Attributes of an MBA Graduate in Today's Increasingly Fragmented World

"Money makes the world go round," sang a bobbed-haired, diamond-bejeweled Liza Minelli back in 1972. Her simple, comically delivered words encapsulated a heavily laden truth, a reality powerful enough to make governments shudder, and to make an electorate either stand firm in support of their leaders, or to throw their arms up in protest. Successful economies tend towards creating healthy infrastructures and reinvest capital to further promote economic growth, boosting their political and economic credibility as a consequence, as well as their influence on the world stage. Until very recently, much of the world had moved towards greater globalization in which world-trade liberalization stood at the center of a shift towards what we could call a more integrated society.

Many of the people leading this global industry from the top have been, and are MBAs. Almost a third of the world's 500 largest, listed international companies are led by an MBA graduate, according to FT statistics, and, more often than not, their degrees have been obtained from a top business school.

Yet, today industry leaders are facing a very different political and economic climate. Populist challenges to globalism have sprung up in the Middle East, Europe and the US, creating new levels of uncertainty, as well as an increasing sense of mistrust among the world's leading nations.The election of Donald Trump as US president and the UK’s vote for ‘Brexit’ show that greater numbers of people are pushing for their governments to stop looking outward when determining economic and foreign policy, and to look inward instead.

With the world appearing increasingly fragmented, how then does an MBA candidate go about choosing a top business school or finding an MBA career? Are the opportunities out there the same, or changed?

MBAs under Trump's presidency

'Uncertainty' is a word that permeates most literature dealing with predictions for the US under Trump's presidency. There are, however, certain factors that we can depend on, and begin with. A first, well-recognized fact is that the US dominates MBA rankings and is home to almost half (49%) of the world's top-tier, or 'elite' MBA programs, according to QS’s Global 250 Business Schools Report 2017. The US is also the number one economy, despite China hotfooting behind. These two factors make the US difficult to dismiss as a prime destination, both for MBA study and for post-MBA career opportunities.

International students form an intrinsic and valuable part of almost every MBA cohort across the US, and it just so happens that 2017 has seen more international MBA students at US business schools than ever before. Granted, the new president's anti-immigration policy has shaken the cores of non-US citizens (and indeed, US citizens), with large numbers of prospective applicants left feeling undecided on whether to take the plunge into a country led by as divisive a figure as Trump. Yet, US business schools are now, by their very nature, geared towards adopting a diverse, experienced and competent cohort of candidates, who are also unique, and who complement one another.

Trump's protectionist approach means that he will, “prioritize the jobs, wages and security of the American people", however he also has to, and does recognize, that newcomers are essential to the US economy. New arrivals, as his policy page states, will be selected and welcomed, "based on their likelihood of success in the US and their ability to be financially self-sufficient.” These most certainly are not obsequious terms, but the key takeaway here for international MBA candidates is that the doors are definitely not closed on MBA career opportunities for foreign nationals.

Perhaps deciding on whether to study in Trump's USA should be less based on the prospect of any sort of diminished opportunity, and more centered on whether you, as a student and future MBA graduate, want to be resident in this transfiguring country.

For a cautiously positive angle on how the US under Trump could benefit fintech, see Devie Mohan's blog post for TopMBA.com here. 

Recent developments unlikely to dampen top business schools' international outlook

Prospective MBAs who are put off by the growing nationalism in countries such as the US and the UK will be glad to know that large numbers of top business schools elsewhere will see this disaffection as an opportunity. Excellent MBA candidates are in high demand and while the UK and the US have the lion's share of top business schools, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Singapore, Australia and India also hold claim to equally rated, 'Global Elite' MBA programs.

It's also worth adding that many, if not most leading schools around the world have international campuses, or are in partnerships with business schools that allow their MBA students to work on building an international network, as well as giving them the opportunity to study, intern and embark on projects globally. The best MBA programs are becoming, almost by definition, global. The former UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, asserted that, “...arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity." So, while swathes of the population ask their countries to 'put them first,' it is difficult to deny that the integration of markets worldwide is where things stand, and greater integration in this high-tech world is almost inevitable.

An MBA graduate from a top business school has a veritable range of opportunities, with multinational companies happy to recruit across any number of geographical locations. Companies pay high premiums for an MBA graduate who can, for example, help establish a foothold in a new regional market. In addition, MBAs unhappy in one location are often able to use the leverage their qualification and experience affords to move to another. The MBA qualification is therefore an invaluable tool that empowers its holder to navigate uncertainty with much greater efficacy and ease. Those who work hard enough may even join those graduates at the helm of the top 500 companies and become part of the elite that keeps the money that makes the world go round.