More than three quarters of MBA students base their choice of companies on latter's reputation - According to a study published by Hill and Knowlton consultants, more than three quarters of Master of Business Administration (MBA) students from the best universities base their choice of employer on the latter's reputation. The study focuses on students preparing an MBA in the top business schools of Europe, the US and Asia. Some sectors are more attractive than others: there are twice as many students not attracted by the alcohol, chemical and tobacco industries as those who want to work in them. The alcohol sector was therefore rejected by 51% of students, chemicals by 48% and the tobacco industry by 67%. The reputation of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as that of the gas and oil industries is a little less attractive to students than it is attractive, while the banking and finance sectors, computers and electricity production are most popular. The study also confirms the importance of reputation: almost three quarters (73%) of students say that a company's image plays an “extremely” or “very important” role when they are thinking about joining a firm after obtaining their MBA, only one in five consider this criterion as “quite important” and only 4% consider that reputation is “not important”. These results also illustrate that students want a high level of international mobility. More than three quarters of students (76%) say they are planning to change sector once they get their MBA. Only one in five (19%) say they intend to return to the company where they were working before getting their MBA. A fifth of them want to go to a country different to the one where they obtained their MBA, while a third of them are already studying abroad and want to stay where they are. The study also reveals regional differences: students from Europe are more prepared to look for a job outside their country of origin than all the others interviewed (28% as opposed to 20%). The most sought-after regions are western Europe (80%), just ahead of North America (76%). Then northern Asia, Australia and New Zealand follow quite far behind. Although emerging countries have put their economic landscapes in order, they often have difficulty in making their advantages count. However, European students are relatively more interested in working in the Middle East (32% as opposed to 20% overall) and in eastern Europe (27% as opposed to 18%) than the overall number of students questioned. If we look at certain specific emerging markets, we can see that students from European business schools outnumber their counterparts when it comes to considering the United Arab Emirates and Dubai as attractive options (40% as opposed to 30%). The ownership type of company matters as well. Publicly traded companies are by far the most attractive companies for two thirds of students. Companies which are owned by venture capital or private equity funds have just over half of MBA students (52%) expressing an interest in working for them. For family-owned companies, a quarter (24 percent) expressed interest in joining one, versus 32 percent with a lack of interest. The survey painted a similar picture for government-owned companies with just under a quarter (23 percent). Key factors thatn make a company more attractive than another are as follows: quality of management (89%); quality of products and services (88%); employee talent (83%); financial performance and investment value (71%); innovation (68%); global reach (58%); social responsibility (58%); use of corporate assets (40%). However, when asked what factors drive career choice, students listed three tiers. The top tier is all about people and the position: employment career opportunities; corporate culture and working environment; employee compensation and benefits package; and employee satisfaction. The second tier contains some of the basic issues about performance. The third tier covers the messages that the company communicates about its ethics and social and environmental responsibility - its broader brand and values agenda. (I.L.)