This article identifies the orientations to learning of a group of mature students, all practising managers, who were on part-time postgraduate management courses. The orientations to learning approach provided an effective framework for gaining insights into the complexities of learner motivations and how these influence learning behaviour. A…

This study categorized writing assignments required in undergraduate and graduate business courses and examined the characteristics of as well as skills needed for completing the assignments. Data sources included 95 course syllabi and handouts on writing assignments, 12 student writing samples, and six interviews with business faculty. Data…

This article chronicles the unique manner in which a second-year MBA elective course in managing teams has been crafted using existing first-year learning teams as its core. The design and orchestration of this course are detailed, as are the challenges posed, in delivering a course that not only teaches about teams and team dynamics but does so…

Given the recent wave of corporate scandals, the very credibility of business schools' handling of leadership education is now in question. Alternative forms of leadership education are taking root and most likely will be well established before business schools enter the competition. In this article, the author examines institutional and personal…

This study examined the relationship between level of experience and application of prior financial knowledge on the ability of auditing students and professionals to answer questions about financial statements. This study answers the following questions: (1) Is there a positive relationship between experience and the number of causal relations…

Data collected in the New Matriculants Survey, conducted in 1985 by the National Opinion Research Center, are used to provide this description of the finances of students in Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs. Over 2,000 MBA matriculants responded to the survey. Average annual expenses are analyzed by type of expense as linked to…

The locus of control orientation and value priorities of graduate students in business, dentistry, and education were studied, along with the relationship between these variables. Students in the study were attending Virginia Commonwealth University during the 1983-86 academic years and ranged in age from 18 to over 40 years old. There were 212…

A new model for predicting success in an M.B.A. program uses terms representing the interaction of undergraduate grade point average, undergraduate institution, and undergraduate major. It is found to have a significantly improved predictability than previous models. (MSE)

A survey of prospective graduate students in business administration concerning their need for graduate program information was compared with data from a previous survey of college applicants concerning their need for college program information. Significantly different information needs were revealed. (MSE)

Survey data from 165 students entering three Canadian MBA programs were examined for relationships between personal characteristics and importance of program attributes to the students. Strongest program attributes were teaching by case method and social life. Strongest student characteristics were student's age and native language. (MSE)

A study found the incidence of psychological trauma in the families of 116 social work master's degree students to be significantly higher than in 46 counterparts in a nonhelping profession (master's-level business administration). Implications are seen for effective social work practice, education, and professional responsibility. (Author/MSE)

One university's business college implemented a program, in the context of a business-related curriculum, to help international graduate students acquire academic writing skills necessary to fulfill their writing requirements. They formed a partnership with the linguistics program and developed a course, professional writing for business…

The purpose of this split-sample regression study was to determine whether quantitative and verbal scores on the Graduate Management Admissions Test, undergraduate grade point averages, age, and gender differentially predicted performance for 198 MBA students. Findings suggest that commonly used predictor variables may predict achievement…

Many firms within and outside the United States operate in multilingual environments that require executives to do business in English as well as in other languages. Executives for whom English is a second language often face special challenges communicating in such settings. This study examines how 115 executives in a distance-learning business…

In this paper, absorbing markov chains are used to analyse the flows of higher degree by research candidates (doctoral and master) within an Australian faculty of business. The candidates are analysed according to whether they are full time or part time. The need for such analysis stemmed from what appeared to be a rather poor completion rate (as…