1. ¹Academy of National Economy under the Government of Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia
2. ²SKOLKOVO Moscow School of Management, Moscow, Russia

Correspondence: Vladimir A Mau, Academy of National Economy under the Government of Russian Federation, Vernadskogo, 82, Moscow 119571, Russia. Tel: +7 (495) 434 8389; Fax: +7 (495) 433 2485; E-mail: rector@ane.ru; Alexander Mansilya-Kruz, Skolkovo Moscow School of Management, 10-3 Kadashevsky Lane, Moscow 115035, Russia. Tel/Fax: +7 (495) 580 3003; E-mail: alexander-mansilya@skolkovo.ru

Abstract

Based on the findings by Dewinney, Dowling and Perm-Ajchariyawong, we point out that, while MBA rankings provide useful signals to students about their salary prospects, they also create misleading incentives for business school administrators. The inbuilt bias in favor of the traditional model of business education discourages innovation and therefore stifles responses to major challenges – such as the globalization of the business education market, the advent of life-long education and the need for more relevance to management practice.