About MBA Depot

Overview

MBA Depot is focused on - and marketed to - MBAs. But, most of the content found on the site is of great value to anyone who is interested in the education that an MBA represents. Thus, all visitors are welcome!

The primary goal of this site is to cut through the clutter of the Internet and tame information overload by bringing you the noteworthy, not the noise. I read a great many online information sources (magazines, blogs, consultancy research, etc.) and post annotated links to the best of them. On this site you will find mostly annotated links but also a fair amount of original and member/partner contributed content. Typical material includes: articles, market research, recommended books, business graphics/images, thought leader interviews, career information, business related quotations, etc. You will also find forums, partner content for prospective MBAs, interactive polls, an expert center where you can post questions, and more. I guarantee there is something of interest for you here.

History

I started MBA Depot based on my experiences attending the MBA program at the University of Texas at Austin. That experience left me with the realization that while an MBA curriculum provides a great deal of valuable training, the tools needed to succeed are:

1. offered in a less than unified fashion
2. frequently offered only after they are most needed
3. occasionally not offered at all
4. skewed toward theoretical vs. practical
5. equally likely to be acquired from colleagues and outside sources as from faculty

While addressing the first two points seemed daunting, I figured the last three points could be addressed to all MBA students' benefit through a well-designed and organized website. Thus was born the idea for MBA Depot. While planning the site, I did an extensive online search for existing sites and/or possible partners. That search led to a startling revelation - almost all sites out there geared toward MBA students were focusing on either gaining entrance to an MBA program or obtaining employment upon finishing an MBA degree. No real portals existed to address the actual educational goals of typical MBA students or alumni (and general business persons for that matter). You are now viewing the results of the effort to change that situation. I hope it serves your needs.

What MBA Depot Offers (Partial Listing Only)

• Information Filter - There are a lot of management publications out there. Some are good and some not so good. But, even the useful publications contain a lot of useless content. I read through these sources regularly and pick out just the best articles so you can save valuable time while keeping up with the best management thinking. I also review various management websites and provide links to the useful among them.
• Collaborative Vault - Group work and exchange are pillars of MBA studies and the real world as well. Why limit yourself to the education offered at one MBA program, regardless of its stature? MBA Depot offers our members an easy-to-use collaborative area where useful, original content can be uploaded and downloaded. Content is limited only by the imagination. Perhaps the presentation material of a renowned business person who spoke at your program. Or a model developed in a course that has far-reaching application. Maybe market research performed for a class project which would be of value to others interested in that industry. All of this nicely categorized in a comprehensive, searchable database.
• Customization - MBA Depot offers customization so that the site may become your start page. Customization starts at the group level with a page dedicated to the most useful links at your MBA program. At the personal level, you can add your favorite links both specific to your program and specific to your individual interests. And MBA Depot makes it easy to take advantage of this customization. Like a link or an article you saw thanks to the site? One click and you can add it to your list of favorites.
• Discussion Forums - Education is about intellectual discourse and exchange. MBA Depot's forums offer a convenient online opportunity to engage in that discourse. We have forums geared toward the most popular and relevant topics and will quickly add new ones as members request them.
• 3 Clicks or less away - Usability of an online site is key. I have tried to keep this in mind in, using a simple site design where most features can be utilized in less than 3 clicks from any page.

Your Role

How can you help? Let me know how I'm doing. Offer suggestions, criticisms, encouragement. Use the site regularly and help me publicize it. Contribute content and vote on the content that others contribute. In other words, be active members of the community.

Regards,
Jeff Blum
UT Austin MBA '98