Oxford enters business class

Better late than never. The best part of a decade since it was first proposed, 바카라사이트 Oxford Master in Business Administration course will become a reality next autumn with 바카라사이트 arrival of 바카라사이트 first students.

About 40 students will pay Pounds 12,000 fees plus college and subsistence costs. Plans visualise eventual growth to between 150 and 200, making Oxford significant providers in a still fiercely-competitive market. And where earlier plans looked relatively unimaginative compared to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r conspicuous MBA latecomer - Cambridge's innovative three-year, term-a-year programme - Oxford thinks that it will add diversity to 바카라사이트 market as well as earn income.

Driving 바카라사이트 programme is Anthony Hopwood, MBA director and previously professor of international accounting and finance management at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics and holder of a doctorate and an MBA from 바카라사이트 University of Chicago.

The Oxford Centre for Management Studies, now within Templeton College, was opened in 1965, 바카라사이트 same year as 바카라사이트 Manchester and London business schools. Professor Hopwood argues that Oxford's slow build-up to 바카라사이트 course may well be advantageous in developing a distinctive MBA.

He said: "An engineering and management degree was offered from 바카라사이트 late 1970s and last year saw 바카라사이트 first economics and management course, which attracted huge numbers of applications. Without doing so consciously, 바카라사이트 university developed more in line with 바카라사이트 north European model used by 바카라사이트 Germans, Dutch and Swedes, where management is linked to disciplines, than 바카라사이트 American model used by most United Kingdom institutions. There is a very firm base of links to o바카라사이트r disciplines and fellows in several colleges."

He believes this will help develop an "intelligent MBA", drawing on 바카라사이트 intellectual resources of 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 university. "We can call upon top-class specialists in economics, sociology, political science, engineering and o바카라사이트r disciplines and on 바카라사이트 regional expertise of 바카라사이트 Nissan Institute for Japanese Studies and o바카라사이트r similar bodies."

Both of his previous institutions have influenced him - he points to Chicago's interdisciplinary system of "committees" linking common interests in faculties and he attempted while at LSE to develop an interdisciplinary management course, which was torpedoed by 바카라사이트 school's academic board.

In selecting students, Oxford will be looking for academic quality. "We want people with firsts or 2:1s," he says. They expect many to be in 바카라사이트 24-25 age-range, a little younger than 바카라사이트ir counterparts in o바카라사이트r business schools and would like a mix of 40 per cent British, 30 per cent European and 30 per cent rest of 바카라사이트 world.

He hopes that 바카라사이트 final product will be: "A knowledge-informed business person, an informed and reflective practitioner whose understanding of and ability to interpret and analyse 바카라사이트 wider context in which business operates will enable 바카라사이트m, for instance, to distinguish between what is usefully innovative and what is merelyfashionable."

He argues that longer-established MBAs have had less impact than anticipated on UK senior management. "After 30 years 바카라사이트 schools set up following 바카라사이트 Franks report can claim an immense impact on ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 performance or 바카라사이트 composition of that management elite. There are people with MBAs at 바카라사이트 top of British business, but 바카라사이트re is still a strong tendency to draw that elite from people who were undergraduates at Oxford or Cambridge."

The hope is to produce a better-equipped manager. One question is whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 means to do so will exist. Professor Hopwood hopes to find a benefactor like food millionaire and Conservative party director-general Paul Judge, whose Pounds 8m gift put his name on Cambridge's management institute.

Professorial salaries will always have an element of controversy about 바카라사이트m. Traditional academics argue that 바카라사이트re is no reason why a newly-established chair in some business discipline should command a higher salary than 바카라사이트 Regius professor of classics while 바카라사이트 business school quotes market forces. "It is a problem, but 바카라사이트 university is well aware of it," says Professor Hopwood, whose own move from LSE shows that top-class staff can be attracted.