The Evolving Role of the MBA in Global Business
John Fernandes
The MBA degree has
long attracted significant attention from students, employers and industry
leaders, the media, educational organizations, and universities and colleges,
even those outside of the business discipline. Since its creation in 1900,
people have debated over the value and purpose of the MBA degree and the most
effective ways of positioning it for students and business needs. The MBA has
evolved greatly, especially in the last 20 years, in regard to delivery,
format, the student population it attracts, and the types of industries it aims
to serve. The MBA has grown to be regarded as an important credential in the
business world – one that is recognized globally.
John Fernandes will
discuss what the MBA has come to encompass today, including innovations in
program delivery and types of programs available to students, its relevance to
the evolving global business needs, and the role that business school career
services play in enhancing the link and collaborative relationship between
practice and business schools.
Biography:
John J. Fernandes is the President and CEO of AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. His previous experience was in transportation, energy and manufacturing. John chaired the audit committee of a large health care system. He currently chairs The PhD Project Foundation and is also on the boards of Beta Gamma Sigma, Global Foundation for Management Education and Tampa Bay & Company. John holds a bachelor’s degree and an honorary doctorate from Babson College and a master’s degree from the University of Houston. He attended executive programs at the Harvard Kennedy School and the University of Texas. John is a recipient of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship’s Corporate Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Consortium for Undergraduate International Business Education (CUIBE) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Support of International Business Education. In 2012, the Academy of Strategic and Entrepreneurial Leadership established the John J. Fernandes Strategic Leadership Award in his honor.