Identifying Business Schools' Business Behaviors- employing the perspectives of Corporate Ethos

Employing business schools and their MBA programs as an example in the broadest context of higher education programs, this study visualizes and reflects theoretical issues of academic capitalism and the commercialization of higher education programs. By probing, illustrating and documenting empirical business practices and assessing the degree to which business schools commercialize their education programs, this study also advances our understanding of commercialization practices of higher education programs. The findings attest to the theoretical issues of commercialization that higher education programs, in the context of business schools are highly engaged in commercial activities and are competing with the private sector for customers in the MBA industry. The findings also illustrate that business schools from many perspectives treat their students as consumers and therefore commercialize their academic programs and operations in ways that can strengthen their capabilities to attract and recruit more consumers, and to compete for reputation as well as maintain exceptional relationships and fulfill consumers’ needs. This study suggests that issues such as monitoring mechanisms for commercial behaviors, balancing the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing commercial behaviors as well as how commercialization influences faculty and students in terms of the experience of teaching and learning should be scrutinized