BI, Executive MBA, Customer Service & Professors - Part 1

When I took my bachelors degree in marketing at BI 10 years ago I learned the following: "A satisfied customer might tell one friend but a dissatisfied customer will tell at least 10!"

10 years later I am back at BI - The Norwegian School of Management, joining their Executive EMB Program. During last Friday’s session in IT management I learned how to tell a lot more then 10 friends about my dissatisfaction with BI and their EMBA program: Blog about it!

So why am I so dissatisfied with BI’s Executive MBA program?

• The quality of the content and execution is not as expected based on description on BI's web page - and contracted delivery agreement.
• The content presented on paper is not the same as delivered in class.
• The quality of 75% of the seminars is below average acceptance level.
• BI and ESCP Professors lack presentation skills - and is not able to present their message.
• BI and ESCP Professors lack management work experience and are not able to convert theory to management practice, and are hence not able to answer questions or give relevant examples of business conduct.
• Cooperation with the Paris based school ESCP Europe - is none existing.
• Inadequate information and co-ordination of seminars executed by both ESCP Europe and BI. Issues such as lacking sound, monitor problems, late hand out of article readings; participants are not able to read the curriculum in due time, grading come later than agreed, constant mix-up and adjustment to time schedules (often resulting in travel cancels/changes) etc.
• BI knows and have admitted to having problems, for the last 3 years, with co-operating with ESCP-Europe
• BI knows and have admitted to having problems, for the last 3 years, with quality delivery from ESCP Europe.
• BI does not take responsibility for their suppliers short-comings and BI does not quality assess their deliveries.
• BI does not reply/meet to customer complaints, not even when 60% of a class hands in written reports/complaints including improvement and compensation ideas.
• BI does not try to improve their short-comings by compensations of any kind.
• BI does not view its students as paying customers... and we pay a lot.

I hope this describes the situation I, as a BI EMBA student is in at the moment. I know several other EMBA/BI/ ESCP Europe students that feels the same: However I am not speaking on their behalf – they have to state their own opinions and views. And here is an opportunity to do so; if you agree or disagree to these statements, please comment – so we can get an objective point of view on the situation. And if I am very optimistic, we will be able to force BI to act on improvement efforts that will not only gain the students coming after us, but that actually would gain the students and customers at BI in 2009/2010.

I have not completed this subject, and the next parts of this subject will cover:

• What have been done, and what could have been done with the problems?
• Why is it so few complaints about BI in public space?
• Which part of the EMBA seminar have been good and delivered according to expected standards (as viewed by the author)?
• Which professors have really contributed to my learning, and which have not?
• Would I recommend undertaking an Executive MBA at BI or ESCP Europe?
• And why does I not just quit?

C ya!

Best regards, Hilde!