Problem-Based Learning In The Business Curriculum: An Alternative To Traditional Approaches

Abstract

During the last decade, management and business administration rapidly emerged as one of the largest fields of study in higher education. Recent data indicates that business accounts for approximately one-fourth of all undergraduate and graduate degrees awarded, making it the single most popular major in the United States. Overall, the objective of business education is to prepare students for careers in the competitive and turbulent business environment. It is intended to improve the student’s capacity for effective decision-making, to facilitate professional growth and development, and to broaden knowledge and understanding of management in different functional areas, such as finance, marketing, and operations management. Hopefully, business education meets the specific needs of the students who, in turn, are affected by the demands of the job market. At the same time, however, education exists in a larger context of the value and needs of society; once the context changes, education too must change. This is particularly true in business education which, through the training of new labour force entrants and the retraining of working adults, provides the skills needed for the future.