Business schools urged develop relevant MBA programmes

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Schools need to ensure that the business community gives high-level input into the affairs of the business school.
This is the view of Mr Simon Susman, chairman of Woolworths Holdings Ltd, who was recently appointed chairman of the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) advisory board.
Mr Susman says that there has been a lot of debate recently around the relevance of the MBA degree in today’s rapidly changing environment.
He says a modern business school needs to engage with the business community and other stakeholders in order to produce graduates who can adapt to change and think on their feet.
“It is essential that business schools strive to identify and develop areas of excellence and as championed by Stellenbosch University rector Russel Botman, to foster a spirit of hope in society. The leaders that such business schools produce will continually look for ways to unravel the world’s complexities with simple strategies for their businesses to execute,” says Mr Susman.
According to Mr Susman, the major challenge business leaders face today is to develop the ability to chart their way through an increasingly complex and ambiguous global and African business environment.
Mr Susman says that industry complexities and competition for jobs are far greater today than in the past and business schools need to ensure that they are producing business leaders that are relevant in this new environment.
“The role of the advisory board is to give advice and guidance to faculty and management in its quest for excellence. Interaction between the advisory board, and the management and faculty of the school helps the school to constantly update its MBA and other programmes to equip future business leaders with those skills that are going to be needed in real-world business practice,” says Mr Susman.