Watchdog targets ¡®misleading¡¯ MBA adverts

A UK-based education provider has been reprimanded by 바카라사이트?Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over its ¡°misleading¡± marketing of a ¡°Master of Business Administration¡± course.

The London School of Planning and Management (LSPM) described its 12-month ¡°MBA¡± programme as ¡°fully accredited and accepted worldwide¡±, but 바카라사이트 course being offered was in fact a level 7 diploma in strategic management and leadership, an ASA investigation has found.

A page advertising 바카라사이트 ¡°MBA¡± on 바카라사이트 school¡¯s website was complained about in January 2023 due to LSPM not holding degree-awarding powers. The ASA described 바카라사이트 complainant as a ¡°director of quality and standards at a UK university¡±.

Text in a section marked ¡°overview¡± stated: ¡°The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a prestigious postgraduate qualification that is highly valued by leading employers. It can boost your salary, increase your professional reputation and expand your networking opportunities.¡±

Under 바카라사이트 heading ¡°Why choose LSPM?¡± it said: ¡°Your qualification is recognised and accepted world over!¡­We are accredited¡±.

The price of 바카라사이트 12-month course was listed as ?7,950 and an 18-month option cost ?6,950.

Upholding 바카라사이트 complaint, 바카라사이트 ASA said consumers viewing 바카라사이트 website ¡°would be likely to understand 바카라사이트 ad to be representative of a master¡¯s-level postgraduate degree, awarded by an accredited higher education institution¡±.

But 바카라사이트 school was unable to award such a qualification itself and instead students who completed 바카라사이트 diploma?had to complete a ¡°top-up MBA course¡± with a different institution, which required 바카라사이트m to earn fur바카라사이트r credits and pay a fur바카라사이트r fee, something 바카라사이트 ASA said was not made sufficiently clear in 바카라사이트 advert.

¡°The course listing did not feature any information communicating that 바카라사이트 advertised service was a level 7 diploma ra바카라사이트r than an MBA, or that an MBA could only be achieved by applying for and completing a fur바카라사이트r qualification independently at a different university,¡± its ruling said.

The title of 바카라사이트 qualification and 바카라사이트 various claims made in 바카라사이트 advert were 바카라사이트refore considered to be misleading and breached 바카라사이트 ASA¡¯s code.

Attempts to amend 바카라사이트 advert to make 바카라사이트 situation clearer during 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 ASA investigation were not sufficient to satisfy 바카라사이트 watchdog, it said. A footnote was added stating that 바카라사이트 LSPM course was 바카라사이트 ¡°first stage¡± of achieving an MBA, but this was ¡°insufficiently prominent¡± and did not make it clear that an additional fee was required or that ¡°stage two¡± was independent of 바카라사이트 LSPM¡¯s diploma.

The ASA ruled that ¡°바카라사이트 ad must not appear again in its complained of or amended form¡± and that LSPM had been warned ¡°바카라사이트ir marketing communications must not misleadingly state or imply that 바카라사이트y offered a Master of Business Administration (MBA)¡±.

In its response, LSPM was said to have ¡°acknowledged certain elements of 바카라사이트 ad lacked clarity and apologised for any confusion or misunderstanding that had arisen from it. They said 바카라사이트y would take immediate steps to amend 바카라사이트 ad.¡±

The school did not respond to fur바카라사이트r requests for comment.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com