Last week, in one of the government’s biggest insider trading cases ever, Raj Rajaratnam was found guilty on fourteen counts of securities fraud and conspiracy.  His conviction has stirred up even more conversation on what has been a hotbed topic since the financial crisis in 2008-09: business ethics.  Now, with 36 unrelated insider trading convictions in the past 18 months and several major b-schools attempting to refocus their curriculums, we thought we would share with you some of the articles we have been reading on the matter.

In an article on Poets & Quants, Joel Schectman discusses the hypersensitivity of Wharton graduates following the conviction of Raj Rajaratnam, a member of the Wharton ’83 class, just days before the business school’s May 15^th graduation.  The piece, which is filled with quotes from the students and staff, conveys the Wharton community’s mixed feelings about the trial.  Some of our favorite reactions include: We are all ethical; We can prepare them for the temptations, but we can’t inoculate them completely; and We hope we can do better. Read more

by Jenn Yee, guest blogger

I arrived at business school without a shred of background in economics, statistics, or higher-level mathematics. Kellogg called me a non-traditional student, but most of my pre-business-school friends just said I was flat-out crazy.

With a background almost exclusively in media and education, I went into business school a little naïve about how much would be expected of me academically, socially, and emotionally. It took a little while for me to adjust; I felt uncertain about the strength of my background. Additionally, everyone looked so shiny and happy in the halls “ I wasn’t sure if anyone else was having this experience.

It turns out that quite a few of them were.

Here are some things I learned while attending business school with a non-traditional background, and how to cope. Read more

Historically, business has always been a boys club – picture spiffy suits, cigar clubs, and golf course negotiations. That was back in the day, of course, and recently women have become much greater players (think Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo).  Even so, gender equality – or inequality –  remains a hot-button issue, and some recent press has us taking a second look at women’s status in the business world.

When The Harbus reported recently on the academic gender gap at Harvard Business School, it stated that women were shocked by a marked historical difference between men and women’s academic performance at business school. The article goes on to detail how the women (the article’s authors in particular) combated their surprise by researching the causes of the achievement gap, looking to understand how personal, social, and demographic characteristics affect the academic experience.

After reviewing several possibilities, the researchers found that the most substantiated cause for women’s underperformance at HBS was their feeling of discomfort towards speaking in class.  The women reported feeling less comfortable participating due to their perceived difference in academic and professional backgrounds.  They also found themselves self-editing in class in order to manage their image outside the classroom.

Read more

by Jenn Yee, guest blogger

We hate and love to admit it, but business school is like a weird marriage-making commune.

Relationships bloom here (some in secret, at first). When we were at Kellogg, three couples that met at business school were already engaged by graduation. In the next six months, four more couples followed. It was like love dominoes.

So what’s with this phenomenon?

As one of my [married] friends exclaimed over Indian dinner during our first quarter of classes to our fellow sectionmates, “Business school is your last best chance to find a man.” Around the table, my single friends looked both panicked and enlightened.

Why is business school such good hunting grounds for a husband or wife? MBA Social has some theories: Read more

This post orignally appeared on the mbaMission blog. Read the introduction below and find the full post here.

The 2011“2012 MBA application season is officially afoot. Harvard Business School (HBS) has just released its essay questions, maintaining its tradition of being the first school to do so each year. HBS usually strikes first in early May, and the other top 15 schools follow suit shortly after, throughout May and even into early June.

The HBS watchers among you will notice two significant changes this year, the first of which is that the school has released almost all new questions. Of the six essay prompts that HBS offered last year, only one remains”the school’s famed three accomplishments essay. The second major change is to a streamlined application that offers candidates few options. For the past few years, HBS has required MBA candidates to respond to two essay questions, allowing them to choose from among four. Now applicants face four mandatory questions, leaving them nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. So, this change could limit your ability to play to your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses. Our analysis of HBS’s essay questions can be found here.

Our friends at mbaMission have interviewed the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions Kurt Ahlm. Read the highlights below and find the full post here.

Here are some highlights from the interview:

• Chicago Booth does not employ any quotas in its application review process but looks to enroll a diverse, smart group of students who fit well with the school’s values and culture.
• Ahlm discusses how an application is reviewed at Chicago Booth.
• Chicago Booth interviews 40%“50% of applicants, though depending on the strength of the applicant pool, the percentage can vary from year to year.

You can find the full interview transcript here.

With the growing popularity of tablet computers, speculation about the integration of this technology into education has begun to grow. The Consumer Electronics Show proclaimed 2011 to be the Year of the Tablet PC, and others have gone on to declare it the Year of the Student Tablet PC. But even while sales are soaring (tablet computer unit sales will see a 1,571% increase between 2010 and 2013, says Businessweek), students and educators are still debating the hardware’s classroom value.

According to a January press release from International Data Corporation, the worldwide tablet market grew by a little over 45% in the third quarter of 2010, with the sales being driven almost exclusively by global demand for the Apple iPad. Indeed, the iPad represented almost 90% of the tablet market at the close of 2010.

Even so, The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that the iPad is not the best tablet for classroom learning. In a recent article, The Chronicle presented the findings of several universities who had begun implementing tablet use into classes. Testing at the University of Notre Dame demonstrated that the finger-based interface and the glassy surface of the iPad made it difficult to take in-class notes or mark up readings, while Chatham University found that it actually made written course work more difficult. Other stated drawbacks included the lack of textbooks available on the iPad, as well as the flaws with current stylus inputs.

Still, while The Chronicle article toted the educational flaws in the Apple iPad, it also pointed out several benefits. From a pedagogical standpoint, professors at Notre Dame and at Reed College found that articles and required readings were more readily available to students in class via the iPad. Furthermore, students who used iPads were better capable of collaboration, being more in sync with one another and at greater ease to share the content on their screens. Add to that the fact that the iPad is smaller in size than traditional laptops or tablet PCs, with an extended battery life and a competitive price, and the scales seem to be weighing even.

Ultimately, though, the argument, both in The Chronicle and in the educational market as a whole, boils down to one major determining factor: student preference. If the 90% market share offers any indication, that decision has already been handed down. Not to mention, with educational iPad use extending to younger age groups (iPads for kindergarteners), the potential for building brand loyalty is endless.

That’s not to say that competition isn’t out there, but as All Things Digital notes: Apple has delivered its second generation tablet while most of its competitors have yet to ship their first. Whether these competitors can close in on Apple has yet to be seen, but whether they will be able to better serve educational needs will be something to look out for.

There is an ongoing debate in the business world about the perfect age for an MBA candidate.  While the average age for first year business school classes is usually in the 27-28 range, some schools are beginning to trend younger (HBS and Stanford among them), raising questions about the best qualities for an MBA applicant to possess, and whether wisdom can only come with age.

Interestingly enough, recent data from the GMAC shows that GMAT test-takers (a.k.a. MBA prospects) under 24 represent the fastest growing age group. At 13.9%, their annual growth rate is nearly double that of test takers aged 24-30, and it hugely outpaces any older age groups.

Does this mean that younger students make better MBA applicants? Not necessarily, says Eric Caballero, a Manhattan GMAT instructor and Sloan graduate. In business school, he argues, you are graded mainly on participation. If you have little to no actual business experience, you might not have as much to contribute to the discussion as your peers, which could ultimately affect your grades.  In addition, a lack of hands-on experience can also affect the size of your rolodex. B-school reputations begin in the classroom, and the better insight you have, the more people will be interested in networking with you. If you are going to be paying for the rolodex, you want to be sure that you can make the connections.

Read more

Imagine it’s five, ten, twenty years ago…

Congratulations, you just got into college! You are super excited, and your parents are so proud.  The time they spent reading to you, checking your homework, and quizzing you on vocabulary was well worth it, and they are excited to send you off to face your next adventure.  But first, they will leave you with a few parting words of wisdom: Join a club. Don’t drink anything green. Be sure to manage your time well. They’ll send you care packages, and be there for you when you need advice so that, while you may be on your own, you still have someone to turn to.

Now speed ahead five, ten, twenty years…

Congratulations, you just got into business school! You are super excited, and your Manhattan GMAT instructors are so proud. The time they spent drilling you, checking your quant problems, and quizzing you on sentence correction has been well worth it, and they are excited to send you off to face your next adventure.

But, of course, they have their worries. Will you know that you are supposed to pronounce all the letters in ROI? Will you remember your excel shortcuts? Will you be able to work well with your learning teams? What if you have questions about supply chains or microeconomics or how to balance wine and cheese in one hand? Who will you turn to?

Well, GMATers, we have you covered.  Carrie Shuchart and Chris Ryan, two former Manhattan GMAT instructors and successful MBAs, have written you the perfect care package. Case Studies and Cocktails: The Now What? Guide to Business School is both a handbook for the social side of school and an academic primer on the material you’ll have to master.

From the day you receive your first acceptance letter in the mail, Case Studies and Cocktails will prove to be an invaluable guide to the ins and outs of business school.  Whether you are stressed about paying tuition, valuing bonds, repairing a dysfunctional team, or mastering the recruiting process, the solutions are in this comprehensive guide. Filled with the advice of students and staff from over a dozen top business schools, numerous dowloadable calendars and worksheets, and a glossary of need-to-know b-school jargon, Case Studies & Cocktails will provide you with all the tools you need for living and working as a business school student.

For more information, check out the Case Studies & Cocktails website.  Want a sneak peek? Read an excerpt on Poets & Quants or on Fortune.

This article was originally written for and posted on www.casestudiesandcocktails.com by Chris Ryan

Recently, U.S. News & World Report released its 2012 Business School rankings. The energy and commentary surrounding this perennial event is noteworthy. Stanford GSB muscled HBS out of the top spot, while my alma mater Duke Fuqua rose to No. 12.

While many MBA applicants revere the U.S. News & World Report rankings, others stand apart. The Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell lambasted the criteria used in the rankings, calling the criteria flimsy proxies for educational quality.

No matter whose ranking you prefer, we encourage you to embrace a comprehensive approach to selecting a business school. No doubt your school’s ranking and prestige will affect the potential for cultivating that golden MBA rolodex. However, your ability to execute on said potential will be determined chiefly by your state of mind, which demands a cultural and academic fit.  So once you’ve narrowed down your choices based upon rank, be sure to consider these other factors:

• Location and Social Life: Do you prefer lively urban campuses or smaller college towns, where almost everyone is an outsider and folks band together?
• Cost: Most business schools cost a pretty penny, but keep in mind that tuition and fees are not the only expenses you will be facing.  Be sure to take into account the cost of living in a particular location before making a decision.
• Teaching Methodologies: Harvard Business School uses the case method entirely, but that may not work for everyone.  Sit-in on courses and determine what teaching methods work best for you.
• Alumni Base: When it comes time to apply for that coveted internship or dream job, you’ll need to utilize all your connections. A large alumni base may offer more opportunities, but smaller groups of former grads are often more loyal and more likely to help an MBA from their Alma Mater.

For more advice on choosing a school and preparing for your MBA, check out our article on Poets & Quants. Need something a little more in depth? Part One of Case Studies & Cocktails is all about making the most of your time before B-school.