Want to join the 12month MBA at Oxford College of Business? You are going to need emotional intelligence

It is often said that the most valuable benefit of a MBA education is not what is learned in the classroom, or the ability to work all night fuelled only caffeine, but an address book! Pick the 12month MBA offered at Oxford College of Business ( OCB) in affiliation with the Australian Institute of Business (AIB) and a few years down the line you might find yourself connected to some of the most powerful and influential people, not just in the field of business, but also the field of government and politics. In a bid to continue to produce the best in the field of business and management, today Oxford College of Business has became the 1st Business School in the country to incorporate emotional intelligence onto the MBA orientation program when taking in new students on their world renowned 12month MBA program which is ranked #10 in the world.

Can a standardized test of “emotional intelligence” predict success in business school?

Oxford College of Business is the 1st business school in the country to make a bet that the answer is “yes.” Starting this semester, Oxford College of Business will begin testing MBA students on their ability to understand and manage emotions. The admissions committee will use the results to decide if applicants make the cut. And students can expect to learn more about what makes fellow MBAs tick as OCB hopes to incorporate its findings into modules s u ch as Leadership and Entrepreneurship.

The Head of Academic of Oxford College of Business says, the school will begin testing incoming students during orientation, and use the findings to teach leadership and entrepreneurship. All AIB MBA students will take the results of the test as part of the leadership program, according to the course director. “OCB plans to incorporate the test results into the admissions process, but a formal plan hasn’t been decided,” he adds, who will be the main person heading all MBA orientation program.

“It is our goal to more closely tie the Leadership module and admissions process together,” the MBA course director of OCB said, “We feel it would be a natural complement to the more quantitative elements of the admissions process ( test scores, previous academic performance) and would help us gain a fuller sense of our students’ leadership abilities, but we are still evaluating the best way to integrate it into future admissions cycles.” The Head of Academic at OCB who would be conducting this new induction process states that the MBA induction program will be designed to measures how well a person recognizes emotions, uses emotions to convey ideas, understands emotions, and manages emotions— their own and those of others. For example a question might show a photograph of a face, and ask the test-taker to rate the emotions expressed on a five- point happiness scale, with 1 being “no happiness” and 5 being “extreme happiness.” Another might ask the test- taker to complete a sentence, choosing one of five words that best describes how someone might react in a given situation.

Developed by the Academic Head at Oxford College of Business together with management psychology department of OCB and certain members of the MBA Alumni at OCB, this new induction program is a natural fit at to the 12month MBA at OCB, which is home to the some of the country’s most famous business leaders and entrepreneurs.

MBA orientation will also feature a component that introduces students to the course, preparation for examinations and assignments, referencing skills, insight into open book examinations, effective application of the MBA skills taught in class in their day to day work environment, introduction by to the alumni by an alumni members etc.

Impact of emotional intelligence on the leadership module

As part of the Leadership module on the 12month MBA program at OCB, students will assess and also learn about how to exert personal influence and maintain selfcontrol as a leader. “The leadership module is designed to give students knowledge that in concert with their experiences and reflection will increase their capacity to lead,” says the Head of Academic at OCB.

Students are also required to assume leadership roles in any organization— on campus, at a company, or for a charitable group, for example. All students will be personally guided by the facilitators to help them reach their full potential, and academic department will use the results of the test, compare and improve the experience, says MBA course director at OCB.

“We want students to have greater self- awareness,” he says. “We want them to improve their ability to manage emotions and influence others.”

MBA with the toughest entry requirements in the country

“We at Oxford College of Business always only select the best on to our MBA program, and already the entry criterion is the toughest in the country when compared with other MBA programs. This is not to eliminate applicants but to identify “diamonds in the rough,” said director of MBA admissions at OCB. In the future we also hope to ask MBA applicants to submit letters of recommendation from their employers justifying the person on ability to cope with pressure, intellectual curiosity, and other traits.

In this unpredictable economy, there may be fewer opportunities within your current field, but many more in different areas where your skill set will be valued. It is very important that the seasoned senior manager keep their eye on the big picture. The new orientation program on the 12month MBA at OCB hopes to foster creativity and flexibility – and train managers to work outside their comfort zone with people, tasks and situations that are both familiar and unfamiliar. Help them know where you stand out and what you have to offer – what differentiates you, and how these differences can benefit you, and your company, it is important that you select an MBA program which caters to all these factors. The 12month AIB MBA at Oxford College of Business is ranked #10 in the world and # 3 in Australia according to the CEO Magazine (UK). For more information contact Malindu Ranasinghe - 0714151547 or visit www.ocbsrilanka.com