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As Japanese firms become more involved in foreign operations, they need more personnel skilled in international business. Firms try to obtain such skilled personnel mainly by sending their employees to the United States for MBA degrees. Foreign‐trained Japanese businessmen are currently estimated to be more than 10,000 in number.

The negative framing and context of performance has received significant attention in decision research. At the same time, historical success appears to reduce openness to radical learning and the exploration of new, alternative approaches. This study elicited individuals’ implicit paradigms within a historically successful, progressive decision situation. Individuals, given the opportunity to re‐allocate time, gave more time to below performing ventures and took time away from above performing ventures. “Illusion of control” and “satisficing” theories were used to explain the individuals’ implicit paradigms.

The purpose of MBA education is to provide training in the theory and practice of business management. In Malaysia, several public and private institutions of higher learning offer such programmes. A survey of 112 organizations revealed that 67 per cent had executives with MBA degrees in their employment while the rest cited demand for high salaries and company policy to promote internal staff as two main reasons for not doing so. About 73 per cent said that they had no special preference for graduates from specific business schools. MBAs with good work ethics, sound management and leadership skills as well as critical thinking and analytical abilities, are more likely to be hired. In future, employers expect more MBAs with the ability to understand local, Asian and global business practices.

Identifies problems facing MBA programmes, the type of executives sought by businesses, and the roles academic and business institutions need to play in developing the next generation of managers. Views MBA programmes through an input‐output model with the quality of the output (MBAs) a function of the quality of the input and the efficiency of the process and reveals the problems in business education. To raise the quality of MBAs, schools need to cover material relevant to client firms, to incorporate new materials into existing courses that stress written and oral communication. States that faculty and executives should forge links to evaluate graduates and update classroom material and states faculty should be encouraged to undertake business internships. Corporations have an additional role, they must identify MBAs with potential for senior level management and train them, focusing on leadership negotiating skills, and long‐term planning.

Considering that MBA programs have been the focus of many evaluations and much criticism in recent years, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the objective and subjective effects on careers experienced by part-time MBA students and graduates.

To achieve this purpose the authors conducted an empirical research, involving more than 700 students and graduates of three part-time MBA programs in Brazil.

The authors found that students and graduates experience more subjective than objective effects of such programs in their careers and that the subjective effects are primarily related to self-confidence, employability, expansion of business view, and ability to “play the game.”

The authors note two limitations of the study. First, the study focussed on Brazilian programs and cannot be generalized to other countries or contexts. Second, the study was based on the perceptions of students and graduates.

The authors believe that this study makes a contribution for program coordinators in business schools. By re-balancing attention among objective subjective effects, coordinators might improve their programs.

This study makes three contributions to the knowledge of the effects of MBAs. First, it provides insight into students’ perspectives. Second, it increases the knowledge of the subjective effects of MBAs on the careers of students. And third, it focusses on part-time programs in a developing nation rather than on full-time programs in a developed nation such as the USA, as is often the case.

The career path once promised to good managers was an uninterrupted, upward climb on a corporate ladder. When environmental forces caused organizations to downsize and restructure, the promise was broken. A protean path emerged, one that was self‐directed rather than company‐directed, and involved changes in employment. The study assesses whether managers have achieved the promised path and whether demographic and career factors differ for those on promised versus protean paths. Longitudinal data from MBAs surveyed three times over a 13‐year period demonstrated that the promised career path still exists for one‐third of the MBAs. Managers on promised paths were somewhat older and worked in larger companies. However, they did not have greater income, managerial level, career satisfaction, company loyalty, or job security than those on protean paths. Women followed both paths but career advancement was more accessible on protean paths. This study makes a unique contribution as the longitudinal data, controlled educational background, and controlled time period enhance understanding of managerial career paths.

A survey of MBA graduates of the University of Melbourne suggests the need to re‐examine myths about MBAs ‐ who they are, why they undertake an MBA, what sort of careers they pursue and what capabilities they need. In improving the quality of management education, effort needs to be directed to matching programmes to a better understanding of the management school′s customers ‐existing students, the future profession, the business and wider communities – and to expanding the “management consciousness” of potential students, particularly those under‐represented in management schools such as women and ethnic minorities.

This study examines the impact of employment gaps on career success for men and women managers. Women have had concerns about their ability to achieve career success in managerial careers that had required uninterrupted commitment.

The study analyzes mail survey data collected in early post‐MBA career from men and women MBAs. Two cohorts of alumni were sent surveys containing questions on career and demographic factors. Career success was assessed using an objective measure (yearly income) and a subjective measure (career satisfaction).

MBAs with employment gaps earned less than those continuously employed for both the early and recent cohorts. This income penalty appears to be worse for men. Career satisfaction is not impacted by an employment gap for the recent cohort.

Since the sample is geographically limited, the findings may not apply to other regions of the US or other countries.

There is still a bias against managers with discontinuous work histories. While the managers themselves have accepted alternate career patterns, employers have not. The nature of career paths is changing and organizations need to accept this.

The study contributes to the career literature by providing analyses of two data sets from different decades with the same controlled educational background. It seems that women and men can achieve a satisfying managerial career even with time out of work although there are still some income penalties.

A critical debate has been on‐going about the desired nature of international MBAs. One aspect of this debate, which has remained significantly underdeveloped, is the impact on students' identity of the way that MBAs are shaped and projected. This paper seeks to address this issue.

Taking the decision to do an MBA as a point of high intensity identity work, artefacts that input to that decision are subjected to narrative analysis. A total of 140 MBA brochures from the USA and Europe were analysed.

The findings lay out the dominant narrative style of the MBA identity as projected through brochures and associated publicity material.

Narrative analysis emphasises some potential findings whilst de‐emphasising others. Its strengths are to be able to incorporate a large amount of empirical material and to uncover underlying patterns within that material. Its limitations are that it is not as focused on micro detail in the way that, for example, conversation analysis is, and nor is it focused on macro generalisation in the way that discourse analysis can be.

The analysis has implications for those involved in designing and promoting MBAs.

The outcome is a conceptualisation of some of the consequences of the projected identity of international MBA students. This is intended to be a contribution to the debate on the nature of international management education and to also have application within the debate on the nature and processes of identity work.

The increase in the number of MBAs in the UK and the rationalisation and restructuring of British companies mean that an MBA alone is not enough to guarantee a successful career, particularly in one company. The evidence indicates that MBAs must be prepared to find new employment when necessary. A review is given of the bodies which can provide help in this respect: recruitment agencies; executive search firms; outplacement consultancies; the business schools; and career management consultants. It is suggested that the most obvious source of advice is career management consultants; the cost of their services is relatively low compared with the total cost of obtaining the MBA itself.