Enhancing university business curriculum using an importance‐performance approach

Abstract

Purpose -This study seeks to investigate the potential gap between important dimensions of business graduates' attributes and the actual performance of these graduates in their post-graduate employment. These graduates have completed a business-related degree from the business management faculty of a higher education institution (HEI) located in Peninsular Malaysia. The dimensions of attributes and the performance of these graduates are considered in four broad areas, namely, knowledge, skills, abilities, and personality. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire seeking responses from managers reflecting their importance ratings of essential attributes for business graduates, and the corresponding performance ratings of the graduates in these attributes, was distributed to managers of all companies employing the graduates from the business school. Importance-performance analysis was used to evaluate the managers' perceptions of these graduates and to determine their actual performance. The graduates' information was obtained from the records of the HEI's alumni. Findings -The results of this study reveal that managers attach different weights to different aspects of graduates' performance. Therefore, curriculum development should be directed towards attributes that are expected of these graduates and are relevant to the needs of the market and industry. This will allow for corrective action to take place to improve perceived problem areas.Research limitations/implications -Since this research is a case study of business management faculty graduates, future nationwide research could be carried out on graduates from all HEIs employed in different industries and involving different levels of management and employment to determine whether a consistent pattern is discernable. Originality/value -There are only a few studies that have included employer research surveys with the intention of evaluating factors contributing to graduate performance and improving the business management curriculum of HEIs in Malaysia.

Evaluation of Tarbiat Modares University brand based on University Brand Ecosystem Model

“…But they said that it must be evaluated by alumni. Similarly, Daud et al (2011) expressed managers should take the training programs according to the factors are expected by alumni to be responsive to market and industry needs (Daud, Abidin, Sapuan, & Rajadurai , 2011). Therefore Tarbiat Modares University should maintain its contact with alumni to impose their views on planning and also make a relationship between them and the students continually.…”

Graduate skills requirements for effective performance in the banking sector

“…In summary, although there have been many studies (Adebakin et al 2015;Al Shayeb 2013;Andrews and Higson 2008;Bachynsky et al 2013;Coetzer and Sitlington 2014;Cook and Finch 1994;Collet et al 2015;Daud et al 2011;McMurray et al 2016;Hellier et al 2004;Husain et al 2010;Jackling and De Lange 2009;Kavanagh and Drennan 2008;Kirk and Chapman 1992;Klibi and Oussii 2013;Morley and Aynsley 2007;Norwood and Henneberry 2006;Ngoo et al 2015;Rassuli et al 2012;Rivera 2011;Sodhi and Son 2008;Sullivan 2012;Tanyel et al 1999;Thomas and Nicita 2003) on what employers need from new graduates, few focus on skills so much as qualities. A few studies (Adebakin et al 2015;Bachynsky et al 2013;Collet et al 2015;Hellier et al 2004;Husain et al 2010;Jackling and De Lange 2009;Klibi and Oussii 2013;Ngoo et al 2015;Rassuli et al 2012;Sodhi and Son 2008;Sullivan 2012;Tanyel et al 1999) concentrate on the specific skills employers need, but most of these explore the skills needed from graduates of specific degree programs, so they have an education-program focus.…”

“…These qualities include skills, and many other issues such as personality characteristics (Daud et al 2011;Norwood and Henneberry 2006), attitudes (Coetzer and Sitlington 2014;McMurray et al 2016;Kavanagh and Drennan 2008;Kirk and Chapman 1992), degrees earned (Norwood and Henneberry 2006), knowledge in various areas (Al Shayeb 2013;Coetzer and Sitlington 2014;Ras-suli et al 2012;Thomas and Nicita 2003), extracurricular activities, grades (McMurray et al 2016;Rivera 2011), previous work experience (Andrews and Higson 2008;Cook and Finch 1994;Kirk and Chapman 1992;Morley and Aynsley 2007), and the prestige of the candidate's alma mater (Morley and Aynsley 2007;Rivera 2011).…”

Stakeholder engagement : a case study of a long-term partnership between a university and a non-profit organization

“…In a competitive economy, the mastery of major-specific content is not adequate, as a formal degree merely meets a standard application qualification (Harvey, 2000;Keeling & Hersh, 2016;Qualters, 2010). Experiential Learning (EL) is beneficial because it maximizes the value of college degrees by equipping graduates with the skills necessary to manage the complexities of the professional environments in which they will be expected to perform after graduation (Conrad & Dunek, 2012;Daud et al, 2011;Day, 2016;Harvey, 2000;Nemko, 2008).…”

“…However, standard teaching methodologies and traditional learning environments are outdated because they lack experiential preparation necessary for career readiness (Harden, 2012;Stommel, 2013;Wildavsky, Kelley & Carey, 2011). This means that even with recent record high unemployment rates, many jobs remain vacant due to a perceived skills gap in student preparedness and because employers are expecting recent graduates to readily adapt to the world of work (Daud, Abidin, Sapuan & Rajadurai, 2011;Lasse, 2012;Wildavsky et al, 2011). This only reinforces the criticality of collegiate level experiential programs.…”