Tag Archives: Stanford GSB

2012 Predictions: More Jobs and Better Salaries for MBA Grads

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After a couple of years of uncertainty in the global economy and the resulting hesitancy of employers to increase hiring, a couple of recent jobs reports show that there was strong growth in the number of employers hiring MBA graduates last year in many regions. And this growth is set to continue into 2012.

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) recently released its 2011 Year-End Employers Poll, for which it surveyed 229 hiring managers at 216 companies. The findings were generally optimistic, and show that in 2012, a majority of the companies surveyed are planning to either keep hiring at levels consistent with 2011 levels or increase hiring overall. GMAC found that this trend will be especially good for business school graduates: 74% of the companies surveyed were planning on hiring MBAs in 2012, compared to just 57% last year.

The GMAC report also found that up to a third of the companies surveyed plan to increase base salaries, through raises and additional perks, in 2012.

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Can Business Schools Tackle Poverty?

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The Stanford Graduate School of Business recently announced that, with a $150 million donation, it will launch a new institute that will help alleviate poverty. Called the “Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies,” its aim is to develop research that can help business leaders innovate products and services that will build infrastructure and economic growth, which, according to the school’s website, will help relieve poverty in developing countries.

While relieving poverty may seem like a lofty goal, it might also be based on good business sense. Globalization and increased economic activity in developing countries have created and expanded markets for international business in ways that will play out for years to come. For example, a recent population report released by Goldman Sachs speculated that, because of explosive growth and continuing development in China, the Chinese middle class may be four times as large as America’s by 2030, and will undoubtedly represent a huge business market. It would be logical to assume that efforts to minimize or alleviate poverty elsewhere could generate a whole new class of consumers and associated business opportunities.

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Getting Out of the Classroom: New Spaces for B-Schools

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There’s a good story in a recent edition of the Independent that discusses Ashcroft International Business School’s new campus building in Cambridge (which just opened this month,) and why it’s important for new students starting there in September.

Significantly, the new building, the design of which is based on smaller lecture locations and more informal spaces, emphasizes an increased shift to dispersed group learning. Steven Wilson, the school’s head of learning and teaching development, told the Independent that the new addition is representative of a larger change in teaching philosophy, and that:

“These days, there is far more emphasis on team working and individual project work. Students told us they wanted a large area set aside for collaborative working where they wouldn’t need to worry about disturbing others. It’s all about getting the best out of the available space.”

Indeed, recently, a number of business schools have been changing up their campuses and adding new buildings to replace old ones. What’s interesting is that beyond the whiz-bang of added new technology (of which there is plenty,) many of the new designs are reflecting shifting philosophies, not just in how business is taught, but how it is conducted in the real world.

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Video: MBA Programs in Northern California

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Check out our first video, a tour of some of the key MBA programs in Northern California!

MBA Programs in Northern California from FIND MBA on Vimeo.

More info about the schools mentioned in this video:
UC Berkeley Haas
San Francisco State University (SFSU)
University of San Francisco (USF) Masagung
Presidio School of Management
California College of the Arts
Stanford University
Santa Clara University

A Sneak Peek at Stanford’s Annual Cool Product Expo

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Video games that read your mind. A bike that you run on instead of pedal. Really, what could be more California than Stanford’s annual Cool Product Expo?  We spoke with Amanda Kaye Boaz, a second-year MBA student at Stanford GSB and co-organizer of this geek- and green-friendly celebration of innovative  products.

Four products at this year's event: 1) Elliptigo Glide Bike; 2) D.Light Design's efficient LED lighting; 3) Siftables; and 4) NeuroSky's video game

First of all, what is the Cool Product Expo?

Last year we had about 800 attendees, including current students, alumni, local professionals, press, etc. It’s open to anybody. It is the largest student-run event on campus, and we are really fortunate because of our location in the Bay Area. There are a lot of start-ups that come out with really cool, innovative products.

We typically get about 50 exhibitors from around the area who are launching products that we think are really innovative and cutting-edge. For instance, this year we are having someone over who found a way to let you play video games with your mind. They have neurosensors that they attach to your head, and with these you can actually move the characters on the video game.

So, I assume most of the “cool” products are high-tech things.

By the nature of where we are located we have a little more technology, but it’s not just technology. We will have clean-tech cars, and Cal Cars that convert Priuses into plug-in electric vehicles. Last year, we had GM come with their electric vehicle. We are hoping to get them to come again this year.

It’s a lot of everything. We have a number of booths for current student projects. We’re having people in the engineering school who made irrigation systems for developing countries, and another student coming who is bringing an extension for people who don’t have use for their hands, so they can actually play golf.

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