Technical efficiency is the ability of a firm to produce its maximum output using a set of inputs or to minimise the use of its inputs to produce a certain level of output. When a firm is operating at its most efficient, operating costs can be minimised, profits maximised and competitiveness improved. This study investigates the role of a firm's…

This paper discusses the challenges of professional education for mid-career public managers at graduate level, pointing out pitfalls to avoid and obstacles to face. Analyzing the Brazilian case, the goal is to raise issues that may also be present in other cases. The main argument developed here is that the puzzle faced by graduate programs on…

The merits of action learning as a change tool and enabler of deep learning are well recognised. However, there is a gap in the literature of participants' stories regarding their experiences on accredited postgraduate executive programmes underpinned by an action learning philosophy. The following account of practice addresses this gap and…

This paper explores problem-based learning (PBL) as a vehicle for developing critical management skills and preparing students for their future careers. Using student reflections and facilitator observations the paper presents the nature of individuals' experiences with learning and teaching in a PBL setting in the management discipline. The study…

The foundation upon which knowledge was provided in universities was a search for truth with four core beliefs. The first was to be critical of the self, the second to be respectful of others, the third to be tolerant of opposing views and the fourth to be committed to the generation of new knowledge. These principles may be found in curriculums…

At Canadian universities, business schools are light-years ahead of the rest of the campus in raising their global profile. Intensive foreign-student-recruitment efforts, friendly Canadian immigration rules, mandatory study-abroad requirements, and, in some cases, the option to pursue programs in multiple languages have combined to pack a punch in…

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the teaching and assessment strategies for an organisation-centred curriculum. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a case study. Data were collected from interviews and a focus group with worker-learners enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Education (Educational Leadership) course. Findings: The…

This study explores the predictive validity of GMAT[R] scores for predicting performance in graduate management programs outside the United States. Results suggest that the validity estimates based on the combination of GMAT[R] scores were about a third of a standard deviation higher for non-U.S. programs compared with existing data on U.S.…

This paper discusses the theoretical foundations and implementation challenges and outcomes of a unique "hands-on" global consulting program that is integrated into an international EMBA program for mid-career and senior American and European managers. It details the challenges for the integration of experiential action learning, double-loop…

The College of Europe, in Bruges, Belgium, is a small, elite graduate institution, the world's oldest and best known in the field of European studies, that trains the future leaders of the European Union (EU). The college is known as the premier training ground for officials of the European Commission, which is the executive body of the EU, and of…

The challenges of administering an overseas management education project over a sixteen year period are recounted. When the host country is a former communist state and now a full member of the EU, the challenges are ever present from all who may be regarded as stakeholders. Federal Canadian funding enabled the creation of a local infrastructure,…

Based on the author's experience as advisor to practicing administrators in their final year of a three-year part-time masters program in education management at a British university, this article explores whether the academic demands of an award-bearing program and those of action learning interact detrimentally. The strands of activity should be…

Interviews with six Chinese and Ugandan students in Britain using action learning in postgraduate management education revealed that previous group work experience or a personal belief in teamwork influenced positive outcomes. Those from authority-based education systems wanted more structure and guidance, and other cultural differences must be…

South Africa has unique challenges. Thirteen years since becoming democratic, it is still going through its own unprecedented change in joining the global economic network and moving from Apartheid to democracy and from a closed to an open community. These political and sociological changes have also infiltrated business and therefore management…

Draws implications from U.S. efforts to legitimate the Ed.D. as a valued qualification focused on meeting practitioners' needs. Describes a curriculum process model developed at the University of Texas at Austin with potential for guiding and forming university-based preparation and ongoing professional development for administrators. A…