The role of university programmes in the development of future board members

Abstract

Contemporary higher education institutions (HEIs) are extensively oriented toward offering professional and technical programmes but have neglected the significance of instilling ethical and socially responsible values in university students. This study investigates the extent to which HEIs include business ethics (BE) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) courses in the undergraduate curricula and examines the importance of equipping university graduates as prospective corporate board members with ethical values. Involving public and selected private HEIs in the Republic of Kosovo, the study employs a cross-institutional and content analysis approach. The database of the Kosovo Accreditation Agency and structured interviews with relevant staff of academic service units are the primary sources of data used for the study. The findings reveal three significant trends: 1) only fifty-five percent of the institutions offer the course of BE; 2) HEIs offer BE as an elective course and for one semester only, and 3) except for one HEI that offers CSR as a separate course, other institutions have included it as part of other courses. The study contributes to academia and industry by identifying the gaps in the current programmes among HEIs and advocates for the inclusion of BE and CSR courses in their curricula as demanded by corporations.