Top MBA Connect

The ESMT MBA program is a one year MBA program starting in January and ending in December. The last three months of the program were special because in those months we had an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout the year to the real life projects and challenges. The highlights of those months were the development of a business plan, conducting a consulting project and writing a Master’s thesis.

Innovation… Disruptive innovation… these are words that nowadays no organization can afford to ignore. We live in a world, where technology is changing rapidly, new and more advanced products and services are developed continuously. In module 4, we (MBA students of ESMT) we were given an opportunity to choose between technology track and sustainability track. Having chosen mostly technology related courses, I had a chance to participate in courses like “Technology strategy and product creation”, “Bringing technology to market” and “Managing technological innovation”.

ESMT's MBA program is rich with all kinds of different activities that aim to foster learning and enhance experience. IFS (International Field Seminar) is one of the important and unique experiences I had during my MBA program at ESMT. Just a week ago I came back from California, where I and my classmates spent 10 days visiting 11 different companies in the heart of Silicon Valley and San Francisco. One may wonder what IFS is and what is so special about it.

If you ask me “Should I do an MBA?”, I will reply with a question “Are you ready to stretch yourself?”.

Already half a year has passed since the start of the MBA program at ESMT, and after a three-week summer vacation we are back to our studies. We used the vacation to relax and recover from the intensive program, but also to reflect on what we learnt so far and to plan our future career. Some students from our class used this opportunity to do internships in different companies and some other students did their first steps for establishing their own businesses.

The last ten days were too busy. Something very interesting was happening at ESMT: the Intopia business simulation. 40 students were divided into ten groups, and each group had to form and run a company in the Intopia world. Each group received the same initial amount of funding and was free to choose the markets and the areas of the value chain for positioning its company. Each company was free to build its strategy, and the goal was to have a successful company in the long-term with the highest retained earnings.

Why diversity matters

Why do many big organizations strive to have a greater diversity in the workplace? Why do many top business schools position themselves as being internationally diverse? Is this just a trend or a growing movement?

Continuing the theme about what MBA students do, I would like to say that besides case studies and business simulations, we engage also in other activities which help to develop our knowledge and skills. Here are some examples:

Many people wonder what MBA students do. As an MBA student at ESMT, I will try to answer this question. More generally, I can say that we - MBAs:

• gain and develop our knowledge and skills
• network
• prepare for future challenges after graduation
• and, of course, also have fun.

How do we do all these things? Let me explain in more detail.

Most of the MBA scholarships for African nationals are offered by European business schools, and many are specific to applicants from Sub-Saharan Africa. African MBA applicants also qualify for several school-specific scholarships designed for applicants from developing countries, including the Kofi Annan Fellowship at ESMT.