This study was concerned with the relationship between an individual's higher education and the probability of selection for employment by an organization or promotion within an organization. The bulk of this chapter is devoted to reporting the findings of the review of relevant literature performed as a part of this study. Following the presentation of these findings in the "Background" section, the problem statement, study purpose, and research rationale are presented.
In recent years, the MBA (Master of Business Administration) degree has come under attack on a number grounds (Byrne, 1991, pp. 102 107). The degree itself is said by some observers to have become too focused on the financial aspects of management to the neglect of other important managerial functions (Leaner times, 1992, pp. 65 66). Newly graduated MBAs are increasingly accused of being prima donnas, arrogant, and prone to make organizational judgments and decisions for which they have insufficient background and experience (McGill, 1988, pp. 75 78).
Together with the criticisms of the MBA degree, reports of reduced hiring by organizations of MBA graduates have led many observers to several questionable conclusions. One conclusion is that an MBA degree is no guarantee of career success (Bauer, 1993, pp., F9, F13). In fact, the MBA was never a guarantee of career success. Rather, the degree provided its holder with a hiring advantage and with tools that, if properly applied, might well be translated into career success. A second conclusion is that, as the hiring of MBA graduates is down, that employers are now turning to liberal arts graduates as a means of acquiring generalists, as opposed to more narrowly educated individuals (Silver, 1989, pp. 19 22). Those observers drawing this conclusion overlook the important fact that the MBA degree is a generalist degree. The MBA was originally designed for individuals holding narrower degrees in chemistry, e...