Executive MBA (EMBA) Online: Program Progress
The Online Executive MBA program at the University of Nevada was approved by the Nevada Board of Regents in late spring 2011. With minimal time to market and recruit, we were able to start our first cohort in the fall of 2011 with 14 exceptional students. For the second cohort, we got another round of exceptional applications and are expecting to select 30 students to start in fall 2012.
The online EMBA at UNR continues to improve, expand, and evolve. Our program is housed in an AACSB accredited College of Business and is taught by many of the same faculty that earned our part-time MBA a top national ranking. Check us out – we think you will find that we offer an excellent program that is also an exceptional value.
If you are interested in joining our 2013 cohort, be sure to apply early!
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Executive MBA Class Assignment: Evaluate Super Bowl Ads
My marketing class in the Executive MBA program at UNR held discussed the effectiveness of the recent Super bowl commercials. They were tasked with describing how advertisers segment their market and discuss the effectiveness of the strategy. Their conclusions were very interesting.
Mass marketing as a strategy is a difficult one. Consumers today expect more one to one marketing; a one size fits all approach is problematic in many cases. Some products, like beer, aren’t really differentiated, except for a brand. Mass marketing works well with products like this, where they are largely undifferentiated and fill a basic need. Other products, such as computers and even cars are increasingly customized based on customer preferences.
The class focused on one particular ad: the Clint Eastwood Halftime in America Chrysler commercial. (see it on YouTube at http://youtu.be/_PE5V4Uzobc) Despite not really knowing who was sponsoring the commercial until the end, the students in the class wisely identified several key segments the commercial was targeted. Using Clint Eastwood helped reach multiple generations in the audience but really positioned the Chrysler brand particularly well to an older generation. Despite the international audience of the game, the commercial was targeted to an American audience evoking a sense of loyalty and patriotism to products made in the United States. Many students noted the political overtones in the commercial but didn’t feel it took away from the experience.
The students in the UNR EMBA program are very bright and experienced. They handle discussion topics like this easily and they teach me something new each week.
James McClenahan, MBA
Jim McClenahan is the Director of Management and Executive Programs for Extended Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, responsible for more than 150 professional development courses annually as well as several major conferences.
He serves as the Treasurer to the Northern Nevada Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Schools to Careers committee for Washoe County and on the advisory board for St. Albert the Great Catholic Church. He completed his MBA at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2006.
Decisions Executive MBA Students Face
The decision to enroll in an Executive MBA program is one rife with difficult questions, the answers to which may well determine the extent of your success as a future executive. Most people entering Executive MBA programs are young professionals aspiring to reach greater heights in their field; they want the education to temper their passion for leading a business in the right direction, but it’s not easy choosing the best program or teaching style. Business schools around the country design Executive MBA programs in any possible format: online education, classes that emphasize peer involvement, mentorships from industry professionals—the list goes on. I wish all MBA students could take the outstanding classes offered at various Executive MBA programs, but that’s hardly a realistic aspiration.
Let’s address some of the biggest decisions a student has to make when you look through potential Executive MBA programs.
Classes taught online or in person?
The difference between online and in person education is one of the biggest issues concerning graduate business degrees in general. There are strong arguments to be had on both sides, but I think the decision really hinges on whatever works for your unique lifestyle. If you’re simultaneously interning at another business or even running your own small enterprise on the side, you might see great appeal in taking an online Executive MBA program that offers a relatively freer schedule. You might be the lone wolf student who thrives on the challenge of completing coursework on your own, relying on your own philosophy of leadership to guide them through lessons and hypothetical management scenarios.
On the other hand, you might thrive in an environment where you’re among your peers, bouncing ideas and strategies off one another. The idea of working alongside a professor with real world experience leading a business and a team of trained professionals might appeal to you if you’ve never worked with someone like that before. If you’re looking for greater involvement and interaction from your faculty and classmates, taking your MBA classes in person is obvious the right choice for you.
Fulltime or balanced with work?
Once you’ve decided on the atmosphere of your Executive MBA program, it’s time to decide the extent to which you want to involve yourself in classwork. Some students prefer to get their degree out of the way as quickly as possible so they can enter the working world immediately. These ambitious students usually cram as many classes as they can per semester, trying to graduate in record time. You might prefer the lightning round MBA path, but there are more steadily paced options.
Though it’s tempting to choose the quickest path to your Executive MBA, not every student has the luxury of dropping everything in their life to go back to school. It takes a serious time commitment to complete an MBA, and you might not have the option of sacrificing your day job for it. If that’s the case, then I highly recommend completing your Executive MBA over a number of semesters, giving yourself only as much classwork as you can handle. There’s no use overloading yourself if you have obligations outside of class.
Where to find the best connections
And finally, you want to be careful about choosing the Executive MBA program that has the right connections for you to advance your business career. This isn’t as simple as choosing a business school with the most famous faculty; it’s a matter of researching business schools with professors and lecturers with experience and knowledge that’s relevant to your field of interests. If you have ambitions to found a startup tech company, you want to look at schools with faculty that have successfully founded small business venture in that field. Applying anywhere else would be to miss the most important aspect of graduate education in business: meeting the right people, absorbing their industry advice, and applying it to your own venture.
By-line:
Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez @gmail.com.
Online Executive MBA (EMBA): Apply Now!
The priority application deadline for the University of Nevada Online Executive MBA program is just around the corner, April 16, 2012. We will accept applications until we fill the next cohort, or NLT July 8, 2012. Qualified students have already been accepted, and we are quickly approaching the limit for our cohort that will start in August, 2012.
Our program is a great value but also very challenging. Our courses are taught by many of the same faculty that earned our part-time MBA program a national ranking, and we are motivated to bring the same recognition to our new Online EMBA program.
If you are ready to learn the skills that can take your career to the next level, then join our Fall 2012 Online EMBA cohort now!
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Are You Prepared for the Online Executive MBA Program?
Graduate from an accredited four-year university, Check.
Register for or complete the GMAT, Check.
Secure employer sponsored tuition or other funding, Check.
Explore the reality of an online program….
The Executive MBA (EMBA) program at the University of Nevada, Reno is not for the faint of heart. If you are dusting off the old resume and looking to add an accessory with a degree from an easy MBA program, this is probably not what you are looking for. However, if you are searching for an opportunity to earn a quality business education, and willing to expend your efforts to amplify your skill set and provide superior value to your employer, this is probably the program for you. Ensuring that you are prepared for the online program should include a few considerations:
Online Format
Have you ever taken an online academic course? If you have, you know why this is important. While the online courses in the EMBA program are flexible, they do not cut corners so as to ensure students’ proficiency in the subject matter. Online courses typically require additional reading, so saving time on coursework is not the reality.
Time Commitment
Do you have sufficient time to complete the program? Managing work, school, family, community activities and leisure time can be convoluted. With this in mind, the online EMBA program is tailored to the seemingly hectic schedules of working students. But, the program requires a weekly time commitment of approximately 20 hours. For those of us whose undergraduate degree is not business-related, the learning curve may require additional study time. Time management skills are crucial to success in the program.
Non-Business Undergraduate Degrees
If your degree is not in business, DO NOT PANIC! As a student with a non-business undergraduate degree, achieving excellence is definitely possible. The EMBA classes and professors are very accommodating to the student’s needs in maneuvering the learning curve. In courses that are quantitative in nature, it is helpful to read any “optional” texts or material to facilitate a clear understanding of difficult concepts and unfamiliar topics. Keep in mind, the program is customized to the business education for students of all academic backgrounds in order to benefit a variety of industries and sectors.
Please consider investing your time, effort, and resources into the EMBA Program, based on the nationally ranked part-time MBA Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. You will discover an invaluable occasion to experience Your Education.Upgraded. Apply today!
Tracey Gray McDonald
Tracey is a student in the EMBA Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. She has 12 years experience in administering professional volunteer and program management, public outreach, community relations, strategic planning, marketing strategies and coalition building. Currently, Tracey works as a Consultant, advising small entities on community outreach strategies, marketing, and brand management in the Sacramento region. A resident of Rocklin, CA, she enjoys running, cycling, mountain biking, swimming, competing in triathlons, and traveling.
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Most IT Project Failures Are NOT Due To Technical Problems
One of the points I stress through the entire sixteen weeks of my MBA IT classes is that most IT project failures – and by some estimates over 60% of all significant IT/IS installations are “challenged”– is that the majority of the problems encountered are people problems, not technical problems. Despite the increasing technical sophistication of MBA students in general, this fact is still surprising to many. In the vast majority of cases of full or partial information system failure, the hardware and software work exactly as specified, and the failure can be traced back to one or more common management misunderstandings, which lead to failures in change management for the systems project.
Arguably the most common misunderstanding is the underestimation of the complexity – in organizational terms – of non-trivial information systems implementations. All non-trivial IS implementations change business processes. This is another point I stress and on reflection it is easy to see that it can be no other way. Even the most sophisticated software is fixed in terms of the information it requires to function. Gathering this information at the level of detail and in the sequence required is a process, sometimes a very fundamental one, and often a process that is new to the organization if not actually counter to existing processes. When management underestimates the amount of change required by the system implementation they do not adequately prepare operations personnel. The result is resistance to the new system and in some cases passive aggression toward the system that is tantamount to sabotage.
Some systems never even survive to full installation due to underestimation of the complexity and corresponding effort of implementation. A very common problem results from expecting operations personnel to handle data/information transfer to the new system while continuing to perform the full range of duties of their current job. In a surprising number of instances management does not even offer overtime or other extra compensation. What is unsurprising is the inevitable resentment and confusion among operations personnel that frequently causes installations to drag far behind schedule, negatively effects normal business functions and can result in significant employee turnover. Another factor that frequently accompanies underestimation of the IS project is inadequate training in the new system. Occasionally the need for both training and backfill (backfill is the hiring of temporary employees to assist in the installation of a new system) is recognized by management but is not pursued due to cost considerations. This has been shown in many unequivocal studies to be false economy. The cost of training, backfill and other implementation support, such as consulting, should be acknowledged by management and factored into the overall cost/benefit calculation for the system.
The mindset that results in underestimation of IS complexity is sometimes termed ‘an appliance mentality,’ that is, the system is regarded as a refrigerator or washing machine might be. You plug it in and it works, right? Alas, no, however studies have shown that this attitude increases as the management hierarchy is ascended. C-level executives, without whose support no project can be expected to succeed, exhibit surprising ignorance of technology, even today.
Another entire set of problems, even more intractable than system complexity underestimation problems, arise as a result of non-technical management giving or surrendering control of information systems projects entirely to technical personnel. If control is relinquished to solely technical personnel early in the project, the problem is frequently a technically correct system that solves the wrong problem. One technique for correcting this set of issues is dual managers, one from IS/IT and another from the business side of the house. While common in Europe, this management style has yet to gain widespread acceptance in the US.
Invariably in my classes many hands go up when I ask who has seen a ‘challenged IT installation’ at their workplace. The resulting discussion is a valued part of the learning process for most MBA’s. Anyone care to comment on experiences you’ve had with regard to ‘challenged’ systems? (Names can be changed to protect the innocent 
William L. Kuechler, Jr., Ph.D.
William Kuechler is professor of information systems and chair of the information systems discipline at the University of Nevada, Reno. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Drexel University, and a Ph.D. in computer information systems from Georgia State University.
German Engineering, Swiss Chocolate and Cheese, American Computers, Finnish Cell Phones: Domestic Conditions and Global Competence
When asked to name a product associated with a specific country, people are generally quick to respond. There seems to be a clear sense among people worldwide about which companies from which countries dominate industries. For instance, German companies dominate engineering based industries, whereas Switzerland is clearly associated with dairy-based products such as chocolate and cheese in addition to banking, precision instruments, and pharmaceuticals. Why? How do companies from a specific country develop superior competence in specific industries?
Michael Porter (Harvard Business School) addressed this question and published his findings in The Competitive Advantage of Nations (1990). He conducted a four-year, ten-nation study of the patterns of competitive success in leading countries. The findings support the results of previous research that companies achieve competitive advantage through acts of innovation. Porter’s primary contribution from this research is the conclusion that a nation’s capacity to innovate is affected by four broad attributes, the “diamond” of national advantage: 1) factor conditions; 2) demand conditions; 3) related and supporting industries; and 4) firm strategy, structure, and rivalry. These factors represent the domestic conditions companies face, that affect the level and type of innovation companies engage in.
Switzerland, chocolate, and cheese – the first component in the diamond, factor conditions or endowments play a role here. Porter differentiates between basic and advanced factor endowments. Basic factors are domestic conditions such as climate, land, natural resources, and population size. Advanced factors include education, infrastructure, and technology. During the agricultural phase of economies, the economic development of Switzerland was constrained by the type of land (rocks, not fertile) available. As a result, the Swiss agriculture was founded on a focus on dairy rather than on farming – resulting in superior expertise of “anything dairy related” and a competitive advantage in that area. Important to note is that Porter concluded that for sustained economic development advanced factors are more important than basic factors.
What about German engineering? Demand conditions in the domestic market direct where companies will place the relative emphasis with respect to product characteristics. What is most important to domestic consumers? Product quality, price, innovativeness, customization, or variety? Consumer preferences are in part based on the cultural characteristics. Germans are known to avoid risk and to prefer structure and predictability. Hence, German consumers look for products that are reliable, high quality, precise. German companies have been challenged to meet such preferences and have developed a competitive advantage based on the technical expertise that allows them to design and deliver products with such characteristics.
In the U.S., computer-related industries are well developed and internationally competitive. This has been a great advantage for American computer manufacturers, hardware and software. Silicon Valley is the world’s most famous industry cluster! Porter’s third factor, supporting and related industries, addresses the importance of outstanding, innovative domestic suppliers for companies to be innovative and develop competitive advantage.
Finally, Porter found that the competitive strategies that companies choose depend – to some extent – on their domestic, cultural context. For example, members of the top executive team in European companies, especially North European, tend to have a technical background. CEOs in European companies tend to have a Ph.D. in the relevant technical field and, hence, focus their attention on the technical aspects of the products rather than on the bottom line and short-term financial aspects of the company.
What about Finland and Nokia’s success? It seems that the climate in and the geographic location of Finland, basic factor endowments, are most useful in explaining this company’s competitive advantage! Finland’s harsh climate, the land covered by snow much of the year, required innovation as to wireless communication – more than in many other countries.
In conclusion, the companies that dominate certain industries in the global economy where able to develop competitive advantage based on the domestic conditions they were “blessed with.” In addition, countries that make investment in and development of advanced factors, such as infrastructure and education a priority create the conditions that are most important to domestic companies in their pursuit of competing successfully in the global market.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Yvonne Stedham, Ph.D.
Yvonne Stedham is professor of management, a 2010 University of Nevada, Reno foundation professor, and co-director of the Center for Corporate Governance and Business Ethics in the College of Business. She received a Ph.D. in business and an MBA from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas and undergraduate degrees in economics and business from the Rheinische Friedrich Wilhelms University, Bonn, Germany. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in international management and human resource management at the University of Nevada, Reno and the School of Management in Ingolstadt, Germany.
Her research focuses on cross-cultural aspects of management and business ethics. Stedham serves on the State Council for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as well as on the Nevada World Trade Council (NEWTRAC). She provides consulting and training services to many companies, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Who’s Teaching Your Online Executive MBA?
When choosing an MBA or an Executive MBA program there are many factors you are likely to consider. Schedule, cost, affiliations, location, are all criteria that I considered when choosing the EMBA program at The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). The UNR program scored high for me in all categories.
For example, UNR is my local university so it allows me to have personal interaction with the professors and the school itself. Such a luxury is rarely available with online or extended study based programs. Having personal interactions with your instructors is certainly valuable. Even in a time where digital correspondence rules the day in business, there is no substitute for personal relationships. These personal interactions and relationships go beyond student and instructor. With a program like UNR many of us in the cohort are local or at least regionally based so I have the opportunity to collaborate with my fellow students online and in person.
Sure, personal interaction and relationships are nice, affordability of the program is important, and reputation is desirable. However, perhaps one of the most important questions that may be overlooked or “assumed” when choosing an EMBA program is “Who is teaching it”?
The faculty in a program may well be the difference between an average and an exceptional education. At UNR, the same faculty that teach the nationally ranked part-time MBA program teach the EMBA program, and UNR’s part-time MBA program is ranked #4 in the nation for that category. As a student in the EMBA program at UNR, I know that I am getting the same courses and same instruction as the #4 program in the nation. As they would say in a Master Card commercial that is “priceless”.
Certainly not all MBA or EMBA programs are created equal. So when choosing a program for yourself, I highly recommend you do your homework and know exactly WHO is doing the teaching. At UNR you won’t find grad students or part time instructors teaching the EMBA, and most of the instructors have doctoral degrees from AACSB accredited business schools. In the EMBA program at UNR, you will enjoy instruction from the same professors who built the nationally ranked MBA program. The consistency and quality this provides a program, regardless of the type of delivery is invaluable and worth careful consideration.
I would certainly recommend the UNR EMBA program to anyone, but don’t take my word for it. The accolades of the program and more over the professors speak for themselves.
Kurt Althof
Kurt is a student in the EMBA program at the University of Nevada, Reno. He earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing at California State, Humboldt. He has 15 years experience in a variety of business development and marketing positions and is currently the public relations and and business development manager for Care Flight, Northern Nevada’s helicopter ambulance. When spare time exists he enjoys the host of outdoor sports and recreation opportunities his home in Truckee/Lake Tahoe affords.
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Are Banking Regulations Heading In The Right Direction?
The financial crisis of 2008 forced everybody to look at the bank regulations more carefully. There is one side which believes that over the period US banking industry was de-regulated which led to a lot of reckless risk taking. British banking regulator Donald Kohn, a former Fed vice chairman, told British lawmakers he had abandoned his belief that bankers’ self-interest would keep markets safe. “I placed too much confidence in the ability of the private market participants to police themselves”.
Time and again other regulators across the world have expressed similar concerns. Public opinion has also been against banks. In a March 2011 national poll conducted by Bloomberg, only 19% respondents said that banking regulations were too strict. 76% said that current rule were too soft and should be tightened.
On the other hand, some people believe that all the reaction and allegation about the role of banking companies in 2008 crisis is baseless. The newly appointed Chair of American Bankers Association, Frank Keating thinks that there were a lot of non-bank actors that contributed to the crisis. In his opinion, from pay-day lenders to Government Sponsored Entities such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are all to blame for the crisis. In an interview recently he said “if you analyze the crash of 2008, most of it was the result of non-bank recklessness and the actions of the unregulated. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau focusing in on, for example, payday lenders and mortgage brokers and the like — the non-bank sector — that’s not inappropriate and certainly jurisdictionally it’s legal. The average person doesn’t know that the banks represented around this table had zero to do with the collapse of the economy..” It is often argued that these regulations would raise the cost of credit which ultimately would hurt businesses and industry.
However, in these big debates, we are forgetting some basic issues that might have contributed to the housing bubble. Here are some issues that need to be carefully considered in this debate:
- How did banks fail to see what the true value of a real estate was? Banks are supposed to have a better sense of valuations than common bank.
- Who regulates real estate professionals, loan originators, appraisers and other input providers in a credit decision and what are their incentives? Did State Appraisal Boards ever look at inflated housing prices that form the basis of mortgage backed securities? Do these input providers face significant penalties for bad inputs? Did they help inflate home values and equity?
- Did deregulation of banking also accompanied with perverse incentive system for bank executives? For example, stock-based pay generally encourages executives to greater risk-taking. This could become more severe if these executives also have others’ money to play with. Banks enjoy a lot of this financial leverage. Did this leverage coupled with stock-based pay and low regulations encouraged them make highly investments?
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Arun Upadhyay, Ph.D.
Dr. Arun Upadhyay teaches finance courses in the College of Business at University of Nevada Reno. His primary teaching area is corporate finance. Before moving to academic world, Dr. Upadhyay worked for several years with a commercial bank in the area of credit analysis and international banking. He received Ph.D. in finance from Temple University. Dr. Upadhyay’s research focuses on corporate governance issues. He studies corporate leadership structure and executive compensation. He has published articles on board structure in high quality finance journals such as Financial Management, Journal of Corporate Finance and Journal of Business Finance and Accounting.
5 Mental Habits That Support Lifelong Learning
In his classic book entitled Leading Change, John P. Kotter devotes his final chapter to the importance of leadership to creating and sustaining successful organizations. Beyond the development of leadership skills, the successful executive will need to be a lifelong learner. Kotter suggests the following five mental habits that successful leaders will need to support lifelong learning (p. 183):
- Risk taking: willingness to push oneself out of comfort zones
- Humble self-reflection: honest assessment of successes and failures, especially the later
- Solicitation of opinions: aggressive collection of information and ideas from others
- Careful listening: propensity to listen to others
- Openness to new ideas: willingness to view life with an open mind
His observation about the relationship between listening and learning is especially insightful:
Much more than the average person, lifelong learners also listen carefully, and they do so with an open mind. They don’t assume that listening will produce big ideas or important information very often. Quite the contrary. But they know that careful listening will help give them accurate feedback on the effect of their actions. And without honest feedback, learning becomes almost impossible (p. 182).
I think the overwhelming majority of faculty that teach in the Executive MBA program at the University of Nevada meet Kotter’s criteria of lifelong learners. The program director, Dr. Kambiz Raffiee, models the way for our group. Our program development meetings are always very productive. No one ever wastes our time with arrogant pontification or tries to dominate the conversation in order to force an opinion on others. We share a common goal, and we all actively listen to each other as we consider ways we can continually improve our courses to meet the high and evolving expectations of our executive students.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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UNR EMBA
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