Mediocre But Arrogant (“MBA” backronym)
The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree doesn’t always impress everyone and has sometimes been given the backronym (back acronym) of “Mediocre But Arrogant.” The nickname “Mediocre But Arrogant” has been cited in print since at least 1999 and was the title of a 2005 fiction novel about a business school student.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree is sometimes called “Bachelor of Fuck All.” The Bachelor of Science degree is frequently called B.S. (“bull shit”) and the Master of Science degree is called M.S. (“more shit” or “more of the same”), with both referenced in print since at least 1932.
Other backronyms for the M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree include “Massive Bank Account,” “Master Bullshit Artist” and “Mediocre But Aggressive.” M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) degree backronyms include “Money Doctor” and “Much Deeper.”
Ph.D. backronyms include “Papa Has Dough,” “Permanent Head Damage,” “Piled Higher and Deeper,” “Pizza Hut Deliveryman,” “Poor, Hungry and Determined,” “Poor, Hungry Doctor,” “Poor, Hungry and Driven” and “Pretty Huge Debt.”
Wikipedia: Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration (MBA or M.B.A.) is a master’s degree in business administration (management). The MBA degree originated in the United States in the late 19th century when the country industrialized and companies sought scientific approaches to management. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business such as accounting, finance, marketing, human resources and operations in a manner most relevant to management analysis and strategy. Most programs also include elective courses.
The MBA is a terminal degree and a professional degree. Accreditation bodies specifically for MBA programs ensure consistency and quality of education. Business schools in many countries offer programs tailored to full-time, part-time, executive, and distance learning students, many with specialized concentrations.
Wikipedia: Mediocre But Arrogant
Mediocre but Arrogant is a novel written by Abhijit Bhaduri. It is the first novel of the MBA series. It is a fictional story set in Jamshedpur which documents the life of the protagonist, Abbey, at a Top-notch B-School in Jamshedpur. This is the first novel by Abhijit Bhaduri, His other published works include Married but Available which is the second book in the MBA Series and a management ‘guide-book’- Don’t Hire the Best.
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Dwayne Schick
10/11/01
(...)
MBA
Mediocre But Arrogant
OCLC WorldCat record
Mediocre but arrogant
Author: Abhijit Bhaduri
Publisher: New Delhi : Indialog Publications, 2005.
Edition/Format: Print book : Fiction : English
Google Books
Perceptions of Emotional Intelligence Preparation and Industry Expectations for Utah State University MBA Graduates
By Arthur D. Waller
Ph.D. dissertation
Logan, UT: Utah State University
2008
Pg. 4:
According to Schachter (1999), the narrow focus of the MBA has produced graduates who have led the acronym MBA to mean mediocre but arrogant.
Google Books
Un mondo alla rovescia:
Alfabeto del postcapitalismo
By Walter Mariotti
Milano: Gruppo 24 ore
2009
Pg. 134:
Al punto che i giochi di parole che un tempo erano appannaggio solo degli iniziati – che fra di loro si chiamavano Mediocre But Arrogant, Mighty Big Attitude, Me Before Anyone e Management By Accident – sono divenuti un vero e proprio luogo comune.
Google Books
The MBA Oath:
Setting a Higher Standard for Business Leaders
By Max Anderson and Peter Escher
New York, NY: Portfoliio
2010
Pg. 210:
In the past few years, the term MBA has come to stand for either “Mediocre But Arrogant” or “Masters of the Business Apocalypse.”
Google Books
Management? It’s not what you think!
By Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand and Joseph B. Lampel
New York, NY: AMACOM (AMerican Management Association)
2010
Pg. ?:
We MBAs are haunted by the thought that the tag really stands for Mediocre. But Arrogant, Mighty Big Attitude, Me Before Anyone and Management By Accident. For today’s purposes, perhaps it should be Masters of the Business Apocalypse.
Google Books
Extreme Money:
Masters of the Universe and the Cult of Risk
By Satyajit Das
Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press
2012
Pg. 308:
MBAs (mediocre but arrogant or mostly bloody awful) became conveyor belts for the finance mill.
Google Books
My Manager and Other Animals
By Richard Robinson
London: Constable & Robinson Ltd.
2014
Pg. ?:
Not your normal MBA, for whom being a Master of Business Management is a badge of honour and an asset to their company, but those for whom ‘MBA’ stands for ‘Mediocre But Arrogant’.