Business News www.wbn.co.nz
February/March 2015 Volume 23: issue 2
Taking the fear out of an MBA After discussing the MBA’s strength as a business tool with Dr Colleen Rigby, director of the Waikato Management School’s MBA programme at the University of Waikato, we asked her to give us some words of encouragement for our many business owners and managers aspiring to take on the programme…in other words…take the fear out of an MBA. Here are her thoughts. Another concern is how MBA s managers contemplate how they can students balance home and work propel their future life – graduates describe how the careers, they might consider degree teaches them superb time studying for an MBA (Master management skills they can take into the rest of their lives. of Business Administration). The best way to manage time Forbes Magazine points out that MBA graduates earn 50 per- is to set aside an hour or two cent more within one year of every day to do some reading or completing the degree and their liaise with the syndicate [what is investment in the programme is this?] for a group assignment. Classes are at times that suit paid back within three-and-a-half busy people – either 6-9pm on years. An MBA can be the entry Monday and Thursday nights or qualification for a senior man- Friday afternoons, and all day Saturday (every fortnight), so agement role. Potential MBA students may work time is not impacted sigworry that they haven’t done for- nificantly. By covering all the functional mal study for a long time, but I might point out that adult stu- areas of management in the first dents cope very differently from year, an MBA allows managers undergraduates – higher levels to have a much more generalist of maturity mean they are more view – they can see the organisation as a whole. motivated to study. They learn about finance, With individual and group assignments carried out in the logistics, customer service, manworkplace, both the individual aging people, governance, ethand the organisation they work ics, business law, sustainability, strategy, marketing and organisafor benefit from an MBA. Some might worry that old tional behaviour. This enables graduates to dogs can’t learn new tricks, but the age range of students taking speak confidently in any forum the MBA at Waikato is 31-60 and almost any type of organisation. years. Sometimes potential students Students do need to have at least three years of manage- worry they will not be interested ment experience and ideally an in the topics, but the lecturers undergraduate qualification, but are highly qualified practitioners the academic requirement can be working in New Zealand and waived if management experi- overseas who bring fascinating ence is sufficiently robust. Continued on page 3
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
6
PwC Tax team
7
11
34
18
37
Waikato KIA in top spot
Law Matters Chris Streenstra
Frankton Directory
HR and recruitment
8
21
42
Matt’s survey results out
Conference and Events
www.spx.com
Montana camera page
Dr Colleen Rigby
Business people asked to expose their knees By Mike Blake Why would the general manager of the classy Novotel Tainui Hotel in the centre of Hamilton turn up at a Chamber of Commerce Business After Five function flashing the knobbly knees, one asks? Well, in this case Dick Breukink (right) was assisting at the launch of Shorts for Hospice. The catch cry from many business leaders ‘rubbing knees’ at the function was: “Businesspeople unite, bring your friends and workmates together, join the action and wear shorts for Hospice on Friday, March 6.”
Any style of shorts will be accepted in this fundraiser for a great cause…big shorts, little shorts, loud shorts. You may stride out in your finest dress shorts and Bobby sox or ham it up in an aged pair of beach boardies, it doesn’t matter…what really counts is that you are part of this first “Shorts for Hospice” day. Hospice website www. shortsforhospice.co.nz will spell out the details for fun activities, competitions and how to register. And should you be stuck for a pair of shorts just race in to your local Hospice shop to find the best range of preloved shorts in town.
Main supporters include Tristram Marine, Westpac, Harcourts and Gallagher Group. Businesses with fewer that 20 employees will pay $250 to enter and those with more than 20 are asked to pay $250 plus and an appropriate additional donation based on the number of employees they have. Individuals can be part of the action for only $20. You can also check out the Facebook page www.facebook.com/shortsforhospice or Twitter@Shorts4Hospice Remember… Friday, March 6 More photos on Page 10
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