The '80s are back again. Corporate jobs are hip, greed is en vogue and "The Donald" has returned as the quintessential figure of success in America.
Donald Trump is the latest celebrity to venture into the world of reality TV, following in the rather large footsteps of Monica Lewinsky and Anna Nicole Smith.
His new hit show, "The Apprentice," airing Thursday nights on NBC, challenges 16 young contestants to compete in rigorous business tasks while they take up residence in the upscale Trump Tower apartments in Manhattan.
Members of UB's School of Management have mixed feelings on the show.
Muriel Anderson, a management professor, is a fan of the show and believes that the competition is indeed fair.
"Frankly, they are going through a much more thorough and in-depth process than a regular interview for a $250,000 job," she said.
On the show, two teams of contestants compete for a $250,000 salary job working with Trump himself. The contestants range from Ivy League MBA graduates to entrepreneurs with no college education.
The two teams, Prot?(c)g?(c) and Versacorp, are rated weekly based on how well the entire team succeeds. At the end of each mission, three members are selected from the losing team to take part in a dramatic boardroom meeting with Trump and two of his associates. After a heated discussion, one member is eliminated, "Survivor"-style, ending with Trump's now famous hand flick and him barking, "You're fired!"
Professor Ronald Huefner has never watched the show but has heard of it.
"Like most reality shows, it's hard to imagine it's very serious. I doubt the winner will remain very long in their career," Huefner said.
The show's drama stems from not only the strong personalities of the contestants, but also the ethical dilemmas that arise from the tasks given to them. Trump and his associates scolded the females for their blatant use of sexuality to sell products. Wearing tight t-shirts and handing out shots while working a mission at Times Square's Planet Hollywood, the women's sales far outnumbered the men's.
Anderson criticized Trump's reluctance to reprimand Team Prot?(c)g?(c) for their ethically questionable practices in competitions.
"I was very disappointed that it took Donald Trump four weeks to comment on Prot?(c)g?(c) using their sexuality to win. It's all ratings," he said.
The men's team, Versacorp, wasn't exempt from using unpopular selling methods, either.
In the same episode, a male contestant eavesdrops on his opposing team member's conversation to copy her strategy. Contestant Kwame Jackson lets children think he is a basketball star, selling his autograph to them in order to make money to win the mission. Contestants from both teams voice their disagreement with Jackson's unethical tactics, adding a "Real World"-ish drama to the show.
Farah Agha, a sophomore management major, is against what "The Apprentice" stands for, and does not watch it.
"A reality show in which someone wins a job is more for entertainment purposes than for actually finding someone with the right qualifications," said Agha.
Other management students like the drama of the show and find the process fair.
"Everyone is qualified for the job," said James Addison III, a sophomore management major.
Adding his predictions for the show's outcome, James backs Omarosa, a strong-willed and outspoken contestant, who is disliked by the others.
"Even though everyone hates Omarosa, she'll win because she is the strongest and that's what you need in business. Everyone else is always whining and crying."
Whether the winner will be a success in the cutthroat world of business or merely drown in his or her 15 minutes of reality fame is yet to be seen and sure to be entertaining.
