Title: Provocation: Business schools and economic crisis – The emperor's new clothes: learning from crises?

Authors: Silke Machold, Morten Huse

Addresses: University of Wolverhampton Business School, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SB, UK. ' Department of Innovation and Economic Organisation, Norwegian School of Management, Handelshoyskolen BI, 0442 Oslo, Norway

Abstract: This paper argues that the lessons of previous crises have not been learned. Attempts to encourage the discussion and mainstreaming of business ethics in management education too often led to the emergence of incongruous parallel curriculum structures and a one-sided instrumentalist approach to learning about corporate social responsibility. When it comes to understanding governance of organisations, dominant agency theory and a focus on board composition also neglect a discussion of substantive issues. A proper agenda of responsibility will need a rethinking of underlying behavioural assumptions as well as simplistic governance prescriptions if both businesses and management educators are to avoid more crises and go beyond a shallow CSR agenda.

Keywords: business schools; economic crisis; management teaching; corporate scandals; business ethics; instrumental CSR; corporate social responsbility; agency theory; governance codes; management education; business education; higher education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCP.2010.031297

International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 2010 Vol.4 No.1, pp.13 - 20

Published online: 29 Jan 2010 *

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