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Preparing for MBA
Being a Student Again
MBA Assignments
Dos and Don'ts
Thesis & Dissertations
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 There will be a set of tools and
skills which will be essential in pursuing your MBA. The
important skills include :
Personal computer skills
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Presentation skills
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Written communication skills
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- 1. Why do I need a
personal computer ?
- In business school as in
business, a personal computer is a very important part of
productive experience. If you do not know how to use a
computer, you should at least get familiar and comfortable
sitting in front of one. You may of course take up a
"crash" course on computer skills. There are many
institutes that offer course on personal computer usage.
Bottom line is : It will be good if you have a personal
computer or better still get a laptop.
- 2. What type of computer
skills do I need ?
- You should be at least familiar
with the "operating system" or Windows 95 or 98.
Essential software that you will need to know are :
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Spreadsheet - Microsoft Excel or Lotus 123
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Word processor - Microsoft Word or equivalent
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Presentation graphics - Microsoft PowerPoint or Lotus
Freelance
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- There are the 3 essential tools
that you will need. The spreadsheet will be needed for you
case analysis. Word processor will be needed for doing your
assignments. Presentation graphics software will be good if
you want to draw diagrams and insert them as part of your
assignments.
- As for those of you who will be
doing your virtual or distance learning MBAs, the personal
computer will be absolutely essential!
- 3. What kind of hardware
do I need ?
- For a personal computer, if you
are looking for an IBM compatibles or clones, a Pentium II or
Celeron processor with 300MHz or above should suffice. Memory
of at least 16MB, more ship with 32MB and a minimum 4.3 GB
hard disk. Of course there is also the monitor, keyboard and
mouse. Not to mention a CD ROM drive is a quite essential for
software installation. For MBA usage, multimedia will not be
essential, so you can leave out the sound card and graphic
accelerators (or commonly know as AGP). The typical Intel Celeron
based PC will set you back by just under RM2,000. The good
news is PC purchases are tax deductible!
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- 4. What kind of software
do I need ?
- As mentioned in question 2, the
software you will need are the spreadsheet, word processor and
presentation graphics software. Most people use Microsoft
Office.
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- 5. Is Internet access
essential ?
- Internet access will become more
and more essential. First of all, most students do communicate
through electronic mail. You can also use the Internet as a
research tool, looking for online journals and news articles
that may be of interest to you. Currently there are 2 major
Internet service providers, namely Jaring
and TMnet. For
those of you who are doing the virtual MBA, this will be a
MUST.
- 6. What spreadsheet
skills do I need ?
- You should be able to at least
construct a financial statement and perform financial analysis
using ratios, besides the adding, subtracting, dividing and
multiplying. Know how to key in formulas will be very useful,
not to mention using functions like PV (Present value), Sum,
Average, SD (Standard Deviation) and in some instances
Regression analysis. Then there is the charting i.e. drawing
graphs and charts for your presentations - bar, pie, line,
scatter to say the least.
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- 7. Do I need a financial
calculator ?
 Yes, it will be useful. Most of
the time you will be asked to bring along a
calculator for your exams. The financial calculator will be
very helpful as it contains the necessary formulas in built.
The recommended one is Casio FC-100 or you may get a Hewlett
Packard HP12-C. In some cases,financial tables will be
provided where it lists all the factors for you calculation,
so you can bring a simple (i.e. non-financial) calculator into
the exam hall.
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