ENRICHMENT OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILL AMONG MBA STUDENTS - A PATHWAY TO NEW INDIA

In this short article, we explore and problematise the axiomatic assumption of follower in the field of leadership studies notably the leader–follower axiom as the essential foundation of much leadership theorising. We do so, firstly by drawing on our experiences of exploring followership conceptually, and secondly, by reviewing conversations with executive MBA students. From these sources, we argue that the absence of identifications with followership offers a challenge to leadership assumptions around the socio-materiality of followers and their relations with leaders within organisational contexts. This leads us to questions like: what if follower identifications do not typically exist or are rejected in everyday organisational working contexts – despite discursive labelling of individuals as followers or following practices? Would or should leadership research and its examination of leader–follower dynamics fundamentally change and in what ways? We explore these questions and suggest very different orientations that might appear with regards to notions of the leadership relationship, leading and following dynamics, practice-based attention to leadership and perhaps very different approaches to leadership development. Such a (re)appraisal of the leadership lexicon may move notions of follower identification out of social constructions of organisational leadership and towards social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) – where the phenomenon of being a follower is ever present, but is redefined as a phenomenon of vicarious fantasy associated with interest, curiosity and entertainment.

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Graduates giving back – a mentoring program for MBA students

International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education ◽

10.1108/ijmce-03-2015-0009 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 200-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ann Darwin

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

South Australia ◽

Value Added ◽

Master Of Business Administration ◽

Mentoring Program ◽

Education Students ◽

Content Type ◽

Mba Students ◽

A Value ◽

The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered in the implementation of a mentoring program for Master of Business Administration (MBA) students at the University of South Australia (UniSA) Business School. The paper starts with an exploration into the need for a mentoring program, the trial and subsequent four years of implementation. The paper also explores the network model of mentoring and the reasons why this, rather than a more traditional model, was chosen for the program’s implementation. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory case study uses data from over 600 students and their alumni mentors over a five-year period to evaluate and improve the program as well as cultivating a critical community of adult learners. Findings – Feedback from students indicates that the mentoring program is regarded by most as a value-added feature of their early learning as it offers support, if and when it is required, from those who have been there before. Research limitations/implications – Results are limited to one institution. However, as research into mentoring for higher education students is thin on the ground, this study contributes to our understanding of the positive impacts of mentoring on student success. Practical implications – This paper emphasizes the importance of business leaders giving back to their alma mater through mentoring current MBA students. It shows how mentoring can support learning and management development. Originality/value – This is an original study which explores ways to increase the learning of higher education students for positive social outcomes.

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Comparing entrepreneurial communities

Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy ◽

10.1108/jec-06-2013-0018 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 206-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Justin Paul ◽

Archana Shrivastava

Keyword(s):

Information Technology ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Personality Factors ◽

Asian Countries ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Developed Country ◽

Content Type ◽

Mba Students ◽

Emerging Country ◽

Survey Responses

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare entrepreneurial attributes of MBA students, the next generation business people, from two important Asian countries, India from South Asia and Japan from East Asia (India, being an emerging country and Japan, a developed country). Design/methodology/approach – Survey responses from MBA students in India and Japan were measured on an entrepreneurial personality index. Bateman and Crant’s scale consisting of 17 traits is used to identify if entrepreneurial traits are a learned cultural behaviour or intrinsic personality factors. Findings – Although the findings indicate that India has benefitted from entrepreneurship in the information technology and information technology-enabled service ventures during the past two decades, the country still has a long way to go when compared to developed countries like Japan, where entrepreneurship is widespread. Research limitations/implications – The results are based on a single survey, using cross-sectional data. Originality/value – The level of entrepreneurship differs considerably across countries and periods. The authors put forward a theoretical framework to denote the linkage between entrepreneurial attitude, pro-active personality and culture, besides highlighting the three pillars of entrepreneurship.

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Value communication: low-cost marketing initiatives for “Guru Ki Bani 58282”

Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies ◽

10.1108/eemcs-04-2013-0025 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Neeraj Pandey ◽

Gaganpreet Singh

Keyword(s):

Interactive Voice Response ◽

Low Cost ◽

Value Added ◽

Subject Area ◽

Marketing Management ◽

Digital Marketing ◽

Content Type ◽

Mba Students ◽

Marketing Team ◽

Value Communication

Subject area Pricing, digital marketing, marketing management and strategic marketing. Study level/applicability The case can be used for pricing or digital marketing courses as well as marketing management courses to MBA students and/or for management development programmes. Case overview Goldfinch Mobile Solutions, a Hong-Kong based value added services (VAS) and gaming platform provider, had an exclusive tie up with Bharti Airtel in India for providing value added voice applications on an interactive voice response system (IVRS) platform. The Goldfinch flagship service is “Guru Ki Bani” which may be subscribed to by dialing the short code 58282. This “58282” service has a repository of all Sikh religion daily prayers, religious songs, teachings, stories from Guru's life and similar information that is derived from the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As per mutual agreement between Goldfinch Mobile Solutions and Bharti Airtel, the telecom operator had the responsibility to promote Goldfinch's Guru Ki Bani service amongst its subscriber base through its below the line (BTL) promotional channels such as short messaging service (SMS), outbound calls, cell information, notification SMS after call and above the line (ATL) activities such as posters, leaflets, print, promoters, regional TV, outdoors, etc. The revenue sharing arrangement between Airtel and Golfinch was in the ratio of 75 percent and 25 percent. However, with recent changes in the policies of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), promotional marketing used by telecom operators has been constrained. Declining customer share, decreasing profits (after Bharti Airtel halted promotions) and increasing organization cost per customer have made MD and CEO Mr Newton Bubber think of various options including low-cost marketing initiatives besides digital marketing to promote Guru Ki Bani services. Value communication to its huge potential customer base, i.e. 184.19 million Bharti Airtel subscribers was another challenge facing Mr Newton and his marketing team at Goldfinch. Expected learning outcomes The case enables students to learn the concepts and application of value creation, effective value communication, price waterfall analysis, importance of costing parameters in pricing decisions, low-cost marketing strategies and digital marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

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Stretch goals and unethical behavior: role of ambivalent identification and competitive psychological climate

Management Decision ◽

10.1108/md-04-2019-0433 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Chang Chen ◽

Zhe Zhang ◽

Ming Jia

Keyword(s):

Unethical Behavior ◽

Psychological Climate ◽

Disruptive Effect ◽

Two Phase ◽

Content Type ◽

Mba Students ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Moderated Mediation Model ◽

Competitive Psychological Climate

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior and explore the mediating role of ambivalent identification and moderating role of competitive psychological climate.Design/methodology/approachA total of 350 MBA students from Northwestern China completed the two-phase survey. The bootstrapping analysis outlined by Hayes was used to assess a moderated mediation model.FindingsThis study found that stretch goals could trigger employees' unethical behavior via ambivalent identification. Competitive psychological climate intensified the relationship between stretch goals and ambivalent identification. Moreover, such a climate aggravated the indirect effect of stretch goals on unethical behavior via ambivalent identification.Practical implicationsOrganizations and managers should use stretch goals prudently and implement measures to reduce the ethical cost.Originality/valueThis study provides unique contributions by identifying ambivalent identification as an important mediator and competitive psychological climate as a boundary condition of stretch goals' disruptive effect on unethical behavior.

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