MBA Imaginaries: Projections of Internationalization

In analysing four UK Business Schools’ webpages and student interviews, this article explores instances of MBA internationalization through the lens of the social imaginary: that is, the way in which people imagine their social existence and ambitions and means they employ to reinforce and achieve these. Using as heuristics three suggested MBA imaginary types, the ‘managerial’, ‘international managerial’ and ‘cosmopolitan’ as part of a four-stage hermeneutic analysis, distinctive approaches to internationalization at each institution are identified. However, the analysis also reveals that webpages portray mixed messages which do not necessarily support each school’s distinct approach in terms of students’ learning, pedagogy or curriculum. We suggest that the use of these MBA imaginaries and their accompanying forms of international capital could act as a framework to inform the development and projection of international MBA pedagogy and curricula.