Interview Associated With MBA Programs
The first interview associated with MBA programs was conducted within 15 minutes. The respondent was a 25-year-old woman working as a nurse at XYZ hospital. It should be noted that the respondent was chosen to examine the part of the population that is not directly connected with MBA education. According to the laddering interview technique, she was informed of the purpose of the interview in advance, and all the necessary conditions were created to ensure convenience. The following is the ladder that was designed based on the interview:
According to the presented interview, it becomes clear that MBA qualification is not fully familiar to the respondent. Even though she detected insufficient knowledge of the topic, the answers were correct. Such questions as “what do you know about MBA education?” or “what are your attitudes towards these programs” were asked. When the respondent was confused by the latter questions to some extent, the following question was formulated to help her: “do you see any differences between MBA education and some other similar programs?”. This strategy implied by the laddering interview technique proved to be effective, and the respondent answered as follows: “well, MBA courses are the most prominent ones compared to some other local programs, and I consider them as an excellent opportunity to improve one’s career”. At the same time, the respondent was able to provide information related to MBA benefits such as good work and salary: “I think that students, completing MBA courses, may count on high salary and good job positions like those leaders working for Google or Apple, for example”. Thus, it is possible to conclude that the first interviewee, representing people that are not associated with MBA education, disclosed average knowledge.
The second interview focused on the respondent who was rather familiar with MBA programs and preparing to apply for one of them. This was a 17-year-old man who answered fully and competently, showing excellent knowledge of the topic. Likewise, the first respondent was also informed of the anonymousness of the interview and voluntary participation. The following is the ladder, illustrating the key points of the interview:
In the course of this interview, such questions as “what is the difference between MBA programs and other similar education?”, “Why do you prefer this type of education?”, “what are the benefits of MBA associated programs”, “where do you see yourself in five years”, and so on were asked. The respondent illustrated that he is aware of all the essential aspects regarding the theme. Furthermore, the answers were complete and clear. For example, the following answers were received: “I believe that MBA is the key provider of the most relevant and innovative education. Therefore, I will try to do my best to take some courses and complete them successfully” and “In my opinion, MBA offers nuances of the most demanded and leading positions by providing specialization to a certain industry. This helps the prospective leaders to be ready to manage even the most complicated projects”. As can be seen from the above examples, the interview was quite productive and informative.