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In India, one of the prime focuses of a post-graduate management program is to prepare students and make them job-ready. Masters in Business Management (MBA) program helps students to imbibe theoretical and practical skills which are required by the industry, which can make them hit the ground running from the day they start their career. Many students (almost 40–50%) get pre-placement offers based on their performance in summer internship. The selection for summer interns by the corporate happens within a few months of the student joining the MBA program. Signaling theory in education indicates that the level of productivity of an individual is independent of education, but the educational qualification acts as a testimony for higher ability. However, this theory does not explain the reason for the mismatch between “education and work” or “education and the disparity in salary” between individuals who earn differently but have the same qualification. The paper aims to explore three attributes namely – “employability”– the chance of being employable; “pre-placement offers” – the chance of securing a job offer based on the performance in internship and “salary” – the chance of bagging a good job offer with a high salary.

The authors have used longitudinal data consisting of 1,202 students who graduated from reputable business schools (B-Schools) in India. In the study, the authors have used predictive analytics on six years data set that have been gathered. The authors have considered 24 attributes including educational background at the graduate level (BE, B Tech, B Com, BSc, BBA and others), score secured in class ten (high, medium and low), score secured in class twelve (high, medium and low), score secured in graduation (high, medium and low), competency in soft skills (high, medium and low), participation in co-curricular activities (high, medium and low) and social engagement status (high, medium and low).

The findings of the study contradict the signaling theory in education. The findings suggest that the educational qualification alone cannot be the predictor of the employability and the salary offered to the student. The authors note that the better performance at a lower level of qualification (class 12) is the strong predictor in comparison to the student performance at their graduation and post-graduation level. The authors further observed at the post-graduate management education level that soft skills and participation in co-curricular activities are the major deciding factors to predict employability and pre-placement job opportunity and marks secured in class 12 is one more factor that gets added to this list to predict salary. The paper can immensely help management graduates to focus on key aspects that can help to hone appropriate skills and also can help management institutions to select the right students for management programs.

The analysis and the predictive model may apply to Indian B-Schools wherein the quality of students are almost the same or better. Predictive analytics has been used to explain the employability of management graduates alone and not any other.

The authors' study might be useful for those students who often fail to understand “what” skills are the most important predictors of their performance in the pre-placement and final-placement interviews. Moreover, the study may serve as a useful guide to those organizations that often face dilemmas to understand “how” to select an ideal candidate for the particular job profile from a campus.

The authors believe that the current study is one of the few studies that have attempted to examine the employability of management graduates using predictive analytics. The study further contradicts that the signaling theory in education does not help better explain the employability of the students in extremely high-paced business environments.

Exploratory insights into the graduate student experiences of offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam are presented. Students are considered key stakeholders in the higher education (HE) debate, and their views were sought in light of recent shifts in HE worldwide, associated business education changes, nagging questions around the quality of MBA programmes, and the need to consider how all these factors might influence the MBA student experience in a developing economy such as Vietnam. The literature confirms a disconnection between what management education providers offer in MBA programmes and what management education users (here, students) are actually receiving, especially when compared to student expectations, needs and outcomes. Here, a portion of the findings from a larger exploratory, descriptive qualitative study, located in Vietnam, is presented. Graduate students’ views as to what they were seeking when enroling in offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam, and how the programme subsequently met their needs, are shared. Recommendations are made as to potential improvements in curricula design, review, administration, and processes in response to these findings. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Findings from an exploratory, descriptive qualitative study, located in Vietnam, are presented. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with graduates of offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam, drawn from the graduates of three case study HE provider organisations. Interviews were transcribed verbatim in Vietnamese, then translated into English.

Graduates’ views as stakeholders in the provision of offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam are shared. Qualitative analysis revealed evidence of their attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge relating to offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam. The narratives and interpretations offer insights into both the perceived benefits and limitations, and empirical evidence as to whether graduates’ original expectations were met.

This was a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study, deliberately undertaken in the absence of others like it in the literature. The research relies upon interview and focus group data gathered from three case study organisations and exploring the perceptions of three different stakeholder groups: graduates of offshore MBA programmes (findings shared here); employers of offshore MBA graduates; and MBA programme providers (including programme managers, administrators and/or teaching staff). This paper includes only the perspective of graduates of offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam, on the basis that rich exploratory information can be derived from a few cases (Perry, 1998).

The literature confirms a potential for disconnection between what management education providers offer in MBA programmes and what management education graduates actually receive, compared to graduate’s original expectations, needs and wants. Here, empirical evidence of this intersection is examined.

The graduate narratives share crucial exploratory evidence offering a better understanding of the needs and expectations of MBA graduates who might be considering enroling in offshore MBA programmes in Vietnam. These findings are especially important with regard to understanding the sustainability and value of offshore MBA programmes being delivered in Vietnam, especially given the country’s current state of economic, political and cultural transition, and the associated need for businesses and workers to be able to operate successfully in an international business environment.

No previous studies evaluating the value of MBA programmes in Vietnam have been located. At a time when Vietnam is in economic, cultural, and political transition, knowledge to assist and support their HE sector is crucial. Recommendations are made as to potential improvements in Vietnamese offshore MBA programme curricula design, review, administration, and processes in response to these findings.

The literature identified fee‐paying education as one of the fastest growth industries in the world – it is a global industry from which many industrialised countries, such as Australia, are well positioned to benefit. At this stage, little conclusive evidence exists that identifies how such enterprises should operate, although many universities around the globe have already made a considerable investment in fee‐paying graduate education and rely heavily on the income it generates. The literature suggests that few, if any, excel in the best practices associated with this type of education. The research also identified a set of best practices that apply specifically to fee‐paying graduate education that can be grouped in a number of categories.

This paper explores the changing needs of employers and the business community in relation to the balance between technical and soft skills, such as communication skills, business presentation skills and other interpersonal skills. The researcher discusses the importance of soft relational skills for all business graduates, including accountants. The study further explains how soft skills can complement the technical skills taught to ensure that graduates are equipped to deal with the demands of a complex global business environment. The needs of different stakeholders, possible barriers to change and the way in which academic faculty can contribute are reviewed.

The contribution that the function of management makes to economic growth and development is very difficult to assess. Similarly, the role of education in the improvement of management is not beyond debate, unless it is defined so broadly as to include all the other possible avenues in addition to formal systematic education.

To investigate the skills and abilities that MBAs who study marketing, those occupying marketing positions, and companies that hire marketers regard as important; the level of competency required to perform on the job; and areas that need improvement, whether through on‐the‐job training, continuing education, or changes in MBA curricula.

Large‐scale international longitudinal and cross‐sectional surveys used to assess skill development, skill requirements, and the need for additional education provides the foundation of this paper. The data are obtained from three surveys conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council: Global MBA Graduate Survey, MBA Alumni Perspectives Survey, and Corporate Recruiters Survey.

Understanding the perspectives of different constituencies provides an in‐depth and comprehensive view of the skills and abilities needed by those who work in marketing. Without the assistance of a crystal ball to peer into the future, an empirical investigation is required into the relationship between skill development in the classroom, practical use of skills in the field, and the requirements of hiring companies for graduates. The paper identifies a thinking‐doing divide, discusses why it exists, and suggests how it may be corrected.

The research, although consisting of large international samples, is limited to students and alumni of graduate business schools and companies that hire MBAs. Even though the scope of the samples is limited to more advanced practitioners, the information is useful to faculty, students, and companies at all levels to assist in developing marketers of the future.

This paper presents data from three viewpoints that taken together yield a comprehensive picture of graduate education for marketers as it exists today, and clearly suggests directions for graduate education of future marketers.

This paper explores the applications of lean thinking in re-evaluating the business school curriculum, syllabus and intended learning objectives to enhance the employability of graduates through identifying and eliminating non–value-added activities.

The research employed multilevel qualitative methodology, where 55 semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from academics, students and graduates from several private and public universities in Jordan.

The study finds that the application of lean thinking in the business school is twofold – it helps the developer of the school curriculum to get rid of many superfluous and non–value-added activities and also emphasises and reinforces the value-added activities. Value stream mapping, with a consideration for internal and external outputs, has been found to be a useful tool for developing an employability-focussed curriculum that equips business school students with the required competences and skills in the labour market.

The study is based on a qualitative research approach. The generalisability of the findings is difficult to assess, and future research would benefit from the insights obtained from the quantitative data

In practice, this study has identified different types of non–value-added and unnecessary activities in business school curriculum and has made suggestions for the development of a more employability-focussed curriculum.

This paper investigates the non–value-added activities of the business school curriculum, syllabus and the intended learning objectives to enhance the employability of graduates in Jordan.

This paper aims to provide a history of graduate healthcare management education in the USA with an emphasis on the comparison of business schools and health science settings. It seeks to explain why different organizational cultures exist and how this affects education.

The approach relies on literature review and descriptive analysis using secondary data. Institutional economics helps provide perspective on different academic cultures and orientations.

Healthcare management education originated in the early twentieth century. Business schools at the University of Chicago and Northwestern were early pioneers. By mid‐century, schools of public health and medicine entered and came to dominate with strong graduate programs at Berkeley, Michigan and other leading universities. More recently, business schools have differentiated away from the generic MBA and expanded into this market. Advocates of health science settings commonly see healthcare as different from other forms of management. The externally funded model of medical education relying on patient and grant revenues dominates the health sciences. This can lead to preference for faculty who generate funds and a neglect of core academic areas that historically have not relied on grants and contracts.

This history of health management education provides insight for students, researchers, educators and administrators. It underscores comparative advantage of different academic settings.

This paper serves to fill a gap in the management literature. It provides history and perspective about academic settings not readily available.