Attributes of Successful MBAs: A 20-Year Longitudinal Study

Are attributes of successful MBA (Master of Business Administration) students useful for predicting success? Can information about these attributes contribute to improved business management? This 20-year study of Stanford male MBAs identified the importance of social extroversion as a contributor to success.' Successful MBA students are more likely to end up employed in small businesses or to be self-employed. In addition, earnings of MBAs who had undergraduate degrees in engineering or who were older students do not keep pace with earnings of younger MBAs with broader backgrounds. Earnings at 20 years are best predicted by previous earnings.     

Students' Views of Business Ethics: An Analysis

This study investigates the difference in perceptions between undergraduate business and MBA students regarding selected ethical issues facing employees and managers of today's businesses. Furthermore, the study investigates the intergroup (i.e., at each educational level) and intragroup (i.e., between undergraduates and MBAs) differences in terms of the "situation"; that is, their position as an employee or a manager of the company. A sample of 104 undergraduate and MBA students was used. The results indicate that undergraduate students tend to act more ethically than do MBA students, and both groups tend to be more ethically oriented the higher their professional corporate position is. The findings have direct implications for business practitioners and for educators.     

The Recruiting Interview as Perceived by College Student Applicants for Sales Positions

The recruiting interview experience as perceived by college students applying for sales positions is the subject of this research study. The results, based on actual recruiting interviews through placement centers at two university campuses, describe the relative importance of various factors in the job offer and recruiting process, including characteristics of the recruiter. Analysis shows how these factors relate to the applicant's perceived success of the interview, the chance of getting a job offer, and the chance of accepting a job offer.     

An Evaluation of the Validity and Fairness of the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) Used for MBA Selection in a UK Business School

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) has been shown to be a valid predictor of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) performance in the USA, but no UK validity studies have been published. This study uses a large sample of UK MBA students to examine the validity and fairness of GMAT. It is found that GMAT-Verbal is a good predictor of MBA examination performance but GMAT-Quantitative is not. It is also found that both components are unfair to native English speakers. The reasons for these findings are to be found in the nature of the criterion employed. Some observations are made regarding the consequences for best practice of the competitive and political context of MBA selection.     

EFFECTS OF JOB ATTRIBUTES AND RECRUITING PRACTICES ON APPLICANT DECISIONS: A COMPARISON1

Previous research on the factors which affect applicant decisions concerning jobs has focused on the effects of either job attributes or recruiting practices. The present study examined the simultaneous impact of job attributes and recruiting practices on the likelihood of job acceptance by actual job applicants. Path analysis revealed that job attributes but not recruiting practices influenced the likelihood of job acceptance by graduating college students (N= 200). Given that college students might be expected to be the job applicants most swayed by recruiting practices because of their lack of work experience, the results suggest that the emphasis placed on recruiting practices as determinants of applicant decisions may be overstated in the literature.     

examining the role of differential association and techniques of neutralization in explaining corporate crime

A limited number of studies have examined white-collar offending decision making patterns and virtually none have focused on testing Differential Association or Techniques of Neutralization theory in particular. This study evaluates the offending decisions of MBA students to commit corporate offending in the promotion/sales of a hypothetical pharmaceutical drug. The sample consisted of 133 MBA students enrolled at a university in the United States. Findings supported predictions that anticipated agreement of coworkers and the board of directors would be positively associated with decisions to further market and produce a hypothetical drug that was about to be recalled by the Food and Drug Administration. However, results also showed that the decision to commit corporate crime was inversely related to perceptions that close friends and business professors agree with the decision, which went against predictions based on differential association theory. Several neutralizing techniques—especially the beliefs that government exaggerates dangers to the consumer and profit is the most important priority—predicted the decision to further market the drug. Subsequent analyses showed that older respondents were more likely to employ techniques of neutralization in decisions to commit corporate crime, especially techniques relating to profits. Future research directions are outlined.     

Career pathfinders: a qualitative study of career development

This paper examined the perceptions of career path and issues of MBA students in response to Lore's The Pathfinder, a comprehensive career-planning model. Using internet discussion boards, an interactive dialogue was mentioned by participants in response to the components of Lore's model. The sample consisted of 50 fully employed MBA students enrolled in a course on self-assessment and career planning. A total of 1,781 separate postings were made and analyzed, using inductive analysis derived from discussion threads based on Lore's categories: comments on Lore's Pathfinder model, living a life you love (what's the holdup, career fantasies, work and family issues, and career selection), how to get there from here (commitment and future from the present), and designing your future career. Findings indicated several interesting trends in the career planning of current MBA students, particularly the importance of self or self-reflective observations in real time as students who are also fully employed formulate career plans. Implications for psychologists and career counselors, career development models, and suggestions for research are presented.     

‘Reflection is embedded in my brain forever now!’: personal development as a core module on an Executive MBA

Professional progression and skills development are the main expectations of mid-career managers when enrolling on an Executive MBA (EMBA), yet it can be personal development (PD) that turns out to be the unexpected benefit of management education. Joining a growing number of voices making a case for personal development and self-awareness in management education, and calling for schools to incorporate it in the curriculum, this paper advances the case for personal development as a core Executive MBA module. The paper sets out the holistic rationale and philosophic principles used to design and deliver a course underpinned by curiosity and self-reflection on an EMBA in the United Kingdom, and presents empirical findings from a survey conducted among 230 students and alumni. These suggest that the focus on reflective practice and integration of PD promotes a richer and deeper appreciation of the value of reflection for lasting and sometimes unexpected personal growth. In addition, the raising of awareness of self also brings awareness of others, and develops critical thinking in application of the MBA at work. The paper concludes with a discussion re-evaluating the subject of tacit knowledge in reflective practice.     

Workaholism components among employees working full- and part-time

This exploratory study compared Spence and Robbins' self-reported workaholism components in two samples. Data were collected in two studies from Australian psychologists and Canadian managers and professionals holding MBA degrees. As few MBA graduates and male psychologists were working part time, the results should be treated with caution. Spence and Robbins' workaholism components (work involvement, feeling driven to work, joy in work) were appropriate to part-time employees. Full-time employees tended to score higher on feeling driven to work.     

包容性领导与下属揭发意愿的关系:一个被调节的中介效应模型

通过332组在职MBA学员样本数据分析验证了包容性领导对下属揭发意愿的影响机制,结果表明:(1)包容性领导显著正向影响下属的揭发意愿;(2)组织支持感在包容性领导与揭发意愿之间起完全中介作用;(3)上司组织代表性调节包容性领导与下属组织支持感之间的关系,上司的组织代表性越高,二者间的正向关系越强;(4)上司组织代表性调节组织支持感对包容性领导与下属揭发意愿之间关系的中介作用。     

Closing the Vocational Counseling Realities Gap

A two-week summer institute sponsored by Plans for Progress, encompassing company visitations and scheduled campus speakers augmented by seminar discussions, provided significant improvement in counselors' perceptions of industry expectations and requirements. A perspective on the amount and accuracy of company knowledge held by vocational counselors was obtained by administering the questionnaire used in the Plans for Progress Institute to a group of undergraduate campus leaders and two expectedly biased “in” groups earning degrees in business administration. The counselors were found to be as knowledgeable as mature MBA students working full time in industry and significantly more informed than undergraduates majoring in business administration as well as undergraduate student leaders.     

文化价值取向与自我调节点对反馈效果的调节作用

选择个体主义、集体主义文化价值取向和自我调节点作为影响反馈效果的调节变量,采用2×2（反馈方式、反馈对象）两因素组间实验设计,以公文处理练习为实验材料,对171名MBA学生进行反馈的干预实验研究。结果表明,集体主义倾向、自我调节点是影响反馈效果的调节变量,集体主义倾向强的人得到针对小组的反馈,公文处理成绩提高;表扬提升调节点的被试公文处理成绩反而降低。     

Interpersonal needs and functional area of management

This study examines a sample of first-semester MBA students to determine the relationship between their interpersonal needs and their preferences for a functional area of management. The students were categorized according to their preference for one of the following eight functional areas: accounting, systems analysis, finance, small business management, engineering, marketing, manufacturing management, and personnel management. Interpersonal needs were measured by the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (FIRO-B) instrument developed by W. C. Schutz. Significant differences in interpersonal needs were found among students preferring different functional specialities. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of occupational choice processes.     

When work and family collide: Deciding between competing role demands

This study examined the factors that influence the decision to participate in a work activity or a competing family activity. Part-time MBA students were presented with a vignette in which they were required to choose between participating in a weekend project team meeting and a surprise birthday party for a parent. Pressures from role senders (managers and spouses) to participate in each activity and the supportiveness of role senders for participation in the other role were manipulated in vignettes, and the salience of each role was assessed with self-report scales. Both work and family pressures affected the choice of activity. The salience of work and family roles for respondents also influenced the choice, with the effect of family salience stronger for those who were higher in self-esteem and higher in work salience. Implications of the findings for understanding the directionality of work–family interference are identified, limitations are discussed, and areas for future research are proposed.     

Are Costs Beneficial for Motivating Individuals to Volunteer?1

This study tested the hypothesis that costs would be more effective than benefits in recruiting individuals for volunteer community service. College students listened to volunteer recruiting messages that emphasized benefits, or combined benefits and costs. Subsequently, took information sheets about volunteer activities and/or signed lists to receive phone calls from volunteer agencies. Students hearing the costs only message or the combined message signed more lists and took more information sheets than those who heard the benefits only message. Results were consistent with past research on overjustification and effort justification. Implications for volunteer recruitment are discussed.     

Attracting Graduates to Sales Positions: The Role of Recruiter Knowledge

Corporate recruiting on college campuses has been an important vehicle for selecting and hiring new employees. Previous research has focused on identifying, locating, and selecting new employees, but the recruiting function of attracting good prospects to the interview and job has received less research attention. Increased importance of the attraction function of recruiting may be indicated for the future, particularly given projections of a decline in business college enrollments. The purpose of this article is to examine recruitment of college graduates for sales positions, using the perspective of attracting employees by communicating aspects of the job and company which are important to them. A survey of students and recruiters was used to reveal the attributes of importance to students, differences among students, and the extent to which recruiters are aware of student importance ratings. Differences between students and recruiters perceptions are identified for half of the 50 attributes examined, revealing an opportunity for recruiters to obtain better knowledge of students' perceptions and, thus, to improve their ability to attract graduates to sales positions.     

ORGANIZATIONAL RECRUITING AS MARKETING MANAGEMENT: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY OF ENGINEERING GRADUATES

With the intent of encouraging interdisciplinary research, this study applies principles, theories, and practices of marketing management to examine engineering recruitment as a process of "job marketing." Six hypotheses concerning campus recruiters and strategic recruiting issues were proposed and investigated through a national survey of 242 graduating engineers representing five engineering fields. Survey responses revealed that both overall satisfaction with recruiting processes and likelihood of job acceptance were significantly related to recruiter interpersonal skills and interview information provided about compensation/benefits, job/career, and security/success issues. Further, student satisfaction with recruiting processes was significantly related to recruiter/job applicant similarity in gender and educational characteristics. Contrary to conventional inferences of recruiting research, students did not respond more favorably to line management or engineering recruiters than to personnel representatives. Implications of these findings are identified and discussed in terms of both the marketing and management literatures.     

Evaluating the college sophomore problem: the case of personality and politics

College sophomores feature prominently in social scientific research but are frequently criticized for providing unrepresentative, invalid, and unreliable data. Using the case of personality and politics, the present authors evaluated those critiques, concluding that college sophomores are not representative of the general adult population on all 5 factors of personality. Despite this limitation, analyses show that the relationship between personality and political opinions is virtually identical for college students and a comparison group of adults. Further, a range of reliability statistics suggests that college students provide reliable data on personality. College students are not a panacea for the problems of participant recruiting, but they should not be discounted as unreliable and invalid, either. In many cases, the so-called "college-sophomore problem" is not a problem.     

未雨绸缪：变革前非正式信息对员工变革抵制意愿的影响

组织变革前总会有小道消息等非正式信息传播, 这些信息是员工提前了解变革的重要来源。研究探索变革前非正式信息对员工变革前抵制意愿的影响, 以及员工变革抵制意愿随时间推移的变化。基于255位样本数据的结构方程模型及多层次线性增长模型分析表明：(1)变革前非正式信息的消极性及不完整性, 显著负向影响员工变革认知, 进而使员工变革抵制意愿上升; (2)随着时间推移, 员工变革抵制意愿显著衰减, 即从变革前到变革发生时抵制意愿显著降低。研究揭示了变革前非正式信息对员工有“热身准备”的作用, 能够帮助员工提前适应, 从而更好地应对变革。研究结果有助于变革的顺利实施。     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECRUITING SOURCE, APPLICANT QUALITY, AND HIRE PERFORMANCE: AN ANALYSIS BY SEX, ETHNICITY, AND AGE

This study investigated both an applicant pool and its resulting class of new hires in an attempt to clarify a number of empirical questions concerning recruiting source effectiveness. A pre-established database of applicants and hires for the job of life insurance agent in a large insurance company was analyzed for recruiting activity. Differences in applicant quality and new hire survival were found in favor of the informal recruiting sources. A second measure of hire success, new business commission credits, failed to show differences across recruiting sources. The informal recruiting sources yielded significantly higher selection ratios than did formal sources for all groups. Examination of recruiting source use showed significant group differences, with females and blacks using the formal recruiting sources more frequently than males, non-minorities, and Hispanics. While the informal recruiting sources yielded higher quality applicants and more successful hires for all groups, this research cautions that the implementation of revised recruiting policies must be carefully monitored for adverse effects on protected groups.