Acquiring an MBA the conventional way takes two to six years of dedicated slog, requiring either full-time study or lecture and workshop attendance several days a week. It also takes a great deal of money – some courses cost up to R150 000 or more.

With an average failure and dropout rate of up to 70 percent, depending on the study option chosen, the MBA is not a course for the faint-hearted.

Annette Mentasti, head of academic studies at Applied Management Studies International, is currently working on her PhD on the subject of MBAs. She points out that while the MBA course is an extremely demanding one, South Africa needs many more MBA graduates to boost the economy.