It might be tempting,therefore,to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved.But,increasingly,this apparent diversity(多样化) is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity.Behind the differences in sex,skin tones and mother tongues,there are common attitudes,expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set clones among the business leaders of the future. Diversity,it seems,has not helped to deal with basic weaknesses in business leadership.So,what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world?According to Valerie Gauthier,associate dean at HEC Paris,the key lies in the process by which MBA programs recruit their students.At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of standards such as previous academic and career performance,and analytical and problem solving abilities.This is then coupled to a school's mixture of what a diverse class should look like,with the result that passport,ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors.But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed,to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach arguably the only diversity that,in a business context,really matters. Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking,consultancy and industry.They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science,the creative arts,history or philosophy,which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context. Indeed,there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create.A study by Mannaz,a leadership development company,suggests that,while the bully boy chief executive of old may not have been removed completely,there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management at least in America and Europe.Perhaps most significant,according to Mannaz,is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models,such as those popular in Scandinavia,which seek to combine the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility.(1)What characterizes the business school student population of today? ____ A.Greater diversityB.Intellectual maturity.C.Exceptional diligence.D.Higher ambition.(2)What is the author's concern about current business school education? ____ A.It will arouse students' unrealistic expectation.B.It will produce business leaders of a uniform style.C.It focuses on theory rather than on practical skills.D.It stresses competition rather than cooperation.(3)What aspect of diversity does Valerie Gauthier think is most important? ____ A.ge and educational background.B.Social and professional experience.C.Attitude and approach to business.D.Ethnic origin and gender.(4)What applicants does the author think MBA programs should consider recruiting? ____ A.pplicants with prior experience in business companies.B.Applicants with sound knowledge in math and statistics.C.Applicants from outside the traditional sectors.D.Applicants from less developed regions and areas.(5)The underlined word in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____ .A.effectiveB.traditionalC.decisiveD.joint
Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago.In it the majority of students will have conformed to(符合)the standard model of the time:male,middle class and Western.Walk into a class today,however,and you'll get a completely different impression.For a start,you will now see plenty more women the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School,for example,boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female;you will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting,therefore,to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved.But,increasingly,this apparent diversity(多样化) is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity.Behind the differences in sex,skin tones and mother tongues,there are common attitudes,expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity,it seems,has not helped to deal with basic weaknesses in business leadership.So,what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world?According to Valerie Gauthier,associate dean at HEC Paris,the key lies in the process by which MBA programs recruit their students.At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of standards such as previous academic and career performance,and analytical and problem solving abilities.This is then coupled to a school's mixture of what a diverse class should look like,with the result that passport,ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors.But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed,to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach arguably the only diversity that,in a business context,really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking,consultancy and industry.They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science,the creative arts,history or philosophy,which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed,there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create.A study by Mannaz,a leadership development company,suggests that,while the bully boy chief executive of old may not have been removed completely,there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management at least in America and Europe.Perhaps most significant,according to Mannaz,is the increasing interest large companies have in more
collaborative management models,such as those popular in Scandinavia,which seek to combine the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility.
(1)What characterizes the business school student population of today? ____
A.Greater diversity
B.Intellectual maturity.
C.Exceptional diligence.
D.Higher ambition.
(2)What is the author's concern about current business school education? ____
A.It will arouse students' unrealistic expectation.
B.It will produce business leaders of a uniform style.
C.It focuses on theory rather than on practical skills.
D.It stresses competition rather than cooperation.
(3)What aspect of diversity does Valerie Gauthier think is most important? ____
A.ge and educational background.
B.Social and professional experience.
C.Attitude and approach to business.
D.Ethnic origin and gender.
(4)What applicants does the author think MBA programs should consider recruiting? ____
A.pplicants with prior experience in business companies.
B.Applicants with sound knowledge in math and statistics.
C.Applicants from outside the traditional sectors.
D.Applicants from less developed regions and areas.
(5)The underlined word in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ____ .
A.effective
B.traditional
C.decisive
D.joint