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Partner Ulrik Rasmussen was quoted by www.topmba.com on the advantages of graduating from a Central or an Eastern European business school, the limited applicability of North American and West European curricula case studies to the CEE markets, as well as steps to be taken by regional business schools so as to offer a more practical experience to aspiring students.

[…] The main benefit of studying at a regional business school comes from the mixture between the Western European business education model (that the majority of the local schools adopt) and the case studies adapted to the specifics of the developing economies. International students are profiting from the local educational background that shapes business skills required within multinationals or organisations operating in the emerging markets around the world.

“While in North America and Western Europe the MBA schools have a long-standing history and well-developed curricula, much of the education is based on case studies applicable to the countries in these regions, but not necessarily adequate for the realities of the dynamic CEE markets”, explains Ulrik Rasmussen, a Bucharest-based partner from the Executive Search consulting firm Pedersen & Partners.

However, he stresses that business schools in the region should focus on including more practical experience in their MBAs, such as field trips, help with organising internships and meetings with top executives.

“The knowledge is still very theoretical, especially as many of the professors are lifetime academics, but not practitioners.”

Rasmussen, who completed over 150 Executive Search projects for clients in CEE, has found MBA degrees from a regional business school in at least one out of five CVs of shortlisted candidates. “In CEE countries, we see that multinationals and financial services firms put more emphasis on the MBA degree,” he explains. […]

The future of business schools in the region looks promising, considering the increasing need for leaders in a very dynamic market with room to grow, despite the effects of the economic crisis. “On the one hand, the multinationals are cutting costs and sending less of their people to MBA schools, but on the other, we see different types of MBA students as there are more individuals consciously making a choice to obtain MBA degrees and who are paying for it themselves”, concludes Rasmussen.

Read the full article here.

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