European Constructions of an American Model

Abstract

In this article we study the patterns of proliferation, circulation and transformation of MBA programmes in Europe. The article seeks to address two important questions: First, why is it that the label MBA has travelled from the USA to Europe?, and second, to what extent does this label signify the proliferation of similar programmes across the Atlantic? We show that even though the label MBA has diffused around the globe, closer studies of a selection of MBA programmes show that the way in which these local programmes have been formed, clearly reflects their local contexts. Hence, this study is an example of local translations of globalized models. Moreover, the study suggests that we should not take labels as clearly signifying local practices. Instead, while labels of various kinds seem to travel easily and rapidly across the globe, local variations and distinctions remain. Based on case studies of four MBA programmes in Denmark, Italy, Spain and Sweden, we analyse how similarities and differences coexist among MBA programmes. While these case studies clearly show that programmes—in some aspects—are becoming increasingly similar, variations and distinctions among them remain. A few elements of MBA programmes remain stable (the ‘model’) as other elements change as they spread. Therefore, the circulation of a vague model—like an MBA in the management education field—allows for both variance in the local application and stabilization of specific elements. With the proliferation of programmes, the field as a whole displays homogenization as well as heterogenization. Two homogenizing forces, and two heterogenizing forces are identified.

ISO Certificates as Organizational Degrees? Beyond the Rational Myths of the Certification Process

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“…The DPS seems all the more likely to take hold when many teaching institutions tend to inflate grades in order to provide a signal of their students' high abilities, increase the number of graduates, or respond to pressure from students (Brotheridge & Lee, 2005;Chan, Hao, & Suen, 2007). Fueled by the DPS, the proliferation of programs awarding diplomas labeled, for example, MBA (Mazza, Sahlin-Andersson, & Pedersen, 2005) can devaluate academic credentials (credential inflation) and reinforce the trend toward the commoditization of education (Renke, 2000). This commoditization develops independently from the learning process itself and the real qualifications associated with specific degrees (Brotheridge & Lee, 2005).…”

Why Do Students Choose English as a Medium of Instruction? A Bourdieusian Perspective on the Study Strategies of Non-Native English Speakers

“…In line with Bourdieu's "rational pedagogy"-which requires that assignments reflect the students' content-related work rather than their rhetorical and linguistic abilities (Baudelot, 1994;Bourdieu & Passeron, 1977)-lecturers and course administrators must stress in their course descriptions that the comprehensibility of the students' English is more important than their adeptness on English-language exams. Second, the integration of more students into EMI programs provides economies of scale for these programs and might help to find the resources to embed local traditions within a globalized education (Mazza, Sahlin-Andersson, & Pedersen, 2005). For instance, it might become feasible to translate Continental European business traditions into English instead of simply importing Anglo-American content for a small number of students.…”

The role of rankings in codifying a business school template: classifications, diffusion and mediated isomorphism in organizational fields

“…The general spread of the American business school model to other parts of the world after the Second World War and the accompanying interest in and attention to the MBA program and label (Engwall and Zamagni, 1998) has spurred this development. The first MBA program in Europe was set up in the late 1950s (Mazza et al, 2005), while at the turn of the millennium there were more than 600 MBA programs on offer in Europe and a standard feature of business schools in many countries and contexts (Moon, 2002;Hedmo et al, 2006).…”