Earning an MBA about 10 years ago helped assure people of better career prospects by allowing them a higher starting package and a fast-track to promotion.
But what is the reality of MBAs in today's even more competitive business world? And how are MBA programmes at local universities playing a part in alleviating the global talent shortage when research shows that just 13 per cent of MBA graduates are suited to work in global businesses?
The consensus seems to be that an MBA is common and not seen as something extra. It is a minimum requirement, so earning an MBA from a university that has a solid reputation, a niche programme, or partners with an even more prestigious university is more important than a degree itself.
To that end, local universities have taken a varied approach that covers all of the above to capture the best and the brightest to join their MBA programmes and move into quality careers.
Hong Kong Baptist University offers two MBA programmes. One through its School of Business, which has a China focus, and the other through the School of Continuing Education which partners the University of Strathclyde, one of the most prestigious business universities in Britain.
Bill Hung Wang-sing, associate MBA programme director at the Business School, said: 'We have a full-time, one-year programme and a part-time two-year programme. The full-time programme attracts mostly mainland and overseas students, who are interested in doing business in China or learning more about doing business there. And because of the nature of the part-time course, most of the students are local.