Latest research reveals global employers' preferred African and Middle Eastern business schools

Results from the "QS Global 200 Business Schools 2009: The Employers' Choice", published by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the independent MBA experts and organisers of the QS World MBA Tour, give a unique insight into the perception of African and Middle Eastern business schools from the companies which recruit from them.

A total of six regional business schools feature in the report, with American University in Cairo and Bar-llan University both achieving the most employer votes within this research. United Arab Emirates University in Dubai also receives enough employer votes to appear in the top 200.

Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS, says business education in the region is still in the very early stages of development, so employers are turning to some of the long established university-based business schools. However, with the explosive growth of Dubai in recent years, the region is having to invest in management education.

Quacquarelli says:

"The Dubai Knowledge Village has attracted many international business schools to set up campuses within the purpose-built facility on the edge of Dubai city, but these are relatively new ventures in the region and have yet to establish extensive links with employers."

South African business schools - Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Witwatersrand - also demonstrated prominence amongst international employers.

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS, says, "The pressures of globalisation mean that, beyond the traditional MBA employers, there is a growing number of regional MBA employers who may not have the budget to pay the salaries demanded by MBAs from elite schools. For MBAs who are proactive in their search and flexible in terms of salary expectations, this is expanding their range of opportunities, even in a time of recession."

The "QS Global 200 Business Schools 2009" consists of 72 schools in North America, 70 in Europe, 40 in Asia-Pacific, 12 in Latin America and 6 in Africa and the Middle East. No other piece of MBA research covers such a geographically diverse set of schools. In 1999, only 15 schools outside of North America and Europe featured in the research, compared to 13 schools from India and China alone, this year.

The schools securing the most employer votes by region across the world are: in North America - Harvard and Wharton; in Europe - in INSEAD and London Business School; in Asia-Pacific - INSEAD Singapore and Melbourne Business School; in Latin America - EGADE and IPADE; and in Africa and Middle East - America University in Cairo and Bar-Ilan University.

The report presents business schools alphabetically in clusters, based on numbers of employer votes. The top cluster of 33 business schools from the 'QS Global 200 Business Schools Report' in North America, Asia and Europe, each achieved an index of employer votes of over 20%, whereas in Latin America and Middle East the four best performing schools ranged between 9%-11%.