Management education: an analysis of the supply of broad post-graduation programs of management of Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to discuss the products and services offered in the graduate specialization programs by institutions of higher education in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This article is an excerpt of a research project (2011-2013) that aimed to identify and analyze the contributions to the development of skills of managers when participating in Graduate Specialization Programs on Management Training, more specifically the so-called Master of Business Administration (MBA) in business management. Investments in management education grow year after year (Raelin, 2006; 2011), but we can say that both academic literature and research still lack a greater understanding of the effectiveness of management programs offered in the educational market (BOLT, 1993; LORANGE, 1994; RUAS, 2003; ANTONELLO and RUAS, 2005).This study is classified as qualitative and exploratory, and data were collected through secondary data, institutional documents and higher education institutions websites, as well as semi-structured interviews with coordinators of specialization programs and with experts on management training. To analyze data, references of the historiographical analysis and the construction of maps, as they have ways to reconfigure the documentary corpusand content analysis were used. The results are discussed in light of authors and researches about management training, pointing out that, if on the one hand, there is a growing concern with investments in this sort of training, either by companies or by managers who seek these programs, on the other hand there is still a long way to be paved by higher education institutions for an effective contribution in this type of training.

Keywords:
Management training; Graduate Specialization Programs; MBA in Business Management