An editorial on Yahoo (http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/071226/68/4dk8s.html) dated 12/27/07 voiced concern over the direction of business schools and the value of the MBA degrees that they offer. The editorial seems to target AASCB accredited schools. If business schools are designing there programs according to AACSB guidelines and if many prominent people in the field of business education feel that these programs are taking the student in the wrong direction, then how much value is AASCB accreditation? Perhaps programs designed to achieve IACBE or ACBSP accredition provide a more useful program to the business student?
Complaints about B-schools have been going for a long time. Such complaints are valuable - B-schools need feedback to improve. But make no mistake about it - the best B-schools in the US (choose anyone's list you care to view) are with virtually no exceptions AACSB accredited. Increasingly the best schools in Europe are as well. While there may be some complaints about B-schools (some critics would like perpetual motion machines too), many of the characteristics of AACSB's standards are good and cause B-schools to do valuable things. Regards -Andy
