A critical review of a sample of publications submitted for the award of PhD by published works

The curriculum that is delivered through Business Schools has come under increasing scrutiny from a range of observers because of a number of concerns. These concerns can be reduced to three fundamental questions that attend all discussions on curriculum reform: what is the purpose of teaching this particular body of knowledge, to whom should it be offered, and how should it be delivered? This collection of published works is concerned with addressing a profound knowledge gap in Business School education that revolves around the future curriculum, its relevance and how it could be better resourced. This collection of published works addresses these problems through empirical research and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the contemporary Business School curriculum and how it may be improved in order to meet the needs of students and wider society. In particular, Section 1 of this contextual chapter provides an introduction to the thesis outlining its structure. Section 2 provides an overview of the discourse related to the Business School curriculum. This Section identifies particular problems relating to the curriculum and addresses the knowledge gap in how we could respond to these concerns. Section 3 explains the choice of research methods used in this range of published works and in doing so justifies the methodological approach taken. Section 4 describes the findings generated by the research and comments on its significance as a contribution to knowledge. Finally, Section 5 concludes this contextual chapter and outlines areas for future research