“Are Students Learning What Employers Need?”

This is an article which may be controversial in academic circles, but is sure to be warmly received in business/employers circles.

This will be published later this year in Business Horizons, a highly regarded business journal published by the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

This article examines disparity between business school focus and business community needs.

From the ABSTRACT:

A content analysis of 200 corporate job descriptions collected in Fall 2009 revealed 140 specific license/certification/skills commonly cited as required for candidates applying for business jobs . A detailed matching of these post-graduation proficiencies with pre-graduation business major tracks is provided to assist schools in better aligning curricula with job requirements. This matching and aligning process is proposed as a key means for reducing disparity between post-graduation licenses/certification/skills required and the academic tracks that are feeders for such positions. Examination of 200 resumes of business students nearing graduation revealed low to no proficiency on the job description-derived skill sets. This finding suggests that disparity between school of business focus and practitioner needs is ongoing and potentially problematic, at least at the institutions sampled. A content analysis of 100 school of business course syllabi and 20 textbooks supported this conclusion. This article provides suggestions for closing the gap between business school curricula and corporate needs.

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