Our Purpose | Te Koronga:
We empower people to grow thriving businesses, a thriving society, and a thriving world.
At Waikato Management School our role is to empower the person – be they a student, staff member, or one of our local and global community - by growing knowledge, capability and character, so they can make a positive impact in all three domains.
Who we are | Ko wai mātou:
We are a community of staff, students and stakeholders who care deeply about the positive impact that a world-class education and research have on Aotearoa New Zealand and the world.
Deeply connected to our home, we are also an international community focused on globally important issues.
We were also one of the first business schools to adopt sustainability right at the centre of our strategy. This fits well with the ethos of our people and it continues to drive our strategic direction into the future.
Waikato Management School (WMS) was the first business school in New Zealand to achieve Triple Crown Accreditation in 2005 – something we still have today. This is an international benchmark of excellence in business education that puts us in an elite group of the top 1% of all business schools globally.
In 2021, WMS was ranked number one in New Zealand for Business and Economics in the global Times Higher Education Subject Rankings.
Our strategic paths| Ngā Ara Rautaki:
Read the Waikato Management School Strategy (PDF).
Watch Matt Bolger discuss our WMS Strategic Plan
Triple Crown Accreditation puts us in the top 1%
Waikato Management School is a member of an elite group of business schools that have earned Triple Crown Accreditation; an international acknowledgement of excellence in business education earned by only 1% of the world's business school's globally.
We are accredited to AACSB (The United States-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) as the world's longest-established assessor of business education, EQUIS (The European Quality Improvement System) and AMBA (The Association of MBAs).
Practice-relevant education
As a management school, we incorporate the best of a world-class business school with a strong emphasis on people and performance. We are committed to ensuring all students receive a practice-relevant, research-led education.
Because our academics are active researchers, students are exposed to fresh ideas, emerging theory and real-world business cases during lectures. Our students graduate with an intellectual curiosity, a comprehensive understanding of management across all functions and areas of business, organisations and society.
Our programmes are renowned for their practical focus, relevance to the real world and their foundation in leading-edge business research.
Examples:
- We are the only university in New Zealand offering a business degree with a true focus on experiential learning. Studying the BBUS, students benefit from the exclusive WMS Experience Modules, along with the Work Integrated Learning Component, and the newly added capstone project in the final year.
- Our unique Master of Digital Business degree combines management and emerging technologies.
Philosphy of 'active learning'
We have an education philosophy that promotes the ability for students to think independently and work collaboratively.
We espouse the 'active learning' paradigm, in which teachers are facilitators of learning, and students and teachers are engaged in a joint process of discovery. Using a variety of teaching approaches, students participate in group work, case studies, interactive discussions and experiential learning.
Examples:
-
Waikato Management School Case Competition
-
Work-Integrated Learning papers - 396 internship or 399 research project
-
Communication Consulting Project - COMMS300
-
Digital Business Enterprise Implementation - DIGIB304
-
Events Management - PUBRL303
-
Applied Project Management - PRMGT303
-
Commercialising a New Venture - STMGT304
-
Professional Internship - ACCTN583
-
Professional Field Internship - DIGIB519
-
Understanding Global Business Practice - MNMGT516
-
Applied Research and Consultancy Practices - EXMBM531
-
Integrative Learning Project ('Dragon's Den' competition) - EXMBM533
Sustainability is at the heart of good business
Our goal is to become a world-leading business school in the area of sustainability. We recognise that long-term business success depends not just on profit, but on responsiveness to resource, social and environmental issues.
We are committed to sustainable success in all enterprises and organisations, including the public sector, not-for-profits and community organisations.
Waikato Management School (WMS) plays a key role as an ethical and globally responsible business school making a significant contribution to sustainability. Making this a key focus in 2004, WMS was the first business school in New Zealand to embed sustainability within our education programmes. We were also the first Australasian business school to be accepted into the Academy of Business in Society (ABIS).
Our academic scholars have research interests and expertise in a wide range of sustainability issues, including climate change, social justice, circular economy, energy and biodiversity.
Our sustainability-focused qualifications include:
Bachelor of Climate Change
This interdisciplinary degree is the first of its kind in the world. It combines scientific knowledge of the biophysical world with understanding of economic and political systems and the impacts on Māori, Pacific and Indigenous communities. Waikato Management School offers majors in economics, supply chain management and public relations as part of this new qualification.
Master of Business Administration
The Waikato MBA places a strong focus on sustainability and is structured around three interdisciplinary areas - frameworks, leadership and value creation. Each area imparts the knowledge and skills that today's leaders require as they face unprecedented disruption and digital transformation in the 21st century.
Research-led business school
Our faculty are active researchers, who bring the rich experience gained through international research and consulting connections to their teaching.
Their research underpins their teaching to ensure our students are exposed to fresh ideas and up-to-date knowledge. As a result, our graduates are better equipped to engage with, and lead changes, in the theory and practice of their chosen disciplines.
Examples:
- Original case studies researched and written for classroom teaching.
- All papers offered in the School link to faculty research and expertise, ensuring student access to faculty research.
- We specialise in interdisciplinary research with colleagues from other schools within The University of Waikato and at other New Zealand and overseas universities.
International connectivity
We have alliances with a number of international universities and our faculty are drawn from the best universities around the world. As a global business school competing in a global market for education and research, our focus is both international and national.
We play a significant role on the international scene through world leading research, strong links to multinational companies and major universities, and education that equips participants for the global business environment.
Executive Education
Our business expertise is highly sought-after by industry and corporate partners. Our academic staff consult to major companies and sit alongside senior executives on advisory boards and government taskforces.
Waikato Management School offers an extensive range of executive qualifications, ranging from the Waikato MBA through to tailored training programmes and executive short courses for large corporate organisations and SMEs.