The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
Gaby Gramm, managing director and owner of LuxTravelEx, says any MBA programme thrives on interaction and exchange, not only with the lecturers but, in particular, with your study colleagues. This applies in particular for the Executive MBA (EMBA) programme, which is aimed at students who have at least 20 years of work experience.
“My experience with the EMBA programme at the University of Cape Town (UCT)’s Graduate School of Business was exactly that — the lectures were excellent, but the work and study groups really made the programme happen for me.”
Gysbert Kappers, chief executive of Wyzetalk, says his decision to do his EMBA at UCT was for its focus on systems thinking, but having a young family and a dollar price for an international US/European MBA was also a massive factor. “I have to say that it was tremendous having classmates from all over Africa and we have remained friends ever since. The group and class environment is irreplaceable and I certainly feel that you would not experience the same through an online degree.”
Nicholas de Canha, chief executive of Imperial Fleet Management, says that 90% of the fun of doing an MBA locally is being able to do it with a colleague and/or meeting people through the course. Knowing someone who has done one and talking to them about it also helps a lot in preparing your own expectations, he says.
De Canha adds, from a South African employer comparison point of view, local business schools are on par with international standards, except for perhaps top flight schools such as Harvard Business School, Wharton or Stanford Graduate School of Business.
“Local employers will typically view a top South African MBA the same as a top international, so if you do not need the international flexibility get a top South African MBA. They are much cheaper and you can do it at home.”
Unique challenges
Gramm says, when making the decision to study again later in life, a pretty good support system needs to be in place. This is the case in particular if the programme chosen is part-time or modular, where the student is required to study and work full-time in between modules.
De Canha also cites comradery and face-to-face interactions with colleagues and/or other students as playing a significant role in studying, “I would think doing the degree online would be tougher. “Plus part of the motivation to do well comes from the structure of the normal courses. There is no doubt the guys who succeed on an online version put in more discipline.”
Yet, having the face-to-face interactions (as apposed to online) actually makes a big difference in getting back into the study groove, says De Canha. He adds 90% of people who do MBAs through South Africa’s local business schools do complete them and qualify. Kappers says, having a young family and being a chief executive of a large business, there are a number of obligations to balance: family, work, friends, fitness, EMBA.
“For me, my decision was that for two years, I had to eliminate one obligation almost completely, and it was socialising with friends. “Studying for an MBA while working full-time is an extremely tough decision, you have to be 100% focused and committed. If you make it through, it is one of the most rewarding and life changing experiences you will have. This was definitely the case for me.”
Families need to give the working adult the necessary time and protection to get on with the studies, adds Gramm. The employer needs to make the necessary time off work available to the employee student to be able to succeed, she says. Yet, the challenges are different for each person — there is no “one general plan” that can be mapped by everyone, says De Canha.
“Pressures will differ between full-time or part-time students and differ again based on individual lifestyles. “Doing an MBA — and doing it properly — does take commitment, setting aside time appropriately and some acceptance that regardless of how well you think you’ve planned ahead, there will inevitably be some long nights. No one I know found doing a MBA to be an easy cruise, however, none of them have every regretted having done one either.”
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