M Management/ M Business Management: integration and degree titles

Transcription

1 M Management/ M Business Management: integration and degree titles A brief examination of the implications, in terms of market positioning, of the possible integration of the MBM and MM, and associated change of degree title from MBM to MM, from an external, market perspective. Philip Coyte, The Graduate Connection A report prepared for Norm Wall, Marketing and Recruitment Group, Faculty of Business and Economics. 1

2 postgraduate coursework degrees in management It was quite surprising to find that no other major Australian university (GO8 plus Tasmania, UTS, Macquarie) other than UTS offers a coursework Master of Business Management. 1 However, several from this group offer a coursework Master of Management - ANU, University of Melbourne, Macquarie GSM and the University of Sydney (as the European CEMS Master of Management). 2 The title M Management is certainly consistent with the terminology used by the benchmark, the other major Australian universities. However, the question to be considered is whether the distinctiveness of the M Business Management amongst the GO8+ offers an opportunity and pathway to a different and broader market and the ability to project the particularity and relevance that the MBM may represent. Management is not universally offered It is worth noting, such is the pre-eminence or dominance of the MBA in graduate management education, that many Australian universities do not even offer any other form of postgraduate coursework masters level programs in management. Therein may well lie opportunities. Excluding some very specialised programs within management (for instance, University of Adelaide Master of Commerce (Performance Management), management programs or majors in management at the postgraduate coursework masters level are not offered by Adelaide, UNSW, Queensland, Tasmania, nor by ACU, Bond, La Trobe, Flinders, Murdoch, Griffith and several of others. 1 The title M Business Management is also used by Swinburne, Ballarat and VU, and M Business Leadership by CSU and Curtin. 2 In addition to explicitly titled management degrees, at several universities management (or aspects of management such as strategic management) may be undertaken as a major within a broader Commerce or Business masters degree, such as at University of Sydney, Macquarie and Western Australia. Human resource management is of course widely offered as a specialist degree or as a major within a Commerce or Business postgraduate coursework degree, but this is not the same thing as the more broadly based M Business Management or M Management programs, which may include options in HRM but seek to develop broader management capabilities beyond the HRM function. 2

3 distinctiveness of the Monash programs There is a distinctiveness to the Monash management programs in that they are not entry level programs, in the manner, for instance, of the University of Melbourne s Master of Management or the University of Sydney CEMS Master of Management, together with the fact that, through Monash Gippsland, there is a distance education option. work experience Each of the Monash management programs asserts the requirement that applicants must have two years work/management experience. If this requirement is adhered to, then Monash, ANU and Macquarie s MGSM stand apart from all other non-mba management programs amongst the GO8+ which allow entry to graduates without any prior work experience, and which therefore have an entirely different character. 1 Similarly, amongst the non-go8+ group, prior work experience is not necessarily required in most instances, even if the descriptive material about the course refers to practising managers/professionals. 2 The Monash MBM student profile seems to be consistent with this market positioning, certainly as far as the students interviewed for background to this report are concerned. In almost all cases, these students had considerable work experience and generally held middle management positions with major employers. 1 Some advanced programs may require work experience (M Business Leadership at Curtin) but generally the formal requirements do not specify work experience unless applicants do not have an acceptable first degree. Even, for instance, Charles Sturt M Business Leadership: These courses are designed to provide graduates who already occupy senior level positions, mainly in the private sector, with access to the latest cutting-edge thinking... However, the entry requirements are that applicants are required to have an undergraduate degree from a recognised Australian tertiary institution or a qualification deemed to be equivalent. Applicants with other academic and/or professional qualifications and/or work experience acceptable to the university will be considered. 3

4 distance education In addition, Monash is the only GO8+ university offering a broadly based management specialisation by distance education. The only other providers UNE, USQ and CSU are all a long way removed from anything like GO8 status. The Deakin Master of Commerce does not include a management specialisation; nor does the other large distance provider, CQU, offer a coursework masters degree in management. Through its distance education option, Monash can claim a significant segment of the non-mba graduate management education labour market. The distance model gives Monash a clear strategic advantage vis a vis other GO8+ providers in terms of the reach of its programs and their relevance to practising managers and professionals. In addition, the distance education option positions Monash to take advantage of the transformation of the graduate management education market as on-line learning challenges the traditional models of on-campus graduate programs. The traditional models of secondary and tertiary education have already been transformed by the internet, but it would be hard to argue against emerging paradigms beyond the constraints of time and place in servicing the corporate market in which time pressures and time constraints are more compelling than ever. In the strategic sense, the question is not whether to undermine the strategic positioning of the MBM, but instead how to extend the online learning dimensions of other graduate management programs within the Faculty. 4

5 intellectual distinctiveness The Monash M Management and M Business Management may be additionally distinctive in that there seem to be few other coursework masters programs in management (other than perhaps some MBAs) which are really about advanced business leadership and organisational change and which have a strong theoretical framework/foundation. The majority of coursework masters programs in management are either: entry-level management programs a set of relevant options without a defining intellectual framework or else a set of operationally specialised units. As an example of this last category, consider the Macquarie GSM M Management which has specialisations in the operationally specific areas of general management, financial management, international management, operations management and marketing management. Therefore, in terms of the integration of the M Management and M Business Management at Monash, there is the question of whether the particularity of the M Management may be compromised, and the particular, broader market segment of the M Business Management lost. One assumes the distance education dimension of the M Business Management would not be removed - otherwise the M Business Management would cease to exist, regardless of degree title and Monash would lose its strategic positioning in the graduate management education market. 5

6 M Business Management MBM student views As background for this report 19 current MBM students were interviewed by telephone or surveyed. 21 students had given their permission to be contacted and contact was able to be made with 19 of those students. One thing that should not be overlooked is that regardless of entry mode - whether via pathway and work experience or first degree and work experience - the MBM students appeared to be a capable grouping of business managers/professionals, spread across a great variety of employers, who would not be out of place in the MBA programs of a great many universities. The table below tells the story. Table 1. Profile of MBM respondents. Employer Job description Level of previous qualifications Victorian Auditor-General Organisational development consultant B Commerce (HRM) Queensland Health Professional education development B Nursing, M Health Services Management IBM Financial administration pathway CSC Australia Director, Managed Application Services pathway BreastScreen Victoria Information security overseas degree in electronics, computing Australian government Manager Bachelor degree Colonial First State Acting General Manager, Marketing B Com (Marketing) Monash South Africa Regional Marketing Manager BA Latrobe Valley Enterprises Operations Manager pathway Johnson & Johnson Sales Representative B Science Multinational manufacturing Operations Manager B Engineering Newfocus Consulting Research Consultant B Com (Marketing), B Economics Australian Government State Compliance Manager B Ec, Grad Cert International Relations Aust. Newsagency Assoc Head, Western Union overseas BBA, M Marketing NS Financial Management Financial Planner B Bus (Hospitality) European Nazarene College Manager, Library Services BA, Grad Dip Librarianship Boral Plasterboard Sales Manager, Distributors pathway Swedish Match Marketing Manager pathway Aust. Admin Services (Super Funds) Project Manager B Com 6

7 M Management and M Business Management degree title MBM student views MBM students were equally divided in terms of their preference for the M Business Management and M Management degree titles, regardless of whether they had previous qualifications or were pathway entrants. From this perspective, it might be inferred that there are equal risks whichever route you may take. However, the students who opted for the MBM title were more committed to their choice (and to the sense of business relevance that the MBM implied) than were the students who chose the MM option. The MBM group were more likely to see the title as an issue with consequences rather than more a question of the accuracy of the title as a descriptor of the course. Students employed in the private sector were more inclined to opt for the MBM; those in the government sector more inclined towards the MM. Table 2. Student preference for MBM or MM degree titles Prev. quals MBM or MM Employer B MBM Business definitely Reason for preference B MBM Business no interest in not for profit or government sector; sounds more robust B MBM Business management too nebulous B+ MBM Business more relevant, more descriptive of what it is B+ MBM Business this is a business degree - convergence of IT and management for him B MBM Educ reflects business emphasis B+ MBM Gov reflects business emphasis of the course B+ MM Business it s a specifically management qualification, not an MBA B MM Gov applicable across sectors B+ MM Gov better describes the course; clearer description that people understand B+ MM Gov less confusing with MBA; wider range B MM Business sounds better, but don t really care B DC Business don t care pathway MBM Business MBM implies a lot more than management; alternative to MBA pathway MBM N-profit MM doesn t say much; MBM clearly states business-related degree pathway MM Business just a personal preference; no real reason pathway MM Business MBM confusing; this has a focus on management pathway MM Gov accurate reflection of management course; clearer pathway DC Business don t care Note: B = bachelor degree. 7

8 student motivation for undertaking the MBM degree The primary reason for students selecting the MBM is its distance education mode a masters degree in business/management from a reputable university, offered by distance education. In almost all cases, the course has not been chosen for its particularity vis a vis other providers or on the basis of comparing the subtleties/details of its core units with those of other providers, but on more general terms. It s the availability by distance (and its accessibility by pathways by some) that is the predominant motivating factor. However, within this context, the motivations for undertaking a business/ management degree in general lay in three areas, in the following order: 1. recognition and credibility at the masters level in a business/management degree and/or 2. supporting a move towards a less technical role/advancement and/or 3. increasing management skills and understanding. The motivation is as much about the need for credentials at the masters level as it is about the specifics. Table 3. Specific reasons for undertaking MBM formal qualification and recognition (2) a masters qualification from reputable or Australian university (2) increase management skills; obtain another qualification credibility and career options develop skills/contribute to advancement opportunity for advancement/ better understanding of business areas broaden out, extend knowledge base (2) masters is prerequisite for move towards senior management career transition and personal interest better understanding of management pathway to MBA support move towards less technical, more senior role (2) second degree/stand out from the crowd supplement management experience management qualification/graduate qualification 8

9 core units Despite the relatively general overview that may have underpinned student evaluation of a prospective program, once enrolled these students certainly had views on the core units, including views on the possibility of undertaking defined specialisations within the degree. And whilst these views may not seem internally consistent in some ways, they do provide potentially useful insights. Overall, there was a clear consensus that the international dimension of the MBM program was overemphasised, with support for a stronger emphasis on management itself. Students were asked to rank the current set of six core units. An illustrative summation of these preferences can be obtained by compiling the average preference ranking for each unit. The average rankings for the existing core units were as follows: 1.8 Strategic management 2.8 Human resource management 2.9 Management theory and practice 3.8 Cultural values and management practices 3.8 Management development for global business 4.2 Contemporary issues in globalisation The student ranking of the alternative set of core units was not particularly useful - or at least not particularly discriminating - except for the poor ranking given to the Service Operations option: 2.5 Strategic management 3.0 Leadership 3.1 Organisational change and development 3.2 Managing people and organisations 3.3 Critical decision making and problem solving 5.1 Service operations In addition, a majority of the students (11/19) supported the possibility of defined specialisations within the program - whether within management (such as HRM or aspects of globalisation) or beyond - to provide a working knowledge of particular functional areas and the management of professionals from those areas. 9

10 conclusions and recommendations The MBM has established a place in the market in that it has attracted, on balance, a grouping of qualified and experienced middle level managers/professionals from across the country who are generally happy with the program and for whom the distance education mode is crucial. In the process, the program and its students make a substantial contribution to the profile and reach of the faculty. 1. Opportunity. The competitive landscape for the MBM is one of opportunity. Monash is the only GO8+ university offering a broadly based management specialisation by distance education. The program can be a vehicle for extending the reach and influence of the faculty across the country and across business and government. 2. Degree title. Whilst MBM students were almost equally divided re the degree titles of MBM and MM, the students who preferred the MBM title did so more trenchantly than those who preferred the MM title. For the MBM-inclined group, there is a risk factor in a name change to MM what they want is a specifically labelled business degree. If the name change goes ahead, this risk factor must be addressed. 3. Core units. The MBM students support, by and large, a movement away from the emphasis on globalisation in the core units of the MBM to a set of core units that is centred more on the management of people and organisations. (It s a question of emphasis, not a rejection of the international dimension.) The introduction of a core unit Project management (suggested in the self review of the M Business Management) would be a perfect fit. 4. Distinctive specialisations. MBM students expressed an interest in the possibility of undertaking specialist sequences, beyond just the management discipline itself, in order to develop a capacity to manage or deal with professionals across functional areas such as accounting, finance, HRM or marketing. The off-campus program could develop optional sequences which, within a management framework, would give added elements to the positioning of the program and reinforce a business emphasis perhaps an international business management specialisation (including for instance international negotiations, international supply chain management or business in Asia), project or contract management, services management, business management across specific discipline or specialist areas, and so on. 10

11 5. Program differentiation. Information about the M Management and the M Business Management programs should articulate more clearly to an outsider just how different the M Management and the M Business Management are. For an outsider, it is initially difficult to see the difference between the M Management and the M Business Management, other than the off-campus delivery of the MBM and its underpinning international emphasis. For instance, in searching the university website via Find a course you have to get to the level of the handbook to find detailed information and this is dominated by generic, identical course objectives for the MBA, M Management and M Business Management. The key selling points for all programs are submerged in the formulaic structure of the information. You could easily argue that none of the programs are done justice via what may be the primary source of information for prospective students. (See Attachment 2.) 6. Scope for harmonisation. A degree of harmonisation of the MM and MBM core units should be possible. This would present a less confusing message to the market via differentiation through a slightly different core plus specialist sequences of the M Business Management. In addition, more active collaborative arrangements between the two programs could bring a real distance education dimension to the M Management whether for one or more core units or for elective units or sequences thereby adding a competitive edge and flexibility to the M Management in the process. In sum. There are risks associated with the possible integration of the M Business Management within the M Management. Not only do a considerable proportion of the MBM students have a particular commitment to the MBM degree title in preference to MM, but there is, as well, the danger that the distinct character and market positioning of both the MM and MBM may be compromised. However, the great strategic risk flows from any intention to vacate the distance education/online market. The M Business Management gives the Faculty a window of opportunity in this market, as well as a degree of future-proofing should online/distance education become a more dominant mode of graduate management education in response to the enabling capabilities of developments in educational technologies. The M Business Management may well be the way forward. 11

12 Attachment 1. coursework management discipline masters programs at Australian universities (excluding MBAs, human resource management and very narrowly defined specialist programs) GO8+ Australian National University M Management M Business - management major Monash University M Business Management X M Management University of Melbourne M Management M Commerce - management major University of Sydney M Management (CEMS) M Commerce - various majors Macquarie University M Commerce - major MGSM M Management UTS M Business in Management University of WA M Commerce - management major M Business Leadership M Business Strategy X= off-campus non-go8+ Charles Sturt University M Business X M Management X M Business Leadership X Curtin University M Management M Business Leadership M Commerce (Management) RMIT University M Applied Science - Organisational Dynamics Swinburne University M Business Management (crossdisciplinary) M Management (Strategic Foresight) University of Ballarat M Business Management (individual centred action learning) UNE M Commerce (major) X University of Newcastle M Business University of South Australia M Management University of Southern Queensland M Management X University of Wollongong M Management (Sydney Business School) M Strategic Management Victoria University M Business (Management) 1

13 coursework management discipline masters programs at major Australian universities (excluding MBAs, specifically human resource management programs and very narrowly defined, specialist programs). AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY MONASH UNIVERSITY M Management 1 yr FT/PT eq 3 years work experience required any first degree core units: Corporate Strategy Organisational Behaviour and any two of the following: Business Economics Financial Reporting and Analysis Corporate Finance Marketing Concepts and Practice Leadership Skills Managing in a Global Economy majors in: Business of Government Finance Innovation, Commercialisation and Technology Leadership Managing in the Asia-Pacific Region Project Management M Business Management M Management M Business - management major 1 yr FT/PT eq entry level degree no work experience required any first degree major in any four of: Strategic Management Management and Organisations International Perspectives on Human Resource Management Strategic Human Resource Management Managing Change in Organisations Management for Sustainability 2

14 UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE M Management M Management 2 yrs FT/PT eq entry level degree no work experience required any first degree compulsory units: Organisational Behaviour Marketing Management Strategic Management seven electives from: Management and Business Communication Leadership and Team Dynamics Policies and Issues in HRM and ER Developing Employee Competencies Human Resource Management Managing Organisational Change Managing in Information Societies People and Change Supply Chain Management Managing Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project Management Operations Management M Commerce (Management major) 2 yrs FT/PT eq advanced level studies in management requires relevant degree and GMAT three core subjects: Advanced Management Theory Advanced Research Methods Writing and Publishing Reports eight elective subjects Advanced Organisational Behaviour Advanced Human Resource Management Advanced Marketing Management Advanced Strategic Management Advanced Managing Workplace Conflict Advanced Consumer Behaviour Advanced Marketing Advanced Marketing Metrics Asian Business and Management three elective subjects from the Melbourne Graduate School of Management and Research report and workshop 3

15 UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY M Management (CEMS) 1 yrs FT(2.5 sems) entry level degree no work experience required any first degree Strategy and Entrepreneurship Managerial Economics Accounting and Financial Management Managing People and Organisations International and Cross Cultural Management Corporate Governance and Regulation Supply Chain and Operations Management Global Marketing Management MMgt Business Project (Part A) MMgt Business Project (Part B) M Commerce 1.5 yrs FT/PT eq entry level degree no work experience required any first degree 21 majors include majors Organisational Analysis and Strategy Entrepreneurship Strategic Management 4

16 MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY M Commerce - major Management, Organisations and Society 1 yr FT(2.5 sems) entry level degree no work experience required first degree Behaviour in organisations Comparative human resource management Entrepreneurial leadership entrepreneurship and business strategy European business environment Foundations of organisational performance Intellectual property creation, strategy and management International business strategy Knowledge management and organisational learning Management and organisations Management of people at work Managing cultural diversity in business Managing service relationships plus two modules MGSM M Management 1 yrs FT requires degree and a minimum of three to five years relevant work experience or pathway program specialisations in General Management, Financial Management, International Management, Operations Management, Marketing Management General Management specialisation: Accounting for management Marketing management Organisational behaviour Human resource management Information and decision analysis Strategic management four electives 5

17 UTS UNIVERSITY OF WA M Business in Management 1.5yrs FT/PT eq relevant degree or degree plus 2 years work experience Organisation Analysis and Design Management Skills Managing People Change Management 8 units from: International Management Human Resource Management Developing Executive Leadership Value Chain Management Managing for Sustainability Innovation and Entrepreneurship Leadership, Coaching and Mentoring Management Research Methods Management Project Design Management Project Contemporary Issues in Management Consulting Corporate Governance and Business Ethics Volunteering: Social and Organisational Perspectives M Commerce major 1.5yrs FT/PT eq entry level degree requires any degree (M Business Leadership and M Business Strategy not currently offered) core units Economic Management and Strategy Data Analysis and Decision Making Ethical Dimensions of Organisations, Management and Leadership Introductory Financial Accounting five specialisation units Introduction to Human Resource Management Management and Organisations (compulsory) Organisational Behaviour and Leadership (compulsory) Advanced Management Strategic Capabilities and Organisational Success Managing Organisational Knowledge and Innovation plus 3 electives Students with relevant first degree substitute core units for electives. 6

18 MONASH UNIVERSITY M Management 1.5yrs FT/PT eq requires degree plus two years of relevant full-time (or equivalent) post-degree work experience. core units Organisational learning and knowledge management Leadership Managing people and organisations Managing organisational change Strategic management Organisational and business dynamics plus six graduate-level units M Business Management 3yrs PT requires degree (or pathway) plus two years of relevant full-time (or equivalent) post-degree work experience. core units Cultural values and management practices Management development for global business Management theory and practice Strategic management Contemporary issues in globalisation Human resource management plus six graduate-level units 7

19 CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY M Management 1.5yrs FT/PT eq X entry via any degree core subjects of the Graduate Certificate Finance for Management Management Theory and Practice Human Resource Management Marketing Management four of the following of the Graduate Diploma Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development Project Management Operations Management International Business Business Ethics Forecasting and Risk Assessment Foundations of Quality Management The Learning Organisation four of the following Strategic Management The Management of Change The Social and Economic Environment Leadership in Business or Organisational and Marketing Research M Business 1.5yrs FT/PT eq X entry via any degree specialisations include Alliance Management Educational Leadership General Management Human Resource Management Industrial Relations International Human Resource Management International Management Management of Organisational Change Operations Management Public Sector Management Strategic Management Strategy Innovation M Business Leadership 1.5yr FT/PT eq X entry via any degree core subjects of the Graduate Certificate Leadership Theory and Practice Management Theory and Practice Leadership and Business Ethics plus Values and Conflict in Organisations Management of Change Strategic Management Leadership in Business any four postgraduate business electives 8

20 UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND U SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND M Commerce - Management major 1rs FT/PT eq X entry via any degree Strategic Management for Professional Practice Processes of Management Marketing Management Organisational Behaviour plus four units from: Management of International Organisations Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance for Managers Managerial Finance Entrepreneurship and Small Business Project Management Management of Change Strategic Human Resource Management Managerial Thinking and Decision Making Management Information Systems Quantitative Techniques for Management Business and Professional Ethics Special Topic in Business Administration M Management - Leadership major 1.5yrs FT/PT eq X entry via business degree and two years work experience six core courses Management and Organisational Behaviour Leading Organisational Change Strategic Management of Human Resources and Innovation Management Consulting Team Leadership Leadership Development Strategic Leadership Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity plus six electives 9

21 Attachment 2. prospective student information via the university website and Find a course. Monash University Handbook 2010 Postgraduate - Course Master of Business Management This course entry should be read in conjunction with information provided in the faculty information section of this Handbook by the managing faculty for this course. Managing faculty Business and Economics Abbreviated title MBusMgt CRICOS code M Total credit points required 72 Standard duration of study (years) 3 years PT Study mode and location Off-campus (Gippsland) Contact details Faculty office (Gippsland) Telephone: or enquiries.gippsland@buseco.monash.edu.au Course coordinator Dr Andrew O'Loughlin Description The business management program is designed for graduates who seek a masters program, which focuses on the application of theory into business contexts relevant to practising professionals. The course covers contemporary issues relevant to practitioners operating in a local, national or international organisational environment. Objectives The Master of Business Management aims to produce graduates who will: (a.) be critical and creative scholars who: produce innovative solutions to problems apply research skills to business challenges communicate effectively and perceptively (b.) be responsible and effective global citizens who: engage in an internationalised world exhibit cross cultural competence demonstrate ethical values (c.) have a comprehensive understanding of their discipline and be able to provide discipline based solutions relevant to the business, professional and public policy communities we serve (d.) have advanced knowledge to masters level in in contemporary management theory and, be able to apply this to a range of organisational settings within their own workplace, through reflective and innovative approaches to business practice. Structure The course structure has two main components: a set of core units in management six open electives. Requirements (a.) Students must complete six core units (36 points): MGG5810 Cultural values and management practices MGG5820 Management development for global business MGG9370 Management theory and practice MGG9371 Strategic management MGX5461 Contemporary issues in globalisation MGX9850 Human resource management (b.) students must complete a further six graduate units (36 points) from the Faculty of Business and Economics or any faculty of the University. Recommended elective units AFG9070 Financial management 10