You will hear five different people talking about the Master of Business Administration courses(MBAs)which they have taken. For

Speaker One
Woman: I’m glad I did the course I did, and I would, taken as a whole, recommend it to others. The prospectus went on about the fact that the university had world-class computer and library facilities and so forth, but that’s not what really attracted me so much as the big-name lecturers. And I have to say, they were very good, though when I look back on it now, I realise that the people I learned most from were my fellow students. They came from all over the world, and I’ve really valued the insights they gave me into being on the receiving end of multinational marketing. It was those insights that I feel have been of real value since I came back into the workplace.
Speaker Two
Man: Doing the MBA has made me much more marketable, I think. My particular area of interest - e-commerce management - was becoming very popular, but I wasn’t likely to get a good job without the added value of the higher qualification. The reason for choosing this course is obvious; with my family commitments, I wouldn’t have been able to do a masters if the college had been miles away, but I was pleasantly surprised when I started just how strong the course was on the legal side of business, which helped me in the work I now do in staff recruitment and support. And I think a good grounding in law is of great benefit to most people, at whatever level of management they find themselves.
Speaker Three
Woman: In the first term of my MBA, I was a bit disappointed by the number of general lectures rather than smaller-scale seminars, even though I’d been warned in advance that this would be the case. I had a choice between a course specialising in law and one which offered lots of modules on finance. I opted for the latter. It was really a matter of self-discipline - I was always bad at it, so I thought I’d better do something about that. We spent far less time on personnel matters, but ironically, I’ve got a lot more out of those sessions. I suppose what I’m saying is that the course has helped me to be more realistic about where my strengths and weaknesses lie. I seldom have anything to do with the financial side of things now.
Speaker Four
Man: I remember I was feeling rather under-challenged at that time - a lowly admin officer -and I was fascinated by all the opportunities opening up with internet business, you know, so I chose an MBA which was offering lots of innovative sessions in that area. And I have to say, the course did me a great deal of good all round. I’d always been something of a loner, but since coming off the course, I’ve thrived in a more co-operative environment. I don’t think I would ever have managed that without having done the course. I’m thinking of changing jobs again - moving from purchasing into customer-service management - and I’m looking forward to another challenge. The MBA has given me the confidence to do that without worrying.
Speaker Five
Woman: I decided against doing the MBA at the college down the road, because although they had an excellent reputation, they seemed to me to be too traditional for my particular needs. I plumped for a course at UCDA, even though it was such a long way away, because it had a good track record dealing with changes to the statute book. And I don’t regret it: I think the fact that I did my thesis on this - European
Business Regulation - helped me to get my current job. It’s significant, though, that I haven’t actually had to apply much of my legal knowledge in the job. Instead, I’ve ended up working in product standardisation and monitoring - which, of course, my MBA studies helped with, too.
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Now listen to the recording again.
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That is the end of Part Two.