In an era where Sri Lankan students who wish to follow an MBA are looking for easy ways out of it, employers are becoming more and more aware and are becoming more observant of the following factors when recruiting MBAs for strategic positions in organizations.

ASSOCIATION WITH THE PARENT UNIVERSITY -
The institute should have a direct association with the parent University that is awarding the qualifications. With such associations, the quality assurance processes of the University, assessments and direct purview of the parent University comes into effect.
MBA Parent University -Institute Directly associated with the parent University in the representative country mba Parent University-Franchised college in Principal country-Local 3rd party franchised Inst.

Mike Reed, Validation Officer (University of Wales)

SCOPE OF THE MBA -
A good MBA should cover the breath and depth of the management disciplines. Also students are expected to follow a properly structured, research based dissertation.
mba will not cover all the aspects required for a student to move from operational level to strategic level in an organization.

ASSESMENTS -
A good MBA will consist of continuous assessments, which include adequate course work (assignments) with substantial weight age for final examinations. This is in keeping with the norm of assessing the students' skills levels (through course work) and knowledge (through examinations).
An mba does not test a students' knowledge and only skills through course work (assignments). This is demeaning the achievements of students who have gone through properly conducted MBA programmes.

QUALITY ASSUARENCES -
MBAs offered directly by the Parent University come under their direct purview when it comes to its quality assurance procedures and academic policies. Such institutes cannot even publish an advertisement without the prior approval of the parent University. All faculty members, processes, facilities and student enrolments are done under the strict scrutiny of the representatives of the parent University.
mba offering institutions do not come under such scrutiny. Hence, can publish anything, even if it means misleading the public.

FINAL CERTIFICATE -
Ensure that the final certificate is issued by the parent University and is the identical one that you would receive even if you study in the principal country.
mbas that do not have this direct association issues certificates through its franchise partners, hence the franchise partner's name is indicated in the certificate. This diminishes the reputation and recognition of the qualification.

The following are some comments made by Mr. Mike Reed, Validation Officer (University of Wales) during his visit to Imperial Institute of Higher Education (IIHE), which is DIRECTLY associated with the University of Wales to offer Degrees in Business, Software Engineering & MBA.

1. In your opinion, what should a good MBA offer to a student in terms of academia, development, teaching and learning methods? -

In my view a good MBA should offer students an opportunity to develop a sound knowledge of the functional areas of business together with management/leadership skills. An important developmental aspect of an MBA is the opportunity to work with and react to fellow students and to learn from mutual experiences in industry and commerce. Networking and teamwork are crucial parts of an MBA and thus, in my view, online MBAs do not provide these essential elements. Teaching and learning methods should include a large proportion of student interaction, discussion, and teamwork on case study material.

2. How should a prospective student go about evaluating and selecting a good MBA? -
As mentioned in Q1, I believe that students should look for a programme that gives them the opportunity to react with fellow students. Any MBA which involves simply attending lectures or sitting at a monitor, and then submitting assignments, is NOT fulfilling its purpose. Look for a programme that includes a significant proportion of seminars and discussion groups. Don't go for the easy option. Be wary of programmes with easy assessment methods.

Unless a student is intellectually stretched he or she will not meet the learning outcomes of the MBA. Look for the MBA that requires a substantial dissertation (20,000 words plus). This can be the one element of the MBA that convinces employers of a students' ability to work independently and perform critical analysis and evaluation. It indicates ability in problem recognition and problem solving.

3. What is the concept of 'ranking'and its relevance to the Sri Lankan context?
In my view ranking means nothing in the context of validated or franchised programmes offered in Sri Lanka. UK league tables tend to be based upon many criteria, not all of which are educationally relevant. i.e: worship facilities, recreation facilities, international student facilities, etc.

A university's ranking in the UK provides no guidance as to what sort of learning experience students will get in Sri Lanka. The UK University does not implant its campus into Sri Lanka. Facilities provided by the local college will not compare with those available in the UK. Teaching in Sri Lanka will not be done by staff from UK and so students are dependent upon local academics for the quality of the provision.

4. What is the relationship UoW has with IIHE? -
IIHE is a Collaborative Centre of the University of Wales. IIHE offers programmes that have been directly validated and accredited by the University, under the strict quality assurances of UoW.

5. How does UoW ensure QA of programmes offered at IIHE in relation to institutions who does not have direct associations? -
I can't say anything about other institutions, but the University of Wales believes that the maintenance of quality is essential in its relationships with Collaborative Centres.

As such the University appoints academics as moderators for each centre. This is a direct relationship with the validation officer and the institutional officer.
As is common practice with all UK universities, the University of Wales appoints external examiners to all Collaborative Centres. These are subject experts from other UK universities and are thus independent of the University of Wales.

Their role is to ensure that the programmes at the Collaborative Centres are delivered, and maintained, at a standard that equates to that found in universities in the UK. The external examiners, together with the moderator and validation officer, visit IIHE at least twice in each academic year. There is also regular email contact throughout the year.

The University approves all staff appointments and student admissions at IIHE to ensure appropriate standards are set and reached.