Many different types of organization 'provide' management courses - Universities, Colleges, Consultants, Professional organizations, Trade organizations, Commercial companies etc. The ways in which they work also differ.

In this section we aim to help you choose an appropriate 'provider' for your management course.

Choosing a Management Course and choosing the Provider are two related matters. So, in addition to these notes - read also the notes on choosing a Course.

Remember that doing a course is one thing - doing one that is respected and recognized might be a different thing. This will be important to you if you are to do a long course. If you have a choice you will want to deal with a recognized and respected Organization - as later people may want to know not only what do have done to develop yourself - but also where you did it. They will probably attach more importance to it if they have a high regard for the Organization - and therefore judge it to have provided you with something of quality.

The respect and recognition that a course enjoys is obviously related to the status of the organization that provides it.

How well known is the Provider?

You will probably need to check on this in several ways - rather than relying on one. Here are some of them -

• Check the rankings of 'Providers' - especially of Business Schools and Universities - that are sometimes published in Business Magazines, etc.
  (But, warning - see advice in 'how to choose a Course' page).
• How long has the 'Provider' been established?
• Check the press - most major papers and journals carry regular features/surveys of Management education etc.; See how frequently the 'Provider' is mentioned. Perhaps you can also do searches for a 'Provider' in the WWW and 'On Line' versions of major papers/journals to see how frequently it is mentioned.
• Check the quality of the 'Provider' 'brand name'. Check through 'On line' searches. Ask people and see how often they mention the 'Providers' name.

How well respected is the Provider?

Prominence may not indicate respect - or vice versa, so check what people think about a 'Provider'. Any rankings will give you some indication - but remember that the criteria used in assessing 'Providers' in this way may not be relevant to you. Also - does the 'Provider' belong to the main representative/accreditation bodies - Also - is the 'Provider' a member of any grouping of 'Providers' - e.g., running joint programs etc. - if so, what is the standing of the others in its group? (Good 'Providers' tend to work with other good 'Providers').

Does the 'Provider' have a good reputation in other things?

Especially with Business Schools and Universities, two obvious things to check are - research and publications.

A major 'Provider' will have a commitment to research, and research tends to result in publications. Be careful about both of these things - since a 'Provider' which is primarily a research establishment may not give much attention to 'teaching' - but you will expect to find that at least some of the faculty are engaged in research in their subject area. You might also hope to find that that at least some of the faculty have published books. (Well known books do a lot for the prominence of the 'Provider' from which they come, but as a course participant - don't expect to see a lot of a faculty member who is a also a well known author!).

What does the 'Provider' do?

This might seem a rather odd question - as obviously it runs Management Courses.

But does it just run one - or several? Does it also offer qualification executive programs also? Check out the 'Provider's' full prospectus - not only the Course literature, for in general the broader the range of activities -the more established and the better known the 'Provider' will be. Be particularly careful if the 'Provider' only does one thing - e.g., a particular Course - unless they are known to be highly specialized in this area - e.g. Leadership.

Who are the Faculty?

You may be attracted to a course from a particular establishment because you have heard of some of the faculty there. It is possible that you have seen books or articles written by them. In general the better known the staff - the better known the Provider - but check that those well known people will actually be teaching on your course.

Be wary also if the course description says that you will get a free copy of a book by one of the people who will be running the course. This will indicate that the course is based on the book - so if you are familiar with it already you may not get much more on the course.

The above relate to the status of the 'Provider' - but there are other things which will be important to you -

Is the 'Provider' a separate entity?

Does the 'Provider' have its own separate and dedicated facilities or does it share facilities with other activities in its parent Institution (e.g., University)? This will have a significant influence on what it will 'feel like' to be on a course there.

Will the 'Provider' give good service?

There are two aspects - the quality of the course - e.g. its content etc, and the customer orientation of the 'Provider'. The first is difficult to check without asking others who have some experience of the 'Provider' and its courses. The latter is easier to get a view on, and remember if the 'Provider' does not treat you well when you are a potential customer - will it improve if you go there?

How easy does the 'Provider' make it for you to contact them - e.g., from this site? How do they respond when you do contact them? Write, fax, or e-mail the 'Provider' and see how long it takes to get a reply. Phone them and ask to speak to the course director or administrator - and see if they put you through. Ask some difficult questions (See the Checklist on choosing a Course) and see what response you get. Ask if you can speak to some recent participants- and will they give you names or contact details? (Some may have a policy of not giving out names and addresses - but will they pass your name and details to one of their recent participants in your area and suggest that they might be willing to contact you?). Ask if you can call, in to see them - do they welcome this - will they arrange for you to see someone?

What will the 'Provider' expect of you?

Will you need a lap top computer? If you do not have one, does the 'Provider' provide adequate facilities? Will you need to find accommodation - if so to what extent will the 'Provider' help you? Will the 'Provider' advise you on potential loans or scholarship funds?

Who are the other clients?

Ask who else has used the Provider - try to get a recent client list. If they are good - i.e. major, established and successful - organizations it is likely that in is a good Provider' If you can - contact one of the other clients to get their views. - a good Provider should be happy for you to do this and should give you the necessary information.

Advice Pages Index   Search the Course Database   Home Page