Does the MBA Experience Support Diversity? Demographic Effects on Program Satisfaction*

Abstract

Using data provided by graduates from 128 MBA programs, we examined the extent to which age, gender, and ethnicity predicted student perceptions of the MBA experience. We found that women and minorities were more likely to see program costs and the availability of financial support as significant factors in their program enrollment decisions than were Caucasian males. The most consistent predictor of students' perceptions of their educational experience was whether the MBA program was full time or part time, with full-time programs generally perceived more favorably. Our findings suggest that because diversity measures of age, gender, and ethnicity were not consistent predictors across the different perception areas, at minimum, MBA programs presently do not consistently inhibit diversity. However, given the increasing percentage of women and minorities that comprise the undergraduate population, maintaining the present path in program accessibility may create enrollment problems for MBA programs perhaps in the very near future. Therefore, we conclude with a discussion of the changing demographics in higher education and their potential implications for MBA programs and suggestions for how MBA programs might respond.

Key Determinants of Satisfaction among International Business Students in Regional Context

“…Results found in the literature relative to the level of satisfaction of female students are generally mixed where some students indicated a higher level of dissatisfaction (Arbaugh, Bento, & Hwang, 2010), while others conclude that female students were more satisfied with academic curriculum (Tessema. M, Ready.…”

Gender Equality and UN Sustainable Development Goals: Priorities and Correlations in the Top Business Schools’ Communication and Legitimation Strategies

“…BS who consider gender equality important in their communication strategy also consider that scholarships and financial aids are a tool for stakeholders' engagement and legitimation. Women in BS and programmes affordability are confirmed to be very much linked topics as pointed out in the literature review [1,2,5,68].…”

“…Women valuate very positively business administration programmes [2] but quite often they decide to do not attend one of them. The main reason for women for not attending an MBA is the financial concern [2,68,69], caused mainly by the difficulty of finding the necessary economic resource to pay the tuitions and living expenses [2]. In fact, women's salary between the university graduation and the MBA is lower than their male colleagues and obtaining funds for graduate school is a top challenge for them [5].…”

“…Only the 4.8% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, 24 in total [72]. These aspect makes the MBA enrolment even less attractive for women [68].…”

“…Finally, the low rate of female faculty member and the prominent "male culture" increase the perception that business schools do not welcome female students as much as the male ones [68,[73][74][75], creating a "gender fatigue" [75] to the point that some authors are claiming for a "femininization" of some aspects of the programmes curricula or BS management practices [76,77].…”