International recognition spurs on students
CRANEFIELD COLLEGE is extending its degree offerings in the fields of project management, programme managing the supply chain and project portfolios, and value chain performance management with the addition of a MBA, currently awaiting South African accreditation and registration.
“Previously, the route for our students to the Doctorate was through a Masters of Commerce but we have seen a growing market demand for a Masters in Business Administration that also encompasses the disciplines found within the project management and value chain performance management fields,” explains Professor Piet Steyn, head of Cranefield College.
“The College focuses on value chain performance management, including programme managing of an organisation’s supply chain activities and project management portfolios.
“Students develop a customer focus and become the role models of the vision and mission of the organisation, as they apply their knowledge and skills.
“This is vital in the private sector, as management skills are exported out of South Africa and it is even more vital in the public sector, as directorates are increasingly being held accountable programme delivery.
“The success of the College lies in its technology-enhanced distance learning programmes that are so advanced that students globally register for our courses, secure in the knowledge that these for qualifications will be recognised by their home countries.
“One of our recent PhD graduates from Germany supplied us with the recognition of his Doctorate, accepted as H+ status in Germany (and hence the EU), which makes it equivalent to degrees conferred by any German university.
“Both our New Zealand and Australian students have experienced the same acceptance by their regulation authorities.
“Another significant factor in the selection of value chain performance management as a study field, is that what students learn from the college today, can be implemented in their work context tomorrow.
“This appeals to employers and motivates them to invest in their staff’s education, as increasingly, employers prefer job-relevant education to improve the competence of employees and provide them with the necessary skills to be of immediate benefit to their organisations.
“Todays’ organisations are bombarded by change and they have to give up old ways of leading and managing in favour of a knowledge-based approach that embraces innovation and learning. This is where the qualifications we offer are best suited,” concludes Steyn. THE University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School is at the forefront of promoting the African growth story and continues to be an advocate for greater levels of investment into talent from across Africa.
“In 2014, at the World Economic Forum, I pledged that 10 percent of our MBA students would come from the African continent, by 2018. We are proud to announce that we have achieved that ambition and more by having over 10 percent of the new 2017 class hailing from Africa,” says Peter Tufano, Dean of the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
“Our ultimate aim in the region is to create a positive change, inform a global audience about opportunities that exist on the continent and have a direct impact on the path of the individual lives of our African students. We will remain strongly committed to having the largest percentage of African students in any business school outside of the continent, by continuing to work with individuals and organisations who, like us, want to ensure that the barriers facing potential African MBA students are overcome.
“The need to constantly transform and adapt our offerings on the MBA programme and ensure that we are able to address local demands and opportunities, led to the development of the first international elective for the MBA programmes. An elective titled ‘Growth prospects and opportunities in Africa’ was hosted in Johannesburg and was supported by a number of companies that have successfully expanded across the continent including Standard Bank, BCG, Goldman Sachs and Interbrand. The aim of the elective was for students to understand what the long-term drivers of change in Africa are and what varieties of business opportunities are presented by the continent.
“Our focus as a business school community is on preparing our students to tackle complex world scale challenges. Through the programme, we emphasis entrepreneurial thinking, the need for responsible leadership and the need to understand what we call the rules of the game – the complex governance structures and relationships between stakeholders, which can shape and change the future of an organisation.
“This year we have seen a growth in the number of our Oxford 1+1 MBA students both from Africa and from students who have worked within Africa. The Oxford 1+1 MBA is a unique opportunity for talented individuals to combine a Master’s degree from one of several Oxford University departments with the oneyear MBA.