Open Access
Subscription Access
Open Access
Subscription Access
Skill Deficiencies in Students and B-School Interventions : A Qualitative Study Exploring the Perceptions of Leader - Directors
Subscribe/Renew Journal
This paper explored the perceptions of Indian B-school (business school) directors about the lack of skills among the students and how various interventions at B-schools help students in skill development. The interviews were conducted and the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts was done with the help of QSR Nvivo 11 Pro. The results suggested that the skills lacking in the students at the time of joining an MBA (Master of Business Administration) programme were ethical behavior, discipline, dexterity to work, communication skills, risk-taking abilities, innovation, and creativity. The B-school interventions to develop the skills of the students were found to be encouraging students to solve local problems using research skills, placement holidays to encourage creativity and innovation, teaching and learning through foreign university collaboration, orientation programmes, and skill labs. There was a gap in the literature, and none of the studies have explored the perceptions of Indian B-school directors about the entry-level skills of their students and the way MBA courses help graduates to become employable. This qualitative study was done to fill this research gap.
Keywords
Education Quality, Human Capital, Human Development, Skill Building, Training.
JEL Classification: I210, J240, O150.
Paper Submission Date: November 1, 2019; Paper Sent Back for Revision: January 15, 2020; Paper Acceptance Date: January 25, 2020.
User
Subscription
Login to verify subscription
Font Size
Information
- Abu-Tineh, A. M., Khasawneh, S. A., & Al-Omari, A. A. (2008). Kouzes and Posner's transformational leadership model in practice: The case of Jordanian schools. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 29(8), 648-660. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437730810916613
- Bailey, A. R., Chow, C. W., & Haddad, K. M. (1999). Continuous improvement in business education: Insights from the for-profit sector and business school deans. Journal of Education for Business, 74(3), 165-180. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832329909601681
- Bashir, A., & Minhas, A. S. (2019). Business schools for global harmony and coexistence: Curriculum, a common language for developing relationships. The Business & Management Review, 10(2), 159-167.
- Bhatia, S. M., & Panneer, S. (2019). Globalization and its impact on business education in emerging economies : A case of India. South Asian Journal of Human Resources Management, 6(2), 278-291. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2322093719838076
- Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
- Briscoe, J. P., & Hall, D. T. (2006). The interplay of boundaryless and protean careers: Combinations and implications. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69(1), 4-18. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.09.002
- Chavadi, C. A., & Sirothiya, M. (2018). A discriminant model to assess the entrepreneurial talent of MBA students in Bangalore: An empirical study. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 11(6), 7-25. https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2018/v11i6/128439
- Clarke, M. (2018). Rethinking graduate employability: The role of capital, individual attributes and context. Studies in Higher Education, 43(11), 1923-1937. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1294152
- Conway, T., Mackay, S., & Yorke, D. (1994). Strategic planning in higher education: Who are the customers. International Journal of Educational Management, 8(6), 29-36. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09513549410069202
- Driscoll, C., & Wicks, D. (1998). The customer-driven approach in business education: A possible danger? Journal of Education for Business, 74(1), 58-61. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832329809601663
- Ghanem, C. M., & Mozahem, N. A. (2019). A study of cheating beliefs, engagement, and perception - The case of business and engineering students. Journal of Academic Ethics, 17(3), 291-312.
- Harsolekar, D. D., & Munshi, J. (2018). An empirical analysis of the perception of management students about their employment. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 11(9), 21–37. https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2018/v11i9/131613
- Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2006). Universities in a competitive global marketplace: A systematic review of the literature on higher education marketing. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 19(4), 316-338. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09513550610669176
- Holmberg, B., Schuemer, R., & Obermeier, A. (1982). The efficiency of the guided didactic conversation. ZIFF Project 2.6. Hagen, Germany.
- Howard, T., Cornuel, E., & Almog-Bareket, G. (2012). Visionary leadership in business schools: An institutional framework. Journal of Management Development, 31(4), 431–440. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621711211219086
- Hynes, B., Kennedy, N., & Pettigrew, J. (2016). The role of business schools in framing entrepreneurial thinking across disciplines: the case of allied health professions. In P. Daly, K. Reid, P. Buckley, & E. Doley (eds.), Innovative business education design for 21st century learning (pp. 75-91). Cham : Springer.
- Kara, A., Rojas-Méndez, J. I., & Turan, M. (2016). Ethical evaluations of business students in an emerging market: Effects of ethical sensitivity, cultural values, personality, and religiosity. Journal of Academic Ethics, 14(4), 297-325. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10805-016-9263-9
- Kedia, B. L., & Englis, P. D. (2011). Transforming business education to produce global managers. Business Horizons, 54(4), 325-331. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.02.006
- Locke, R. R., & Spender, J. C. (2011). Confronting managerialism: How the business elite and their schools threw our lives out of balance. London: Zed Books.
- Ly, C. T. M., Vickers, M. H., & Fernandez, S. (2015). Master of business administration (MBA) student outcomes in Vietnam: Graduate student insights from a qualitative study. Education and Training, 57(1), 88-107. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-08-2013-0104
- Ma, Z. (2013). Business students’ cheating in classroom and their propensity to cheat in the real world: A study of ethicality and practicality in China. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 2(1), 65-78. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13520-011-0012-2
- Mihail, D. M., & Elefterie, K. A. (2006). Perceived effects of an MBA degree on employability and career advancement. Career Development International, 11(4), 352–361. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/13620430610672559
- Minocha, S., Reynolds, M., & Hristov, D. (2017). Developing imaginators not managers - How to flip the business school model. The International Journal of Management Education, 15(3), 481-489. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2017.08.002
- Mohapatra, M., & Mishra, S. (2017). Development of a conceptual model on MBA students’ employability. Clarion: International Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(2), 59-66. https://dx.doi.org/10.5958/2277937X.2017.00029.6
- Moosmayer, D. C. (2012). A model of management academics’ intentions to influence values. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11(2), 155-173. https://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amle.2010.0053
- Neema, G., & Kasliwal, K. (2018). The impact of integrated marketing communication (IMC) tools on learning in Bschools: A study. Prabandhan : Indian Journal of Management, 11(5), 42-54. https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2018/v11i5/123813
- Neumann, Y., & Neumann, E. F. (1999). The president and the college bottom line : The role of strategic leadership styles. Library Consortium Management : An International Journal, 2(3/4), 97-108. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09513549910261131
- Oberoi, R. (2019). 7% GDP growth rate delivered 3-4% job growth! What went wrong with Modi’s math? ET Markets. Retrieved from https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks/news/7-gdp-growthdelivered3-4-job-growth-what-went-wrong-with-modis-math/articleshow/68626276.cms
- Ojala, A. M. (2019). Business schools’ competitive strategies : Whose goals, which aims? Management Research Review, 42(8), 954-970. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/MRR-06-2018-0232
- Otara, A. (2015). Academic dean and the challenges of meeting changing expectations within a competitive higher education environment in Africa. Creative Education, 6(2), 134-143.
- Poulose, J., & Sharma, V. (2019). “On the same page, but in different books?” Exploring pedagogical beliefs of various stakeholders in management education. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 12(7), 22-35. https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2019/v12i7/145583
- Pudelko, M., & Tenzer, H. (2019). Boundaryless careers or career boundaries ? The impact of language barriers on academic careers in international business schools. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 18(2), 213-240. https://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amle.2017.0236
- QS. (2019). World university rankings - 2019. World’s top universities comparison tool. Retrieved from https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/country/india
- Richards-Wilson, S. (2002). Changing the way MBA programs do business - Lead or languish. Journal of Education for Business, 77(5), 296-300. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08832320209599679
- Rivera, L. A. (2011). Ivies, extracurriculars, and exclusion: Elite employers’ use of educational credentials. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 29(1), 71-90. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2010.12.001
- Sangwan, S., & Garg, S. (2017). WIL and business graduate skill transfer to workplace. On the Horizon, 25(2), 109-114. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OTH-06-2016-0031
- Schultz, T. W. (1971). Investment in human capital. The role of education and of research. American Journal of Agricultural Economic, 53(4), 692-693.
- Schumpeter (2009, September 24). The pedagogy of the privileged. The Economist, p. 82.
- Sharma, E. K. (2015, November 22). India’s best B-schools. Business Today. Retrieved from https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/cover-story/india-best-business-schools-2015-see-allroundrise-in-recruiter-sentiment/story/225481.html
- Shukla, S., Parray, M. I., Chatwal, N. S., Bharti, P., & Dwivedi, A. K. (2016). Global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) India report (2016–17). Retrieved from http://gemindiaconsortium.org/reports/GEM_INDIA_REPORT_2016_17.pdf
- Singh, A., Kazi, R., & Divekar, R. (2019). A conceptual model on fee perception and quality of management education using ISM and Fuzzy MICMAC analysis. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 12(7), 36-48. https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2019/v12i7/145584
- Singh, S., Madichie, N. O., & Lewa, P. (2015). Are Indian MBA schools global and market oriented? Retrieved from https://ssrn.com/abstract=2631313
- Smith, I. H., & Woodworth, W. P. (2012). Developing social entrepreneurs and social innovators: A social identity and self-efficacy approach. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11(3), 390-407. https://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amle.2011.0016
- Spence, M. (1978). Job market signaling. Uncertainty in economics (pp. 281-306). Cambridge, MA: Academic Press.
- Stauffer, S. (2019). The impacts of business curriculum internationalization on student completion and success in Ohio community colleges (Doctoral dissertation). Indiana Institute of Technology, Fort Wayne, IN. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/openview/ab35a8110837d6f42cd288cc4b2bc072/1?pqorigsite= gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
- Steve Wozniak points at lack of creativity in Indian education system. (2018, March 12). The Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/steve-wozniak-points-at-lack-ofcreativityin-indian-education-system/articleshow/63265853.cms
- Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In J. T. Jost & J. Sidanius (eds.), Key readings in social psychology (pp. 276-293). London: Psychology Press.
- Tho, N. (2017). Using signals to evaluate the teaching quality of MBA faculty members. Education and Training, 59(3), 292-304. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-03-2016-0060
- Thomas, H., & Thomas, L. (2011). Perspectives on leadership in business schools. Journal of Management Development, 30(5), 526-540. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621711111133037
- Thomas, H., Starkey, K., & Tempest, S. (2008). A clear sense of purpose ? The evolving role of the business school. Journal of Management Development, 27(4) 379 - 390. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02621710810866732
- Tomlinson, M. (2017). Forms of graduate capital and their relationship to graduate employability. Education and Training, 59(4), 338-352. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2016-0090
- Tuleja, E. A. (2014). Developing cultural intelligence for global leadership through mindfulness. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 25(1), 5-24. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08975930.2014.881275
- Vassiliou, A., & McAleese, M. (2012, September 30). European Commission- bringing teaching in from the cold.
- University World News. Retrieved from https://www.universityworldnews.com/newsletterarchives.php?mode=archive&pub=1&issueno=241&format=html
- Vidaver-Cohen, D. (2004). Fish starts to rot from head : The role of business school deans in curriculum planning for ethics. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 1(2), 213-238. https://dx.doi.org/10.5840/jbee20041213
- Ward, B., & Chandler, W. D. (1999). Applying quality management concepts to managing business schools. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 64(4), 21-24.
Abstract Views: 191
PDF Views: 0