Sunday Times

WBS’ MBA: A GAME CHANGER

IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS EDUCATION, AN MBA IS A GUARANTEED LIFE-CHANGER. IT IS UNDISPUTED­LY ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDING DEGREES ANY BUSINESS PERSON CAN UNDERTAKE. BOTH THE KNOWLEDGE GAINED AND THE FOCUSED DISCIPLINE REQUIRED, MEANS THAT AFTER AN MBA NO PERS

- by Conrad Viedge (Director MBA Programmes, Wits Business School)

We know that the world of business is changing rapidly and the best business schools will be those that not only keep up with this change, but lead it. Only through a combinatio­n of leading-edge research, academic excellence and global relevance, will they be able to provide their students with the tools needed to excel in tomorrow’s business world. This is why Wits Business School has focused increasing­ly on internatio­nalisation – on its standards, its programmes and its approach.

GLOBAL BEST PRACTICE

Wits Business School (WBS) is committed to its vision - sculpting global leaders. We provide an education that is on par with that offered by the most prestigiou­s institutio­ns. That’s why our students are able to compete, not only locally, but internatio­nally. Our students walk out our doors as profession­als who can stand alongside graduates from the best business schools across the globe.

We also recognise that while internatio­nally aligned standards and course content are vital, nothing can replace real-life exposure to the internatio­nal business context. This is why we offer our MBA students the opportunit­y to take part in a global exchange programme, establishe­d as a result of the close ties we have forged with 40 of the most highly regarded business schools in the world. These include, among others, Harvard Business School and the London School of Business.

LOCAL FOCUS

While we place strong emphasis on giving our students a global outlook, we never lose sight of the local context. Our geographic­al position places us in the centre of Africa’s emerging market hub. As the world turns its attention to emerging markets to pursue business interests, we appreciate the importance of producing graduates who have a comprehens­ive understand­ing of the unique drivers behind local and emerging market economics and complex environmen­ts in flux.

The WBS MBA degree has been re-curriculat­ed with a differenti­ation that speaks to emerging markets within developing economies. The revitalise­d WBS MBA, to be launched in 2014, provides graduates with a competitiv­e edge among its peer business school programmes. The programme covers aspects such as management, strategy, marketing, organisati­onal design and developmen­t, entreprene­urship, finance, internalis­ation, operations management and human resources, all highly sought after in any company.

ACCREDITAT­ION

WBS is accredited by the Londonbase­d Associatio­n of MBAs (AMBA), the quality assurance authority in business education, and is in no danger of losing this accreditat­ion which is due to be reviewed again in 2015. This revitalise­d WBS MBA not only directly speaks to AMBA’s quality assurance standards regarding integrated, well-focussed content that is globally and locally relevant, but endorses the continued internatio­nal high quality of academic rigour Wits Business School for which it has always been renowned.

THE WBS CASE CENTRE

While you’ll never live long enough to make the many mistakes those before you did, you can save much time by learning from them. This is a particular­ly apt reason our Case Centre here at the Wits Business School continues to flourish. From Maria Ramos and the amazing turnaround she implemente­d at Transnet, to issues of corruption and how it crippled organisati­ons whose governance processes were not in place, to the eNaTIS system crash and other misfortune­s, our Case Centre provides real life scenarios and real-world business challenges that are thrust into the classroom.

Since our curriculum focuses on providing our students with an internatio­nal perspectiv­e, our Case Centre also makes provision for the dissection and study of internatio­nal as well as South African business models. These include companies such as AngloGold, SABMiller, Nando’s, Discovery, Harley Davidson Motorcycle­s, Avis, Young Designer’s Emporium, Capitec Bank and many others.

GAME CHANGING

Revisions to SA higher education legislatio­n effective from 2016, will up the stakes for prospectiv­e students – the revised MBA in SA may raise the entrance requiremen­t to the programme to a four-year undergradu­ate/honours degree level. There is no better time than now to change your game by signing up for an MBA.

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