The aim of this publication is to highlight the role of postgraduate MBA programmes in the advancement of professional career paths of graduates. The monograph is based on the results of the author’s empirical research, conducted through interviews with a sample of graduates from the international postgraduate Polish-French MBA-type management programme (to be designated as an MBA starting in 2023). It is the only programme of its kind in Poland that offers the students the opportunity to receive a French Master 2 degree in management and a Polish certificate confirming the completion of the postgraduate MBA management programme. The programme is international par excellence and is delivered in a hybrid format — exclusively in French and English — by an international teaching staff. It is also the oldest programme of its kind in Poland, as it has been delivered continuously since 1993. Thirty-two graduating classes have already completed it. The programme harmoniously combines two key challenges of contemporary MBA studies: the digitization of online education and internationalisation. The author of this monograph has been the programme’s initiator and director from the very beginning. Professor Tomasz Domański heads the Department of International Marketing and Retailing at the Faculty of International and Political Studies, University of Łódź. He served for many years as the Faculty’s Dean and Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs and International Cooperation (2000–2016). He is also the Director of the Polish-French MBA in Management, run in collaboration with the University of Lyon III in France. An advocate of the consistent internationalisation of the University and its openness to diverse communities. He was the driving force behind the extension of the educational offer of the Faculty of International and Political Studies with majoring in International Marketing, currently offered as a practical degree programme. He also authors numerous publications on marketing strategies, modern distribution channels, territorial marketing, cultural marketing, and university marketing.

Foreword 9 Part I CASE STUDY OF THE POST-GRADUATE POLISH-FRENCH MBA PROGRAMME IN MANAGEMENT 13 1. Student segmentation and factors influencing the choice of postgraduate MBA programmes 15 1.1. Segment 1 – graduates in language studies, mainly Romance Studies, with short professional experience in business 16 1.2. Segment 2 – graduates in language studies with longer prior career in business 20 1.3. Segment 3 – holders of a degree in languages and longer experience in sectors other than business 22 1.4. Segment 4 – holders of a non-language degree and a longer professional experience 24 1.5. Segment 5 – foreigners working in Poland with connection to France or French language 27 2. International MBA programme: an opportunity for promotion or finding a new job 29 2.1. Promotion at the current place of employment 29 2.2. Changing the place of employment in Poland 31 2.3. Taking up employment abroad 33 2.3.1. Option for young graduates in language studies 33 2.3.2. Option for holders of other degrees and a longer professional experience 35 2.3.3. Option exercised by students from French-speaking countries 36 3. Programme positioning in the Polish market of educational services compared to competitive MBA programmes 39 3.1. Niche positioning of the programme 39 3.2. Continuous presence in the Polish market of educational services 41 3.3. Programme offered by a Polish publicly funded university 41 3.4. Prestige of getting two degrees 42 4. French degree as an important factor for the perception of an employee in a French and international company 44 5. Enhancing managerial skills 48 6. Preparing students to work in an international environment 52 6.1. International teaching format 52 6.2. International teaching staff 54 6.3. Diversity of perspectives and points of view – international student cohort 60 7. Strengths and weaknesses of the hybrid format of the programme 62 7.1. In-person instruction 62 7.2. Online programme format 63 7.3. Hybrid learning format 68 7.4. In the search of new forms of online instruction in partnership with business 71 8. Programme as a stimulant of postgraduate holistic development 73 9. Perception of an online course during the Covid-19 pandemic 76 9.1. Reasons for enrolling in the MBA postgraduate programme 76 9.2. The programme impact on goal attainment 77 9.3. Quality-price ratio for the programme 78 9.4. Programme impact on career development 78 9.5. Programme recommendation to friends and colleagues 78 9.6. Evaluation of selected advantages of the programme 79 9.7. Programme impact on personality development and working style of postgraduates 79 9.8. Impact of programme features on its value 81 Part II PROGRAMME IMPACT ON THE EVOLUTION OF POSTGRADUATE CAREERS 85 10. Postgraduate careers in the light of qualitative studies 87 10.1. Postgraduates of the first edition of the programme (1994). Reflections 30 years after graduation 88 10.1.1. French degree in Management as a passport to managerial positions in French companies 88 10.1.2. Fascination with France and Paris. French language and culture as a platform for acquiring managerial knowledge in the tourist industry 93 10.1.3. From a graduate in IT to Key Account Manager in the banking sector 97 10.1.4. From Romance Studies to Corporate Finance Analytics 101 10.2. Postgraduates from editions delivered between 2010 and 2015. Reflections 10 years after graduation 103 10.3. The youngest postgraduates. Reflections one year after graduation 108 10.3.1. MBA studies as a self-esteem booster 109 10.3.2. New generation of postgraduates seeking further career in between business and internationally oriented public administration 114 Conclusion 119 References 121 Family photos 129

Koszyk

The Impact of MBA Degree on the Progression of Postgraduates’ Careers