Historical context and insights for criticisms of the 21st century business school

Real-world rigour

“…Criticisms of higher education learning have a long history and often originate from the tension between the academic and professional models – for example, preparing students for future problems as opposed to preparing them for current functional requirements (Capon, 2012; Finch et al, 2018; Miles, 2017). A study by Finch et al (2018) found that, while the accounting discipline was an exception, other business disciplines had a low percentage of recruitment postings that requested practitioner experience, and business schools were struggling to integrate rigour and relevance into the professional disciplines.…”

The Impact of the Small Business Institute® (SBI) on Students, Faculty, Clients, and Other Stakeholders: Personal Reflections From Metropolitan State University of Denver

“…The 2006 report on US Higher Education found that higher education had the following deficiencies: cost, affordability, and lack of transparency, accountability, assurance of learning, and innovation. Some graduates did not increase their knowledge after graduation (American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education, 2017;Glater, 2015;Miles, 2017;U.S. Department of Education, 2006).…”

Doctoral students’ well-being in United Kingdom business schools: A survey of personal experience and support mechanisms

“…The business school's relationship with industry may influence the style of engagement with students. On the one hand, business schools are seen to have separate academic concerns from those running a business (Miles, 2010) and are criticised for being too distant from industry and the real world. Yet, paradoxically, business schools are also viewed as increasingly adopting, often unquestioningly, the values and practices of business (Quinn -Trank & Hynes 2003) including competition and entrepreneurship based on individualism and a rejection of collaboration.…”