Profiles and academic performance of first year MBA students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine profiles and academic performance of first year MBA students enrolled at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2014. The study applied descriptive statistics to unpack the details of profiles and academic performance of the population of MBA students. The study used ANOVA and MANOVA to test for significant differences in mean scores and to examine the relationships between students’ academic performance and their profiles categorised as undergraduate degrees, occupational clusters and MBA programme modes. One of the main findings of the research was that the black ethnic group accounted for 69% of the MBA class and that males dominated at 64%. The ANOVA results showed variations in the mean marks of three modules: Financial Accounting, Business Management and Marketing Management. This indicates that the type of undergraduate degree significantly affected students’ academic performance. Differences in mean marks were used to examine if a relationship existed between a student’s occupational cluster and his/her academic performance. One way ANOVA results showed variations in Financial Accounting mean marks indicating that students’ occupations significantly affected academic performance in the Financial Accounting module. The study examined if there were statistically significant relationships between students’ academic performance and MBA programme modes of delivery. The purpose was to establish if there is a relationship between student’s academic performance and the MBA programme modes of delivery. Differences in mean marks were used to examine if there was a relationship. The MANOVA tests, however, showed no significant difference in mean marks between MBA programme modes. The study recommended academic tutorials, utilisation of University resources, and structuring of MBA academic groups to include at least one member from each occupation and undergraduate degree type.