Lest we forget

Abstract

It has become commonplace to refer to higher education institutions as businesses. This paper redresses the balance and stresses the importance of academic scholarship and learning. Universities have become increasingly businesslike as government funding has fallen. Recent initiatives are examined in both the developed and developing world which reinforce or challenge the enterprise culture including the Dearing Report in the U.K., the West Report in Australia, and the recent documents from UNESCO and the World Bank. The article concludes that partnerships between business and universities should be enhanced but should also be mutually beneficial: industry learning from higher educations ethos and traditions while universities gain experiences of the business world. Research and intellectual property should add value for scholars and business alike and integrity, ethics and academic freedom should continue to thrive.