Talking Point: Does 'The Apprentice' TV Show serve predominantly as an entertainment show or a business tutorial?

Having watched many episodes of the Apprentice over the years, I have often pondered this question. The easy answer is that 'The Apprentice' serves as both an entertainment form and as a business education tool. Often people berate the business merits of the show, as many of the contestants are often seemingly  lacking in any obvious business nous or basic common sense! Personally I think that the pearls of business wisdom come at the very end of the show when Lord Sugar, Karen Brady and Nick Hewer mull over the actions of the candidates on their various tasks and evaluate the successes and failures of both teams. There is no doubt that all the tasks set before the competitors require mastery of at least one form of business skill.  A few weeks back the Candidates were asked to purchase a list of obscure items for the cheapest possible price. Viewers were able to note the importance of negotiation in a business setting, where buying at the lowest price is advantageous with regard to sustaining profit margins. The candidates employed a wide set of negotiation techniques including the use of charm, the use of directness and the use of starting low to ensure they settled on as miserly a purchase price as possible.

The entertainment appeal of the show comes in the form of the often hilarious errors of the candidates,  the distainful expressions displayed by Sugar, Brady and Hewer in observing these errors and the dramatic crescendo at the end of the show, where Lord Sugar dispatches the waste of space of the week, with the immortal words,' You're fired!'

From a business point of view, I believe that all viewers learn something about industries they knew little about before. This year we have been given a glimpse into the complex worlds of waste removal, retailing, fast food, not to mention Mobile based Application Sales and Advertising.

Overall The Apprentice is predominantly an entertainment show that is peppered with useful business information, industry insight and motivation for those that are considering a foray into the Business world.

Possibly the greatest asset of the show is that it offers children and young adults the opportunity to learn about Business in an enjoyable manner. Lord Sugar is as credible a self-made man as you are going to get and I would not be surprised if this show spawns a sea of budding entrepreneurs or maybe a field of entrepreneurs, as Stuart Baggs, 'The Brand' would say!