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14 Jun 2016, 02:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Hiking in Cercedilla |
By Hauke Rienhoff For all the nature lovers out there Cercedilla offers amazing hiking trails very close to Madrid. Located roughly an hour and 15 minutes outside of Madrid’s city center the small mountain village Cercedilla represents a popular hiking spot. Hikers can choose from several trails ranging from 2,5km to 14,3km with different levels of difficulty. All trails usually start and end at the Environmental office, which is roughly 2km away from Cercedilla’s train station. The trails are marked and easy to follow, hence there is no risk of getting lost. Cercedilla’s beautiful landscape is characterized by hills, forests and small rivers. Especially after a week of intense studying a one-day hiking trip on the weekend can be a great refreshment for body & soul. Quick Guidelines:
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28 Jun 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: The IE IMBA #1 MBA for Entrepreneurship! |
We are very proud to announce that our International MBA has been named #1 in Europe and #8 worldwide in the ‘MBAs for Entrepreneurship’ ranking by Financial Times! This new FT ranking examines the entrepreneurial profile of MBA graduates worldwide and the work carried out by business schools in the area of entrepreneurship. This recognition further consolidates IE’s position among the world’s leading business schools when it comes to shaping entrepreneurs. The ranking is based on data obtained by FT for the paper’s 2016 ranking of MBAs, published in January. It evaluated indicators that include the percentage of MBA graduates who have set up a company, the percentage of women entrepreneurs, the number of entrepreneurs who raised at least a third of their firms’ equity through private investors rather than using their own savings or loans from family and friends, survival rates of firms set up in 2014 or before, the extent to which the skills gained during the MBA helped the project, and support received from their business schools both for setting up the company and for securing funding or key staff. “We have always believed in the importance of fostering a strong entrepreneurial mindset among our MBA students,” says Erik Schlie, Associate Dean of IE Business School’s International MBA Program. “Being ranked now as the best program for entrepreneurship in Europe underscores our International MBA Program’s positioning as the preferred go-to choice for future entrepreneurs who seek to challenge the status quo.” IE Business School’s International MBA has a student body comprised of 90% international students. This year’s intake has students from 65 countries with an average of 5 years’ relevant work experience. The one-year program is available in English and Spanish, and its design permits students to craft a customized program for themselves based on their specific interests and career plans. Students can opt to do the “Creators” track, centered on entrepreneurialism, or the “Transformers track,” if they want to map a career path as directors in the corporate world. Moreover they can choose from among over 150 elective courses to further personalize the learning experience, as well as undertake consulting projects or work on social initiatives in South Africa, Ethiopia, Peru or Brazil. IE Business School International MBA students can participate in the Post-MBA Long Exchange Program, a three-month exchange program which permits them to choose a destination from among 58 partner schools around the world, including Chicago Booth (US), NYU Stern (US), GIBS-Gordon Institute of Business Science (South Africa), London Business School (UK), and Tsinghua (China). They also have the opportunity to further extend their networks at the Global Network Week, travel with the IE’s Venture Lab initiative to examine entrepreneurial ecosystems in other countries, or present their own business projects at Venture Day events held by IE in cities that include Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Mexico D.F., Providence, Berlin, Tokyo and Lisbon. The program offers a total of 66 international destinations to further enrich the MBA experience. IE Business School’s MBA portfolio includes part-time programs like the School’s Global MBA and the IE-SMU MBA, a program run jointly with Singapore Management University and focused on economic and corporate realities in the Asia-Pacific region. IE’s Executive MBA runs for between 10 and 15 months, is available in Spanish and English, and offers both onsite and blended formats. The School’s Global Executive MBA program is aimed at senior managers and combines face-to-face sessions held in Spain, Singapore, Brazil and the US, with online modules. IE also offers the IE/Brown Executive MBA run jointly with Brown University, an Ivy League institution based in Providence, US. The program comprises a blend of online sessions held in Madrid, Providence, and Cape Town (South Africa). |
04 Jul 2016, 04:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Santiago Iniguez on ´What does Brexit mean for higher ed?´ |
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In the run up to the EU in-out referendum held on June 23, most stakeholders in the United Kingdom’s higher education sector opposed Brexit. This included 103 vice-chancellors, 56% of college students, as well as Jo Johnson, the UK’s secretary of state for education and the brother of Boris Johnson, who led the out campaign but who has now stepped down from the race to succeed interim prime minister David Cameron. At the same time, 90% of leading economists in the United Kingdom warned about the adverse effects of Brexit on the UK economy. The question now is whether the fears of Britain’s universities will come true. In the long run, I don’t believe Brexit need bring about the apocalypse anticipated by many, providing that both major parties in the United Kingdom are able to elect viable leaders quickly. This diagnosis does not preclude my opinion that the Brexit process represents one of the major political errors in recent history, but I also believe it is now time to act constructively and collectively to create the best possible framework for all parties. That said, it’s early days: the dust has yet to settle, and it’s unclear if and when the UK government will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treat and begin the process of exiting from the EU. The British people themselves seem divided along geographical, generational and political lines on the enforceability of the referendum’s result, as well as on what the country should now do. Assuming Brexit goes ahead, the most likely outcome would be for a UK-EU relationship along the lines of Norway’s, although that could take several years. This would mean Britain accepting European treaties and the free movement of people, goods and capital with the EU. The irony of such a deal is that this would be counter to what most Brexit supporters wanted, given that their main concern was to halt immigration while enhancing British sovereignty. In short, such an outcome would not represent a substantial de facto change from the current situation, which has prompted more than one commentator to ask why a referendum was needed in the first place. As for Britain’s universities, the uncertainty and economic turbulence to be expected will likely impact negatively. The current institutional framework between the United Kingdom and the EU will probably remain unchanged over the coming two years, the maximum time allowed to reach an exit agreement. However, during that time we can expect to see a substantial drop in the number of applications from foreign students to British universities, despite the pound’s depreciation, which lowers tuition costs and living expenses in Britain. The main reason for a drop in applications would be concerns among non-UK students about finding work after they complete their studies, given that it will be more difficult for them to get a work visa, currently not a requirement for EU citizens. We can also expect to see a drop in the number of applications to attend British universities from students outside the EU, given that they will no longer be able to move freely to other countries in the European area: in fact there has already been a drop in applications to UK business schools due to restrictive visa policies to non-EU students implemented by Cameron’s government over the last five years. In the short term, we may also see a drop in the number of applications for professorial or research positions at UK universities from EU member states, again, as a result of uncertainty about the need for work visas. However, this decline may be compensated by an eventual increase in applications from non-EU member states. It is also possible, but by no means certain, that in the longer term, some UK academics will have to pull out of EU-funded joint research projects with other European universities. That said, ongoing projects sponsored by the Horizon 2020 scheme will not be affected and will continue until completion. The impact of all this on the more prestigious British universities, which occupy leading positions in global rankings, will probably be minimal. But universities with less marketable brands will certainly face difficulties, and may find themselves having to merge with other institutions or setting up joint ventures to gain economies of scale and improve their international bargaining power and exposure. Private universities, still the minority in the UK, and that depend mainly on international students, will be hit hard. We can also expect budget cuts and a postponement of investment plans at most British universities. The predicted slowdown in the British economy from Brexit will almost certainly lead to less government education funding. This may prompt some British universities to hike their tuition fees. But even taking into account the abovementioned negative consequences over the next few years, in the longer term, I believe the situation will stabilize. The two main reasons for this are: Firstly, pragmatism will prevail. At the moment, everybody is in a state of shock following the divorce announcement, but given the lengthy time period set aside for exit negotiations, along with the complexity and diversity of the outstanding issues to be discussed, the likely outcome will be to maintain the status quo in education and research, two areas much less controversial than trade. Secondly, higher education is now a global industry. This process of globalization is irreversible, given the international integration of educational activities, the impact of technology and the free flow and exchange of people and ideas. British universities play a fundamental role in this global education scenario, one in which the lingua franca is of course, English. Regardless of the institutional and regulatory framework, there is no reason why the current model of relationships between institutions will not continue. What’s more, in many cases, these relationships are based on bilateral or multilateral agreements between universities and require no regulatory framework or governmental recognition. Hopefully, the initiatives of leaders in educational organizations will help to continue building bridges across borders and creating new joint international programs based on mutual recognition without the need for support from UK or EU authorities. Similarly, British universities will continue to participate in initiatives such as the Erasmus university exchange program, as well as in EU-funded research initiatives with non-UK universities. The majority of British academics may have opposed Brexit, but now it is a reality. I believe they will step forward to play their role in helping heal the divisions the referendum campaign created, while continuing to provide a clear voice in promoting diversity, tolerance and an international outlook that will help the United Kingdom retain its position as one of the most welcoming destinations for global talent. |
06 Jul 2016, 03:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Enrique Dans on Snapchat! |
 Snapchat’s youthful users are starting to get worried that “their” app, seemingly designed to bamboozle anybody above the age of 25, is going mainstream. The figures from the United States seem to support this: the idea of the app as something exclusive begins to decline as the 67.5% of users aged under 24 see that people aged between 25 and 34 (37.8%), as well as those aged over 35 (14%) are using it. Three years ago, only 5% of Snapchat users were aged 25 to 34, and just 2% were aged over 35. These “older” users are social media professionals, parents trying to work out what their kids are up to, as well as people trying to be cool or afraid of missing out on something. But the long and the short of it is that young people who thought they had found something special are now annoyed that the oldsters are moving in. That said, it seems older people haven’t much idea about how to use Snapchat. As CEO Evan Spiegel explains, Snapchat is the shift from using photographs as memory repositories to photographs as an instant expression, not meant to be kept. This reflects a change in ideas about identity, which is no longer created by accumulating what we have done, but instead about “what I am now”, which while it can be an accumulation of what we’ve done, isn’t represented as such (which is why the kids don’t like Facebook’s timeline concept). Snapchat’s three screens (Snap, Chat, Watch) as a representation of the chronological flow of activity, rather than featuring the most recent first, as is the case with other social networks, shows what somebody has done during the day, in the same way as that person might tell you. When I see people of my generation use Snapchat, they tend to be playing with the filters, but they tend not to take the step of converting this product into a social object to be talked over, or to look at somebody’s timeline. For many older Snapchat users, the app is still about sending photos that self destruct and that is inevitably linked to sexting. But Snapchat has evolved into a social network with its own codes and protocols, with its own identity, a business model based on non-intrusive advertising that appeals to brands and content providers looking to reach the adolescent and post-adolescent collective, and that in the United States has even introduced a payment option. From the app that prompted Facebook to put $3 million on the table, a “privacy phenomenon” that nobody quite understood, we now have a company that is valued at $16 billion, with some 150 million active users, a turnover of $300 million, up from $60 million last year, and that now offers a full range of options including audio, video and voicemail. The company believes that use by older people shows that it is easy and fun to use, but it is still too early to know what the impact could be on its traditional customer base. Many analysts say that young people stopped using Facebook when they discovered that their parents were using it. But rather than a mass exodus from Facebook, what seems to have happened is simply that they no longer identified with it. They seem happier with the ephemeral nature of Snapchat, but will they feel the same when their parents start using it? |
07 Jul 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: MBA students learn how to infiltrate a hacker’s mindset! |
(Extract from Financial Times article https://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/98932bf0-2bd1-11e6-bf8d-26294ad519fc.html#axzz4Dj3Fp88N) While many business schools now teach cyber security, one professor has a rather unorthodox approach.The day Michelle Raymond discovered that she had been hacked is etched on her memory.The first-year MBA student at the IE Business School had just sat down for her first lecture of the digital innovation module of her 24-month course.Looking at a series of photographs of people being projected by her professor José Esteves on the white board at the front of the auditorium, Ms Raymond, a former wealth management executive at Morgan Stanley, recognized several old school friends among the faces. When Prof Esteves asked her why she had been up at 3am on her computer the penny dropped. She had been hacked by her tutor.“When he told me he would be able to access my personal bank account with the information he had gathered I was really worried,” she says. Ms Raymond had left a lot of her Facebook page open to the public because she is hoping to develop a career as a musician. “I guess he was picking on me because I had been putting myself out there,” she adds.Despite what amounted to a serious breach in personal privacy, Ms Raymond shows no signs of anger. “My mind was blown,” she says, laughing. The dangers of companies suffering attacks on their information technology has meant that cyber security is now a compulsory element of many MBA courses. But it can be difficult to engage students with no background in computer science and whose interests lie in management.Revealing hacking techniques is a colorful way to get students engaged in the subject, where much of the teaching is about creating strategies and processes for ensuring a company’s internal data are secure. Sandro Gaycken, senior researcher and director of the Digital Society Institute at the European School of Management and Technology in Berlin, recently started teaching a Hacking for Executives class to MBA students by showing them how they can break into iPads. Students like to show off what they have learnt to their families, according to Mr Gaycken. “It makes them pretty cool with their kids,” he says. Jan Veldsink heads up the cyber robustness module at Nyenrode Business Universiteit in the Netherlands. He admits to being a hacker “on the side” of his teaching duties, but insists his skills have always been used to help others — in particular assisting large Dutch banks that have suffered data breaches. I don’t just want to teach the techniques of how to hack. I want to show . . . how to think like hackers– José Esteves Mr Veldsink runs simulations of corporate hacking attacks in his classes, but says that he never shares techniques with his students because it is not necessary. Both he and Mr Gaycken draw the line at Mr Esteves’ clandestine approach of breaking into students’ social media accounts without their knowledge. Mr Esteves, who has been voted teacher of the year by his MBA and masters students each year since 2008, is unrepentant about his methods.“I don’t just want to teach the techniques of how to hack,” he says. “What I want to show my students is the hacking mindset and how to think like hackers.”He describes himself as a “white hat” hacker because the attacks he makes on students never cross the line of breaking the law, something he attributes to his own tutor, a hacker he met while working as a business analyst. “He was a godfather,” Mr Esteves says. “He showed me some techniques, but he also protected me, warning against entering particular forums that were dangerous and ensuring that I never did anything illegal.”In order to access Ms Raymond’s personal details, Mr Esteves created several fake social media accounts in the name of a former MBA student, who had since moved from IE’s base in Madrid to London.Ms Raymond accepted a friend request believing that it was the actual student, allowing Mr Esteves to rifle through the various photographs and personal details she made available to those she had connected with. “There is this myth that hackers use these very complicated techniques to gain access to people’s personal data, and that is simply not true,” Mr Esteves says. Although she has no intention of becoming an IT security adviser after graduation, Ms Raymond says the stunt engaged her in the subject and that she is learning relevant skills for managing her image as a performing artist and protecting copyrighted material.“This is now one of my favourite classes,” she says. The main lesson she has learnt is that it is often what seems like the most innocuous information, such as her date of birth and mother’s maiden name, that left her most vulnerable to attack because it could be used to crack work and banking passwords.Ms Raymond, who after graduation plans to work full time on an event-organising business she has started in order to develop her musical career, stresses she has since made changes to her social media account settings and information to prevent copycat cyber attacks. The biggest challenge with trying to teach cyber security in such a practical way is finding ways to hack students who are wise to your ways, according to Mr Esteves. “Now they know me and are quite scared,” he admits. Cyber security: How to stay safe online José Esteves, professor at IE Business School, offers some tips: ● Be mindful of wireless networks you connect to and avoid free public WiFi, especially for online banking or shopping. ● If you travel and/or work in public spaces, connect to your company VPN when accessing company data. ● Turn off file-sharing when using a hotspot, and try to minimise the amount of sensitive, personal data stored on laptops and mobile devices. ● Verify your privacy settings on mobile devices and social media, and be careful what you share. ● Create complex passwords and change them often. Never reuse a password on another site or account. Consider using an online password manager, such as LastPass.● Be careful what mobile apps you choose to install.● Think twice before clicking on links found in emails.● Do not plug an unknown USB drive into your computer● Never leave personal devices unattended.● Back up your data often and ensure your antivirus software is up to date. |
07 Jul 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: The Oliver Wyman IE Case Competition – June 2016 |
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On June 17th, IE Business School held the Final Round of the Oliver Wyman IE Case Competition at the IE Madrid campus. The event was the result of the initiative of Stefano Piscitelli and Anthony Combet, both IE Consulting Club Coordinators graduating from the IE IMBA in 2016, assisted by Ms Ana Olaguibel, Associate Director at the IE Career Management Center, and by Campus Life. A panel of senior consultants from Oliver Wyman attended the event as members of the jury : Ms Miriam Robredo, Principal at Oliver Wyman in the Madrid Office Mr Luis Baena, Principal at Oliver Wyman in the Madrid Office The case of Round 1 was related to the flat-screen television industry in 2005, and asked applicants to find the competitive advantages of a company belonging to this sector. At this stage, applicants had to deliver a Powerpoint Presentation. 25 groups (which accounted for more than 90 applicants) applied for this round and 7 teams were pre-selected by a jury of IE consultant alumni. For Round 2, the case was related to a telecom company facing a price-war related to new entrants on its market. Applicants had to analyze the problem and present a solution during a 10 minute presentation in front of the jury composed of Oliver Wyman consultants, and then faced a Q&A period of 10 minutes.The winner team of the Oliver Wyman IE Case Competition was formed by IE MIR student Nina Volaric and IE IMBA student Roman Fernandez. Want to crack the Case Interview? Check out PrepLounge, the case interview community where management consulting candidates with similar career goals get connected, practice cases and sharpen their consulting skills. For access instructions to PrepLounge, please visit Documents Library under Resources in the Career Portal. |
11 Jul 2016, 01:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: So… we have a great idea for a startup. What’s next? |
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It’s the final term of our MBA and this was exactly the question we asked ourselves. We, that’s Christian and I, two IMBA graduates from the class of April 2014. Our idea, a product that would help people to lose less, forget less, and ultimately worry less. Today, one year later we hold in our hands THE O; a small smart wearable device. It creates a virtual leash to our mobile app on your phone and reminds you when you are forgetting a belonging. Neither of us had a background in hardware technology. It was a totally unknown space. So, we dove in headfirst. We say it was our strategy, but I wonder if it was because we did not know better. We started building a product somehow and just iterated as we went along. We wanted to succeed quickly, but also to fail quickly in every step. The most important aspect of this way of working is that you learn so much about what you want along the way; the value of the product to the customer and how they should interact with it. The concept develops alongside the product. I am very glad we did it this way and I would not recommend people spend months developing a concept, then take it to a developer and expect to have something perfect that customers love.  This is The O. We started prototyping immediately with people in Madrid. Most would argue to go overseas for this; to the UK, the States, India or Eastern Europe. But we felt that the value of being able to speak to people face to face would override the benefit of slightly lower cost, or more experience at that early stage. The learning curve was steep. What were these engineers even talking about – SMT, PCB, IPX, TI…? But our lack of knowledge in deeply technical details has benefited us in other ways; as we have naturally focused on the customer perspective. How do we make this product super easy to use? How can we build it so it doesn’t require any interaction or maintenance? And how do we make it look good? My background is in luxury fashion and jewelry, which I think, set a certain aesthetic standard and also created a real challenge. After all, we are building a wearable device for you to attach to your belongings which you will see every day. No doubt, it needs to be cool. And it needs to be desirable. So we worked with Ivan Castro, an amazing Spanish industrial designer who came from the Swiss watch industry. Previously, he had worked with Marc Newson; who is now at Apple and believed to be the person responsible for the Apple Watch design. Ivan understood exactly the level of care and detail we wanted for this product. Finding a manufacturer is no easy feat. It is an overwhelming process, full of potential pitfalls. Type ‘electronics manufacturer’ into Google and 95,000,000 results come up. Who can we trust? Who will do a good job? How do we know the right questions to ask to evaluate them? Where do we even start? It took several months to find someone who matched the standards we wanted to achieve with respect to quality, cost and ease of communication. And it would not have been possible without a handful of senior operations managers with many years of experience who we begged for help and kindly said yes. One of the very first lessons you learn as an entrepreneur is that you are not the only person to have had your idea, or something very close to it. And I’ll be honest, this doesn’t feel great. But then this lesson is quickly followed by the realization that your business will not live or die by the strength of the idea alone. There are so many challenges involved in getting your product made right, let alone selling and delivering it! I believe there is no way around trying; diving in headfirst. These challenges can be overwhelming at times. It requires a lot of dedication to keep on going. We continue to stay calm, mostly, and cross bridges when we reach them. It’s summer 2015, one year in. So… we have a great product now. What’s next? We decided to launch THE O on Kickstarter this September and see what people think. Do you have a great idea for a startup? Be brave. Give it a try. Rose Wilson Co-Founder and Managing Partner of THE O THE O is now live on Kickstarter. The campaign reached 50% of its funding goal within 36 hours and reached 100% funded within a week. It is a Kickstarter ‘Staff Pick’. Access the page here to buy THE O. About THE O: www.owithme.com https://twitter.com/owithme https://www.facebook.com/owithmebecarefree |
19 Jul 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: CAREERS – June 2016 |
As a result of the IE Career Management Center’s ongoing relationship development with companies, 3 top consultancy firms came on campus, several networking events were co-hosted with sectorial clubs and almost 500 job opportunities were published in the IE Career Portal. Here is a summary of the activities coordinated by IE Career Management Center during the month of June. |
20 Jul 2016, 01:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: The Story of a Disruptive Food Concept! |
 The seed of Gourmista planted during an IMBA program while three of the original co-founders were attending IE Business School in Madrid. Through the entrepreneurial spirit harnessed at IE and the ambitions of these co-founders, Gourmista started to sprout; albeit, many iterations later, Gourmista is quite a different concept than the original.    From home cooks to exceptional dining experiences, Gourmista evolved. This all really began to change once the three co-founders met their executive chef de cuisine, Balpreet Chadha, who saw the potential in the concept to be something exciting. The four met, somewhat ironically, in what is arguably considered the food capital of the world, San Sebastian, and immediately the passion for food and flavors, cuisines and gastronomy set them on their path. Balpreet, otherwise known as Chef Brownie, is an Indian-born chef, trained in classic-French technique that has worked in some of the most well-renowned eateries around the world, from Dubai to Madrid. And, although Chef Brownie is surely the talent, the rest of the team are the cogs in the machine, the ones who support the scale of the cuisine and chef, the growth of the brand, and the image imprinted on the community. Almost three months on, the team has launched their website, registered their company, progressed through the Venture Lab Accelerator, participated in the Venture Day Finals startup competition, spoken with endless mentors, peers, investors, and other entrepreneurs, made almost 500 sales, and added a marketing expert (and fellow gastronomy lover) in order to help their brand grow. Needless to say, the journey has just begun.  We are Gourmista, a disruptive food concept, an experiment with greatness. Imagine, for a second, four or five crazy talented, wildly imaginative chefs with the skill and technique to match in one kitchen, on one website at the same time (and watch the masterpieces manifest). Well, this is what Gourmista is. Gourmista is a delivery platform that connects these talented chefs directly to people. We have ambitions to create the greatest access to exciting cuisines that the world has ever seen. We aim to be the leading food ecosystem that connects chefs and customers through culinary experiences. |
02 Aug 2016, 06:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: The Myth Of the Idea |
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08 Aug 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Santiago Iniguez talks about being The Dean! |
 I have always believed that the dean of a business school carries out a role equivalent to that of the CEO of a multinational company. A bold assertion, perhaps, but one that is upheld by a glance at the job descriptions for deanships, which increasingly emphasize managerial and leadership skills over traditional academic qualities. Furthermore, I would argue, our role as leaders doesn’t depend on any formal empowerment by our institutions’ provosts or presidents, or on how that role is constituted in our schools’ bylaws. Surely leadership isn’t something that is given, but is instead assumed. In short, we deans should not wait for an official mandate to lead transformation and innovation within our schools: ours is an internal calling that comes into its own when we are appointed. Our mission as leaders is to defend the role of business schools as the trailblazers of higher education, the beacons of management knowledge, and the cradles of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Obviously, the pride we feel about the responsibility vested in us should be reflected by our commitment and willingness to be accountable to the wider world. Similarly, as with large companies and other organizations, deans play a key role as a bridge to the outside world. In reality, deans are the public face of their institution, and this means taking an active part in public debate, particularly bearing in mind the important mission that business schools are playing in creating an increasingly global society. In leading our schools, our many stakeholders, internal and external, will have great expectations regarding our performance. The question is how we balance those expectations. As an article published in Biz Ed some years ago noted, deans identified four major challenges in leading their schools: managing faculty, identifying and pursuing new revenue sources, distinguishing their business school from competitors, and managing enrollment and programs. What most surprised me most about the results of the research was what seemed to me to be the imbalance between the time deans spent dealing with their school’s internal stakeholders and the relatively small amount of time handling the school’s external relations. How did this compare to the priorities of CEOs, I wondered, aware that most of the opportunities for business schools lie beyond their ivy-covered walls, a reality that should have consequences for how deans address their priorities. That said, the role of a business school’s dean varies according to the role and the nature of their institution’s mission. Traditionally, the deans of business schools located within universities have tended to exercise what we might call delegated power, insomuch as the university’s board establishes the limits on their activities. This may, for example, prevent such deans from creating new programs or recruiting more students and teaching staff, as well as limiting their scope for adopting new strategies. But the deans of independent schools, or those that are part of universities but enjoy greater independence can outline their own strategies, albeit with the approval of the school’s board. My own experience is that more and more university-based business schools do actually enjoy a certain degree of independence, largely as a result of their need to respond to the demands of the market quickly and flexibly. But the requirements of business schools’ stakeholders change more quickly than in other disciplines, such as the liberal arts, for example, and competitors tend to move quickly, so that schools bound by red tape and lengthy internal negotiations with decision makers, all aimed at achieving a balance between the interests of different departments or schools, are likely to lose the edge in a highly aggressive market. If we accept that the role of the dean of a business school is best compared to that of the CEO of a multinational company, I would argue that we therefore must tackle four main responsibilities: -To be the main architect of the school’s strategy, and to make sure that the strategy is properly implemented. -To be the person responsible, in the last instance, for managing the school’s resources, as well as developing a sustainable growth plan. -To capitalize on the school’s talent, particularly in regard to teaching and research. -To strengthen relations with stakeholders, and not just those on the inside such as teaching staff, students, graduates, or corporate partners, but also with external players. The problem here is that it’s not always easy to measure a dean’s success in carrying out these activities, particularly in the short term. As with CEOs, yardsticks are needed, among them obviously the school’s financial results — an aspect all too often overlooked in education, particularly in state-funded institutions. Stakeholder satisfaction, particularly that of students, is perhaps best measured perhaps by their professional development after graduation. Then there is the question of the school’s contribution to academic research, which should be measured not only in terms of quantity, but quality. Next up is the school’s visibility, which can be considered on the basis of the assessments of external stakeholders such as business, other academics, or recruiters. Finally, deans’ performances are also evaluated on their schools’ positions in the key international rankings. Regarding the latter point, it is only fair to point out that a business school’s position in league tables does not necessarily depend on the initiatives that the dean has undertaken, but inevitably, for better or worse, he or she will be judged in this regard. It goes with the territory. One final word of advice for my fellow deans about to take up their posts for the first time: follow the lead of the best CEOs, and do not wait to put your strategy into effect. The first 100 days in office are essential to lay down your management approach and to chart the course you wish the school to follow; again, in this sense, business schools are no different to businesses. With a century of excellence behind it, the AACSB has a solid global position that allows it to help its members and business schools’ deans to identify future challenges and better implement their missions. The Visioning initiative, launched by AACSB’s board, aims to identify the main roles of business schools as catalysts of innovation for the global society. I invite you to participate in this initiative by providing your personal feedback and contributing to the task of laying out the ambitious roles that business schools are called on to perform. These times bring fascinating opportunities and challenges and, I am sure, the best is yet to come. This article is adapted from the book “The Learning Curve: How Business Schools Are reinventing Education” (London: Palsgrave Macmillan, 2011). |
09 Aug 2016, 09:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: IE Alumni startup Lendbox, one of the top 12 #fintech startups in India! |
Find out more at : https://www.iamwire.com/2016/08/finalists-winning-startups-of-ibm-smartcamp-challenge-for-fintech/140386 |
16 Aug 2016, 06:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: IMBA Jan 2017 Provisional Calendar! |
 *Dates are provisional and subject to change |
16 Aug 2016, 07:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: IE Financial Aid – True Stories! |
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23 Aug 2016, 07:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Making Waves in the Healthcare Sector |
 Ana Fiadeiro, IE IMBA ’15 will be joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in their Lisbon office this July. Thermo Fisher Scientific is an American company with presence in 50 countries, and its main goal is providing the best ofscience to its customers. As this Portuguese IMBA confesses: “I think their mission says all: ‘enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer’. Since my background and mainly my passion is the Healthcare Industry, I applied for their MBA rotational program – Graduate Leadership Development Program (GLDP) – with a general management track, during 2 years with three 8 months rotations in different business units and different countries.” How did you find out about this job opportunity? I found out through an e-mail sent by the CMC. The e-mail invited students to attend a webinar organized between the CMC and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and during the info session they talked about their MBA rotational program and how to apply. How did the CMC and your IE experience help you during the recruiting process? From the very first moment, my advisor Margarida Constantino helped me since I was having problems with timezone because I was away from Madrid. She also encouraged me to network and taught me about the “information meeting” approach, which explains how to identify and contact people that could help me with information about the program. How was the recruiting process: stages, tests, interviews, etc.? The first step was an online application, as usual, with CV details and cover letter. After this, there was a phone interview screening, which narrowed down candidates that would go on to the assessment center, which was the last step. The assessment day consisted of a few interviews with different HR employees from around the world and a group discussion about a case. Would you want to share any tips or advice with students interested in applying to Thermo Fisher Scientific? I think the biggest advice is that if you have a passion for science and healthcare, and you want to be at the core of innovation in this industry, apply to Thermo Fisher! Passion is more important than having the background on the industry! Moreover, be flexible to travel anywhere especially during the program period (2 years). However, generally as an advice, I would say to spend time in activities you really want to do in the future. Applications take a lot of time so the energy should be focused on what we really dream about doing! |
23 Aug 2016, 07:07
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: Making Waves in the Healthcare Sector |
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Ana Fiadeiro, IE IMBA ’15 will be joining Thermo Fisher Scientific in their Lisbon office this July. Thermo Fisher Scientific is an American company with presence in 50 countries, and its main goal is providing the best ofscience to its customers. As this Portuguese IMBA confesses: “I think their mission says all: ‘enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer’. Since my background and mainly my passion is the Healthcare Industry, I applied for their MBA rotational program – Graduate Leadership Development Program (GLDP) – with a general management track, during 2 years with three 8 months rotations in different business units and different countries.” How did you find out about this job opportunity? I found out through an e-mail sent by the CMC. The e-mail invited students to attend a webinar organized between the CMC and Thermo Fisher Scientific, and during the info session they talked about their MBA rotational program and how to apply. How did the CMC and your IE experience help you during the recruiting process? From the very first moment, my advisor Margarida Constantino helped me since I was having problems with timezone because I was away from Madrid. She also encouraged me to network and taught me about the “information meeting” approach, which explains how to identify and contact people that could help me with information about the program. How was the recruiting process: stages, tests, interviews, etc.? The first step was an online application, as usual, with CV details and cover letter. After this, there was a phone interview screening, which narrowed down candidates that would go on to the assessment center, which was the last step. The assessment day consisted of a few interviews with different HR employees from around the world and a group discussion about a case. Would you want to share any tips or advice with students interested in applying to Thermo Fisher Scientific? I think the biggest advice is that if you have a passion for science and healthcare, and you want to be at the core of innovation in this industry, apply to Thermo Fisher! Passion is more important than having the background on the industry! Moreover, be flexible to travel anywhere especially during the program period (2 years). However, generally as an advice, I would say to spend time in activities you really want to do in the future. Applications take a lot of time so the energy should be focused on what we really dream about doing! |
23 Aug 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: What can businesses learn from Star Wars? |
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In this first episode of the new ‘Business Cool’ series, Professor Ignacio Gafo takes a look at Disney’s business strategy. |
24 Aug 2016, 08:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: IMBA OPEN DAY – Sept 2016! |
 We invite you to join us for our next Open Day. This is the perfect opportunity to experience a complete day in the life of an IE student. Take advantage of the following Open Day activities: • Learn more about IE and the International MBA program • Attend a Master Class with an IE professor • Find out about financing, placement opportunities and the Student Office • Tour around IE’s downtown campus • Speak with program directors and current students • Continue the Admissions Process (interview or IE Global Admissions Test – optional and before the event) If you would like to participate, please register above or send an email to IMBA.admissions@ie.edu stating your full name and contact number. Should you have any questions about this event, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Join the conversation on the IMBA Blog or follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t forget to use our #ieIMBA and #goBeyondhashtags! Sign Up Here! We look forward to seeing you in Madrid! |
29 Aug 2016, 07:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: A Sneak Peek into the IE IMBA LABS! |
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01 Sep 2016, 10:01
| FROM IE Business School - International MBA Blog: THE IE LIFE – Beyond The Classroom! |
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions
Tuck at Dartmouth
AGSM at UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
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