Business School Curriculum Research Articles

Central and Eastern European Experience of the X-Culture Project in Teaching International Management and Cross-Cultural Communication

Abstract Objective: Our paper examines the X-Culture challenges and experience through the eyes of professors and students alike and draws attention to the significance of such projects in international business practices in addition to examining the key influencing factors of interculturalism and ICT technologies. Methodology: The students were asked to share their experience with us in a report or at an interview. Most participants considered the program to be very useful. They made the greatest progress in understanding and communicating with others and also appreciated working and collaborating with the others from different working cultures. The research was carried out in the countries of Eastern Europe to present our experience. Findings: One of the consequences of globalization is that the various forms of contact are becoming independent of place. Adaptation to the new dimensions can be eased if the students can take part in international cooperation. A lot of students have improved their chances of landing an attractive job on the labor market and extended their social and professional networks by participating in X-Culture International Student Collaboration Project. Challenges were posed mainly by differences in time, but also cultural differences and language barriers were frequent. Value Added: The students of our universities have taken part in the X-Culture program. In addition to studying the course material and gaining special skills in writing business plans, challenges can be experienced, and best practices learned. Recommendations: It is extremely important in shaping the business environment of future workplaces so that is why such programs should be included in the curricula of business schools and management development programs.

The Importance of Developing Soft Skill Sets for the Employability of Business Graduates in Vietnam: A Field Study on Selected Business Employers

<p class="Body"><em>Vietnam has been one of the best performing economies in the world over the last decade (Nguyen et al., 2008; The World Bank, 2016). The process of Vietnam’s integration into the world economic market, along with the country’s advancements in industrialization and modernization, have increased demands to improve and augment the productivity of the work force. This being so, Vietnam is now at a crucial stage of its expansionary economic development, assimilating some 425,000 tertiary graduates into its workforce during the 2014-2015 academic year (TalkVietnam, 2015). The country is also faced with a momentous challenge to provide highly qualified personnel for the emerging modern sectors of the economy. A particularly serious problem is how the country’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) will equip graduates with the appropriate skills and knowledge needed to meet the demands of rapidly increasing</em><em> </em><em>economic </em><em>development. Our central objective in this paper is twofold: firstly, to critically examine and assess the scholarly literature on the technological importance of soft skills in the business arena. Second to conduct a field study on the perspectives held by employers on the specific character of variant combinatory sets of key soft skills best suited for maximising commercial outcomes for employers and the companies they serve in economically vibrant business regions worldwide. The concluding section of the paper will be concerned to determine the extent to which the various skill set combinations can be sufficiently pedagogically developed so they become embedded as foundational in the creation of an international business school curriculum.</em></p>

A Strategic Marketing Plan to Successfully Deliver Your Professional Brand

This exercise will help students understand how to develop a Strategic Marketing Plan: an essential skill, but one that many business, government, and organizational leaders are not equipped to develop strong and competitively superior strategic plans. Because it is complicated to develop a case with the information needed for students to practice developing a Strategic Marketing Plan, this exercise is designed to help students understand how to create a strategic plan in the context of their own brand creation. As such, this exercise not only provides students with practice creating a strategic plan, it has a side benefit of helping them achieve greater success during their internships and careers through more proactive thought and management of their professional brand. In general, this exercise should provide useful, practical insight regarding what it takes to create and demonstrate a superior brand at work, while generating depth of insight about the process of creating a strong strategic plan.This exercise is intended for more advanced students (e.g., undergraduate seniors or MBA, executive MBA, or executive education students) at any point during the business school curriculum. It is designed to follow either “Your Professional Brand: Creating a Brand Essence Statement for Your Internship” (UVA-M-0881) (designed for use by someone starting a dream internship) or “Your Professional Brand: Creating a Brand Essence Statement for Your Career” (UVA-M-0887) (designed for use by someone starting a dream full-time job), which help students understand how to create a superior Brand Essence Statement (BES). The assignment in this exercise also requires students to read and work with “Developing a Superior Brand Essence Statement” (UVA-M-0892) and “Developing a Superior Creative Brief Plan” (UVA-M-0890). Excerpt UVA-M-0894 Rev. Aug. 22, 2018 A Strategic Marketing Plan to Successfully Deliver Your Professional Brand Companies only deliver on their brand promises half the time…(However) top companies deliver on their brand promise 75% of the time. These companies have greater levels of customer engagement, which enables them to surpass their competitors in terms of share of wallet, profitability, revenue, and relationship growth. —Ed O'Boyle and Amy Adkins Most brands fail to deliver on the promises they make. For professional brands, very few people take the time to think through what they want their brand promise to be, let alone whether or not they can deliver on it. Yet those individuals who recognize the importance of creating a professional brand are steps beyond their peers. As Mark Suster indicates, “If you don't control your messaging—someone else will. That goes for both your business and your personal brand.” . . .

Planning for Low End Analytics Disruptions in Business School Curricula

ABSTRACTAnalytics is getting a great deal of attention in both industrial and academic venues. Organizations of all types are becoming more serious about transforming data from a variety of sources into insight, and analytics is the key to that transformation. Academic institutions are rapidly responding to the demand for analytics talent, with hundreds of offerings aimed at producing a broad range of analytical graduates from data scientists to data‐savvy managers and functional specialists. Curricula generally provides best practice methods of tackling descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics; but there has been little discussion about the disruptive nature of increasingly robust analytical tools in the academic space. The net effect of astounding tool capability is empowerment of less technically trained people to address analytical complexities heretofore only comprehensible to data scientists with in‐depth knowledge of mathematics, programming, and statistics. This article examines skills needed for analytics in industry, academic response, and evolving analytic needs through the lens of disruption theories of Clayton Christensen. We offer a direction of curriculum development by supplementing the disruption theory with three interactive components of problem space mapping: processes, tools, and techniques. The challenge for academicians is a dynamic, adaptable curricula addressing multiple levels of data analyses.

An Examination of the Technology of Specialised Soft Skill Sets Deployed in Business Sectors from Four Different Regions of the Globe

<p class="BodyA"><em>Our central objective in this paper is twofold: first, to examine the scholarly literature on the technological importance of soft skills in Business, and second, to review the major research studies on the views of employers and the industries they serve regarding the specific character and combination sets of key soft skills best suited for business professionals located in four distinct and economically vibrant major business regions of the world. The key findings have been distilled from the literature and analysed to identify patterns of congruence, with the aim of cataloguing reasonably discrete combinatory sets of soft skills ideally suited to the specific business priorities which characterise these four different regions. The concluding section of the paper will consider the extent to which these distinct skill sets can be pedagogically developed in such a way that they become deeply embedded as foundational in the creation of an international business school curriculum, featuring five discrete sets of soft skills, each of which is ideally constructed for one of the four different regions.</em><em></em></p>

Redesigning Business Schools: At the Interface of a World of Wicked Problems

Business schools are facing collapsing boundaries among organizations, emergence of new business forms shaped by digital connectivity, and 'wicked' messes. Currently, business school scholarship, research, and curricula are largely geared towards a world of large corporations, stability, and relatively resolvable problems that no longer reflect a ubiquitously connected reality. We question how business school scholars can better address emergent needs and problems 'at the interfaces' where business schools themselves and organizations studied find themselves. Organizer Ian Mitroff (University of California, Berkeley) will argue that 'wicked messes' need to be foundational in business school curricula and scholarship. Sandra Waddock (Boston College) will discuss how wicked messes like climate change, inequality, sustainability, and jobs creation should influence research and curricula. Anne Tsui (University of Notre Dame, former AOM President) will share the work of a group of 24 leading scholars who have developed “A Vision of Responsible Research in Business and Management&x201D; white paper. Gerald F. Davis (University of Michigan) will discuss the business scholarship/education implications of increasingly irrelevant large corporations. Stella Nkomo (University of Pretoria) will add a perspective from the global South since the current debate has emanated from the global North. Stuart Hart (University of Vermont) will argue that although most major business schools have added initiatives, centers, or programs focused on sustainability, corporate citizenship, or social entrepreneurship, these issues are still insufficiently integrated. Robert E. Quinn (University of Michigan) will serve as discussant and synthesizer for the panel.

明治期における甲種商業学校学科課程の構造と性格 : 実業学校令下の「商業実践」科の内容を中心にして

明治期における甲種商業学校学科課程の構造と性格 : 実業学校令下の「商業実践」科の内容を中心にして

Managing change at Urban Affordable Housing

Synopsis Urban Affordable Housing (UAH) Inc. was a real estate asset management syndication firm that sponsored affordable housing to low-income families and seniors across the USA. The case examines the firm’s management of an internal information technology (IT) change initiative. The case follows the firm’s recently hired IT manager, Anthony Bryant, as he works to change a culture while acquiring resources and acceptance for the project he was hired to oversee. Bryant deals with numerous changing priorities, inadequate sponsorship, resistance from various levels, and a dearth of resources as he struggles to get the organization to complete an overdue database conversion. Research methodology This case is based upon the firsthand experiences of the lead author over a seven-year period while working at UAH. Measures have been taken to disguise the firm’s identity, including using a pseudonym, fictitious names for firm employees, a fictitious location, and the alteration of key dates. Key elements of the case have been constructed around semi-structured interviews and the review of archival documentation. Most quotes are verbatim in an attempt to preserve their authenticity, and were drawn from the semi-structured interviews and from historical accounts of actual occurrences and conversations. Relevant courses and levels The UAH case is multi-faceted, as it can be used in a number of environments amid a business school curriculum. A primary use is likely in a course revolving around organizational change and development. It might also be featured as part of the organizational change component in a course on organizational behavior, used to illustrate and analyze organizational culture and change leadership. Furthermore, the case could be used for change-related topics in management information systems or project management courses. The authors suggest the case be assigned at the graduate level, though it could also be suitable for an advanced undergraduate class. Theoretical bases Critical knowledge for successfully analyzing this case includes the following concepts: the change process (Lewin, 1951); leading change (Kotter, 1996); resistance to change (Kegan and Lahey, 2001); and communicating change (Armenakis and Harris, 2002).

Sustainability Management Teaching Resources and the Challenge of Balancing Planet, People, and Profits

Over the past decade, there has been a notable increase in discussions surrounding the integration of global sustainability issues and responsible management practices into the business school curriculum. What we have yet to see, however, and what we would like to begin with this introduction, is a meaningful discussion regarding the overarching goals of sustainable and responsible management education as they relate to the available teaching and learning resources in this domain. To achieve this, we first identify the tensions between teaching sustainability to change the world for the better and those aimed at making companies better off. We propose that there should be a balance between these two aspirations. We then turn to the thoughts of academic practitioners in the field with a survey of 169 management and sustainability instructors. Results indicate that respondents use papers, cases, and videos to teach courses in this field, while textbooks and electronic resources (i.e. databases, simulations, and apps) are only marginally utilized. The respondents are only moderately satisfied with most of the available teaching resources as well as the integration of existing resources within general curricula. The results show some interesting differences between postgraduate and undergraduate courses and also between junior and senior instructors. In this introduction, we argue that the moral enthusiasm for teaching in the sustainability domain must not take away from precise analysis of problems, solutions, their implementability, and their interconnected complexity. As such, we propose a set of five recommendations for the design and selection of sustainability management teaching resources that will effectively address issues related to planet, people, and profits.

FINAL YEAR PROJECTS: MAKING IT MORE APPLIED.

Final-year projects and dissertations undertaken by students at the end of their Bachelor degree courses are a topic of interest in many countries. This paper reasserts the importance of Final Year Projects and rethinks their role in the business school curriculum to equip students for employability and for the business world. 
 While recognizing the strengths of the traditional research-based dissertation honors project, what are also needed are alternative types that provide students with a forward-looking experience and equip them to thrive in an uncertain, super-complex world (Barnett 2000; 2004). 
 The paper discusses alternative methods for the Final Year Projects in business schools and recommends that business schools have student-run businesses, a consultancy practice and an entrepreneurship incubator. Students would then be exposed to real world problems and learn to take decisions. Supervisors would act as advisors and offer business coaching. The benefits of such projects and issues involved are discussed.

The soul of business

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analysis the relationship between business ethics and business activities in the dynamic world. Corporations are increasingly expected to play a stronger role as a collaborator with government and society in finding solutions to future challenges. Money no longer is the only or ultimate outcome of business. Business executives like to see themselves as self-sufficient, societally supportive and leading.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a case study.FindingsFour new core areas need to be understood which are a field’s pillars for a shining business position: truthfulness, simplicity, expanded participation and personal responsibility. In addition, the introduction of guiding key tenets in the educational curriculum of business schools need to be considered.Originality/valueThis study focuses on business ethnics.

Strengthening \u201cGiving Voice to Values\u201d in Business Schools by Reconsidering the \u201cInvisible Hand\u201d Metaphor

The main contention of this paper is that our ability to embed a consideration of values into business school curricula is hampered by certain normative parameters that our students have when entering the classroom. If we don’t understand the processes of valuation that underpin our students’ reasoning, our ethics teaching will inevitably miss its mark. In this paper, we analyze one of the most prevalent metaphors that underpin moral arguments about business, and reveal the beliefs and assumptions that underpin it. By revisiting the content of Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” metaphor, we show that the moral content of the metaphor has been significantly misconstrued through its subsequent reception in economic theory. The “Giving Voice to Values” (GVV) pedagogy aims to enable students to act on their tacit values and address the rationalizations that they may encounter for not acting on these values (Gentile in Giving voice to values. How to speak your mind when you know what’s right, Yale University Press, Yale, 2010a; Discussions about ethics in the accounting classroom: student assumptions and faculty paradigms, Darden Business Publishing,2010b. http://store.darden.virginia.edu/Syllabus%20Copy/Discussions-about-Ethics-in-Accounting_S.pdf; Educating for values-driven leadership across the curriculum: giving voice to values, Business Expert Press, New York, 2013). We believe our analysis can strengthen the employment of GVV in three ways: (1) understanding tacit blockages to moral action, i.e., how students’ belief in the moral efficacy of the invisible hand could undermine their own sense of moral duty; (2) addressing common rationalizations that may emerge from different assumptions about morally appropriate courses of action in the workplace; and (3) resolving values conflicts on how to act.

An Applied Approach to the Teaching of Virtual Work Skills within a Business School Curriculum

An Applied Approach to the Teaching of Virtual Work Skills within a Business School Curriculum

Students as Protégés

This study provides insight into the factors that influence satisfaction with an Internet-based practitioner–student mentoring relationship that is part of an undergraduate business school curriculum. Practitioner mentors are especially important because they can help student protégés learn the skills needed for their professional development, encourage the formation of professional networks, and enhance the protégés’ satisfaction with their education. In this study, we examine a number of factors that can potentially influence satisfaction with the mentoring relationship, including the protégé’s networking to find a mentor, protégé trust in the mentor, protégé self-disclosure, the level of protégé understanding of the mentoring program’s objectives, and how effectively the mentor serves as a role model. Hypotheses were tested through a structural equation model. The results showed that mentoring relationship satisfaction was positively associated with networking to find a mentor, trust in the mentor, protégé self-disclosure, protégé understanding of the objectives of the mentoring program, and the degree to which the protégé viewed the mentor as a role model. In addition, mentor trust was positively associated with the level of protégé self-disclosure. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, and recommendations on how to strengthen satisfaction with practitioner–student mentoring relationships are provided.

Opportunities and Challenges for CSR Mainstreaming in Business Schools

Extant literature has highlighted that business schools have been accused of promoting an educational ethos that emphasizes shareholder value and the pursuit of short-term profits and thereby preparing overly competitive future generations interested in profit maximization. This paper highlights the importance of integrating CSR into the mainstream of business schools' curricula, arguing for the responsible role that business schools should play but also emphasizing the strategic case for such integration. The paper analyzes the main challenges and opportunities that both hinder and facilitate mainstreaming of CSR at the heart of the business school curriculum and the role that the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) can potentially play in this regard. The paper illustrates these drivers and constraints in the context of one specific business school in Lebanon that has successfully experimented with CSR mainstreaming, leading to a nuanced reflection on the possibilities of a real paradigmatic change in the context of higher management education at this critical juncture and what it is going to take to catalyze a real transformation beyond “bells and whistles” and mere rhetoric.

Comparative Position of Business Studies in Bimstec Region

Business – industry, trade and commerce – has become highly technology oriented and sophisticated. Information technology revolution has made the world a global village. Information technology is influencing every walk of business. Corporate are adopting new strategies. Accounting standards are evolved internationally to be used in the preparation of financial statement. New financial statements are being introduced in the capital market. There is a growing need for improving the curricula of business studies. The main aim of this paper is to improve course curricula of business studies with international bench marking to cope the turbulent business environment of the seven contiguous countries of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Myanmar (BIMSTEC). The study addressed the need for change in the course curricula of business school. The potential impact of the paper is to keep pace with the challenges and to equip our students to face the challenges of tomorrow’s business; there is a definite need for such an approach. Due to the advent of information technology, maintenance and control of financial records, management of commercial organizations has undergone a sea change. Corporate Governance, Office Automation, Enterprise Resource Planning, Information Systems Audit, E-Commerce, Effective Communication, Management Consultancy Services and Social Science Research Methodology may be included and concentrated in view of their increasing importance and relevance in the changing scenario. The study reinforces that improvement in business school curriculum should be a necessary step in order to realize BIMSTEC’s Business – industry, trade and commerce potential.

Integrating Virtue into the Jesuit Business School Curriculum

The article addresses the question of how to reconcile ethically responsible behavior with the bottom line in a distinctly Jesuit way. The authors argue that Jesuit business schools should foster the development of individual students' habits of virtue, showing clearly how these habits are connected to personal beliefs, business beliefs, and business performance. The article introduces the Magis Method for incorporating virtue into the curriculum.

Threshold concepts in business school curriculum – a pedagogy for public trust

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the implications for curriculum design by operationalizing threshold concepts and capabilities (TCC) in subject delivery. The motivation for undertaking this exploration is directly related to addressing public concerns for the business school curriculum.Design/methodology/approach– Apost factoanalysis of a compulsory subject in finance that is part of an Australian business degree and the impact on a subsequent finance subject.Findings– Customary approaches to granting part-marks in assessing students, (fractionalising) understanding of content can mean students pass subjects without grasping foundational concepts (threshold concepts) and are therefore not fully prepared for subsequent subjects.Research limitations/implications– Students passing subjects through fractionalization are poorly equipped to undertake deeper explorations in related subjects. If replicated across whole degree programs students may graduate not possessing the attributes claimed for them through their qualification. The implications for undermining public trust and confidence in qualifications are profound and disturbing.Practical implications– The literature has exposed risks associated with operationalizing threshold through assessments. This highlights a risk to public trust in qualifications.Originality/value– Operationalizing threshold concepts is an underexplored field in curriculum theory. The importance of operationalizing customary approaches to assessments through fractionalising marks goes to the legitimacy and integrity of qualifications granted by higher education. Operationalizing assessments for TCC presents profound, inescapable and essential challenges to the legitimacy of award granting institutions.

Business students’ perceptions of corporate governance best practices

Purpose This paper aims to develop a better understanding of business students' perceptions of the relative importance of corporate governance best practices within the context of major area of study and compare student rankings of corporate governance best practices to those of working professionals. Design/methodology/approach Using a previously published survey, data were collected from business students at two Midwestern US universities and analyzed using factor analysis. Findings This research demonstrated that students rank strategic human resource management as the most important corporate governance practice, matching the perceptions of professionals. Accounting majors report significantly greater understanding of corporate governance, the importance of corporate governance to business and the role of understanding corporate governance in their careers as compared to management majors. Research limitations/implications This study is limited by the inclusion of business students at only two US universities. Further studies should be conducted to better understand the similarities and differences between students and professionals and accounting and management majors in their perceptions of corporate governance best practices. Practical implications Managers can use these findings to enhance the training recent college graduates receive on corporate governance topics. Business schools can use these findings to evaluate ways to embed corporate governance throughout the curriculum. Originality/Value This research highlights gaps in current business school curriculum coverage of corporate governance best practices. It compares and contrasts students' and professionals' perceptions of best practices and offers suggestions for managers and educators.

Inclusion of ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability in business school curricula: a benchmark study

The authors examine the course offerings of undergraduate business programs in Canada to better understand the depth and breadth of this educational system’s inclusion of ethics and social responsibility courses. Methodology involved analyzing online programs, curricula, and course descriptions on university websites. Results indicate that only a small proportion of universities are providing a substantial depth and breadth of course coverage in their course offerings. Additionally, barriers to educating ethical managers are discussed and a model of social responsibility concepts is presented.