Employers want recent college graduates prepared with skills that cut across majors, such as written and oral communication, teamwork, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, and applying knowledge in real-life situations. What is largely unknown is if some fields of study lend themselves to producing these desired skills over others. This is…

Purpose: The study aims to explore, via empirical evidence, executive assessment of Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduates in Nigerian companies. Design/methodology/approach: The research utilized a descriptive research design with structured questionnaire developed from relevant extant literature. Relevant data analysis, including…

This paper examines the connections and influences of the job market in a Brazilian higher education setting. Adopting a qualitative approach and a technical case study procedure, open and semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed through the discursive textual analysis technique. From the words of the Dean and the Chair of a business…

The authors examine the educational and training requirements of entry-level graduates employed in the freight transport, distribution, and logistics sector. Five skill and knowledge categories are considered. By comparing the perceived importance of certain skills for companies and the performance of graduates, education and training gaps are…

Today's business schools strive to balance academic rigor, research, and teaching relevant curricula to prepare learners for the rapidly changing workforce. Faced with enrollment challenges, questions about the value of the degree, and reports that graduates lack the skills employers desire, business schools are called upon to change their…

The purpose of this paper is to present a project that builds labor market skills employers are seeking through experiential classroom learning. The sales management training exercise described in this article provides students with an opportunity to think and act like sales managers by working together in teams to collaborate on a training…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on research carried out with employers to determine demand for business and management skills in the Scottish workforce. Design/methodology/approach: The research used a questionnaire in which employers were interviewed (either telephone or face to face), completed themselves and returned by e-mail,…

There is evidence in the literature (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007, Cavico & Mujtaba,2010; NACE, 2010; Garvin and Datar, 2008) suggesting that employers expect that business school graduates who they consider for employment possess foundational leadership content knowledge combined with some application experience. This study was…

Management development programs are often focused on the participant rather than on the sponsoring organization or employer. Employers send people for the wrong reasons and are unhappy with the results. Providers of Masters of Business Education degrees can make the program more meaningful to all concerned. (Contains 16 references.) (JOW)

This paper compares local government and voluntary agency personnel in terms of characteristics of prospective employees, traits for on-the-job success, and specific course requirements for each. The research is intended to provide a basis for planning curricula, utilizing empirical evidence of the needs assessment and program evaluation by and…

In a study designed to document empirically perceptions about women managers' communication skills and training needs, 101 managers (53 females and 48 males) responded to two open-ended questions: (1) From your observation and experience, what specific communication skills do women possess that might help promote their managerial effectiveness?…

Major British, French, and German industrial companies are increasingly recruiting higher education graduates (HEGs) for middle management posts, traditionally filled through promotion of operatives. This new form of recruitment does not occur on the same scale or at the same rate in all the companies using it, and it is closely tied to the…

White males represent only 46 percent of the U.S. work force. Within a few years, 75 percent of those entering the labor force will be women and minorities, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The work force is getting smaller as well as changing in nature. To attract and keep the most qualified and productive workers, businesses must make…

This document contains four symposium papers on managers, learning, and human resource development (HRD). "Expatriate Managers and HRD: The Missing Link" (Teresa M. Palmer, Iris I. Varner) reviews the literature on selection, training, retention, and organizational strategy related to expatriate assignments and presents a model that ties…

This book contains 34 papers examining the theory, process, and outcomes of action learning at work. The following papers are included: "An Introduction to the Text" (Alan Mumford); "The Learning Equation" (Reg Revans); "Action Learning as a Vehicle for Learning" (Alan Mumford); "Placing Action Learning and…