Oxford Business Debate 2009
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| Watch debate highlights |
On 15 October, the Association of MBAs held their sixth Annual Business Debate in Oxford.
Over 200 MBA students, members of the Association of MBAs and journalists travelled from across the UK to hear a six-speaker strong panel debate the motion that ‘MBAs are best placed to lead us out of financial crisis’.
Speakers for the motion were:
- Professor Colin Mayer, Dean, Saïd Business School
- Phil Walker, Senior Vice President, Capgemini Consulting
- Kate Jillings, Co-founder, BusinessBecause.com
Against the motion were:
- Ken Starkey, Professor of Management and Organizational Learning, Nottingham University Business School
- Victoria Lennox, Founder, National Consortium of University Entrepreneurs
- Philip Delves Broughton, Journalist
The debate was chaired by Chris Russell, a veteran of the Oxford Business debating formula.
‘Our host, Dean Mayer was strong and passionate, Starkey from Nottingham reasoned and critical. Phil Walker, a recruiter of MBAs at CapGemini in London, unapologetic in his continued support for the training it gives,’ reported Russell.
‘Victoria Lennox, former head of Oxford Entrepreneurs, denied MBAs had anything to do with entrepreneurialism. Kate Jillings, hot-foot from Dubai, said business education was booming. But what really stuck in my mind was the irreverent aspect of the evening, and top of that list is Philip Delves Broughton’s description of the MBA as the luxury good, the Louis Vuitton bag!’
Unsurprisingly, the vote was won by those believing that MBAs are in fact best placed to lead us out of the financial crisis. However, it was by no means a clear win for the MBAs – over a third of the voters had been persuaded by the arguments of Starkey, Lennox and Delves Broughton.
This was the first time the Association of MBAs Thames Valley’s region has taken the event to be hosted by a business school.
‘We wanted to try the formula outside the Debating Chamber at the Oxford Union,’ said OU Thames Valley’s Regional Chairman, Sarah Cook, ‘and we were delighted to be hosted this year by the Said Business School.’
Previous Association of MBAs Business Debates have covered business ethics, organisational ‘magic’ and the value of management consultancy, and featured speakers such as Simon Woodroofe, Sir Martin Sorrell and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, The Black Farmer.
What topics would you like to see covered in the future? Please let us know.
Previous Association of MBAs Business Debates have covered business ethics, organisational ‘magic’ and the value of management consultancy, and featured speakers such as Simon Woodroofe, Sir Martin Sorrell and Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, The Black Farmer.
What topics would you like to see covered in the future? Please let us know.
What the press said about the event:
21/10/09
BusinessBecause.com
Can MBAs lead us out of recession?
19/10/0921/10/09
BusinessBecause.com
Can MBAs lead us out of recession?
Training Journal
MBAs say they are the right people to lead us out of financial crisis
16/10/09
Clear Admit
Association of MBAs debate weighs role of MBAs in ending financial crisis
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