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University of Gibraltar Business Degree for Future Tycoons
A master’s degree in business administration – the MBA, considered by many to be the ‘open sesame’ to top jobs in industry and finance – is within reach of wannabe future tycoons and executives on the Rock and in neighbouring Spain.
The MBA is – as one of several new courses offered by the University of Gibraltar – the youngest centre of learning in the Iberian Peninsula but is already making academic waves as a ‘centre of excellence’ in several disciplines.
Unusually – for most of the major universities do not offer the shorter course – Gibraltar is also home to a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
‘BBA is probably a useful feather to have in one’s CV cap, but it doesn’t have the same clout as a master’s’, according to a local businessman who acquired his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), widely regarded as the birthplace and acme of the degree.
Several Spanish students as well as Gibraltarians are set to take part in the course which begins in September and can be taken either full-time or part-time as an accelerated’ degree.
‘The University of Gibraltar MBA is a contemporary and career-focused management programme that aims to challenge and inspire,’ according to University officials.
‘Whether you are seeking to boost your career prospects or change its direction, an MBA is an elite professional qualification that will provide you with the business management skills that will set you apart from the competition.’
‘Our smaller class sizes mean that you’ll join a tightly-knit community of ambitious professionals and enjoy a more personalised experience with better access to tutors and staff. By the time you graduate you should have the skills and experience to succeed in high-pressure, high-paying leadership roles.’
The University is also taking a global lead in the exploration of aspects of Cyber-space and FinTech, and expects to lead the field in correlation of information and statistics in the international gaming industry – an area where informed detail is uncertain – but vital if the growing problem of gambling addiction is to be curtailed.
In treating addiction – and other aspects of responsible gaming – far too many decisions made are based largely on assumptions, something which the University is set to tackle, its Vice-chancellor, Prof. Catherine Bachleda says. Gibraltar is to establish a research Chair in gaming and develop a ‘centre of excellence’ for gathering and analysing data.
‘We are working with the Gibraltar Government and the Gaming Association… because although gaming organisations are getting data, it is not being shared,’ Prof. Bachleda said.
‘We will encourage everyone in the industry to share’ and, in turn, would provide firms with accurate information on which to make ‘informed decisions’’.
‘There are plenty of people across the industry who are committed to responsible gaming, but there is a need for research to support them.’
‘There’s a hideous amount of data out there – but how do we use it?’ asked Ian Ince, head of Regulatory Affairs and Compliance at Playtech, another member of the panel. ‘In some ways, collaboration across the industry has been amazing.’ But, he added, there was also a need for firms to work together to persuade regulators to ‘listen to the industry’.
Regulators gave too much weight to public opinion and media attention, he argued – adding that ‘operators must make themselves heard at regulatory level – particularly when new regulations are being introduced.
Earlier, in opening the eSummit, Commerce Minister Albert Isola told the more than 300-strong audience that although – faced with the heavy problems of Brexit – ‘politicians will say it’s business as usual, we in fact face the most uncertain period in our history’. What was happening was ‘a poor reflection of the conduct of our politicians.’
In the sphere of gaming, which had become a $79 billion industry that had grown by 4 per cent in the past year, it was important for Gibraltar’s operators to ‘come into alignment with the Gambling Commission’.
‘We want to keep Gibraltar the key gambling jurisdiction’ and to that end the Government would encourage ‘social responsibility’ across the industry.
A ‘responsible gaming’ course for all gaming employees would be introduced by the University; and the results of its research would enable companies to make plans based on reliable evidence.
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University of Gibraltar Business Degree for Future Tycoons
