspire students through fellowships and events, and to inform wider policies and practices.

Brunel Business School introduce new leader: Jane Hendy

Having joined Brunel Business School last year, Dr Jane Hendy took up her position this week as the new head of Brunel Business School at Brunel University London. Prior to her academic career, Hendy worked in the public sector as a senior manager, consultant and advocate, and has held roles at University College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Imperial College Business School and Surrey Business School.

On her appointment she said, “I am excited by the opportunity to build a world-leading interdisciplinary business school, where innovative ideas are put into practice to influence how the world does business.”