Title: Return on investment in graduate management education in the South Pacific

Authors: Jeffery A. Born, James McMaster, Anna Baukje De Jong

Addresses: College of Business Administration, Northeastern University, 412 Hayden Hall, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ' Graduate School of Business, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of the South Pacific, Private Mail Bag, Suva, Fiji Islands. ' 27 Marine Drive, Lami, Fiji Islands

Abstract: This paper examines the private and public return on investment in education achieved by alumni of the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programme of the University of the South Pacific (USP). The salary levels and employment opportunities in the South Pacific lag behind those in developed economies. The cost of an MBA at USP is low in comparison to the average cost of MBAs at other universities but high relative to local income levels in the South Pacific. Nonetheless, we find that the MBA payback is quick for individuals and it would return the cost of a scholarship to the government in three to five years in the form of higher income taxes.

Keywords: Masters of Business Administration; MBA payback; South Pacific; developing economy; management in education; return on investment; ROI; graduate education; management education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2008.019639

International Journal of Management in Education, 2008 Vol.2 No.3, pp.340 - 355

Published online: 18 Jul 2008 *

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