Revisiting The Big Six as a Strategic Imperative: Strategic Planning, Faculty Engagement, and Student Success

Eric G. Harris, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS U.S.A.

J. Michael Tracy, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL, U.S.A.

J. Michael Weber, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT

This work examines the impact of Gallup’s “Big Six” indicators of the undergraduate college experience on student outcomes and life preparedness. As a follow-up to a previous study that examined the efforts of a small private business college in fostering an environment of mentorship, support, and faculty engagement, the work focuses specifically on strategic planning and faculty “buy-in” and how these variables improve the academic and support experiences that have proven invaluable for student success.  The results reveal significant improvement in perceived academic support measures after the implementation of a new strategic plan. In doing so, the work revisits the contribution of high impact practices to the success of the business program and how these successes offer much to other programs/institutions seeking to improve student outcomes in a rapidly changing social environment.

Keywords: Big Six, work life preparedness, assessment, student outcomes

From Startup to Success: Using Gen Z Entrepreneurs to Teach Economics

Stefani Milovanska-Farrington, The University of Tampa, Tampa, Florida, USA

Dirk Mateer, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper builds upon the work of McCaffrey (2016) who explores how economics can enhance entrepreneurship education. We extended the work of McCaffrey in two distinct ways. First, we emphasize the economic understanding every private enterprise needs to be successful. Second, we developed teaching guides which feature three successful Gen Z entrepreneurs – Max Hayden, Mikaila Ulmer, and Alexandr Wang. Their stories embody business acumen and the entrepreneurial ability necessary to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The lessons build upon the work of Milovanska-Farrington et al. (2024) and DeWind et al. (2023) who illustrate foundation-level economic concepts in an engaging way that resonates with Gen Z students. The purposes of the lessons are to generate interest in economics and entrepreneurship, and to inspire college students to begin their entrepreneurial journey. These lessons are also especially timely: Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the 2025 Nobel economics prize for their work on how innovation, entrepreneurship, and the forces of "creative destruction" can drive economic growth.

Keywords: entrepreneurs, principles of economics, private enterprise, Gen Z

JEL codes: A20, A21

An Example of Incorporating Generative AI in Marketing Education

Erik Jensen, International Business University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT

This paper presents an example of the use of AI in marketing education.  Specifically, it describes how the author incorporated generative AI into an MBA course on marketing analytics.  The main finding is that one simple constraint on the use of generative AI, together with a carefully considered assessment strategy, provide a powerful framework for students to learn how to use generative AI in a way that is ethical and beneficial for their future careers.  The constraint is that data cannot be uploaded to any online LLM.  The assessment framework does away with tests and exams and focuses on realistic tasks that a marketing analyst could face on the job.  In contrast to much of the AI-in-education literature, which emphasizes high-level frameworks and proposed strategies, this paper contributes a concrete, classroom-tested model of integrating generative AI into assessment and course design.

Keywords: marketing education, artificial intelligence, generative AI, data ethics, AI in education

Teaching with ChatGPT in Accounting Education: Evidence from a Discussion-Forum Assignment

Dallin O. Smith, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, USA

Isaac Ison, Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri, USA

Dan L. Shaw, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, USA

ABSTRACT

This study examines an instructional innovation that integrates generative AI into accounting education through a structured discussion-forum assignment. In the activity, students first asked ChatGPT to generate a response on a topic they already understood well and then asked it to respond to the same topic after providing more detailed background information, allowing them to compare how prompt specificity influenced the quality and usefulness of the AI-generated output. A post-assignment survey conducted across three accounting courses (n = 54) indicated that the activity was well received and that many students viewed the more specifically prompted response more favorably than the initial response. The assignment offered students a structured opportunity to evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and usability of AI-generated content while exploring the relationship between user input and AI performance. This study contributes to accounting education by offering classroom-based evidence that generative AI can be integrated into instruction in ways that emphasize critical evaluation, prompt development, and informed professional judgment.

Keywords: generative AI, ChatGPT, accounting education, prompt specificity, classroom innovation

An Integrated Approach to Developing Students’ Ethical Values for Accounting Fraud Prevention: Aligning Course Learning Objectives with the Elements of Fraud

Katie Matt, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA

Lisa Berardino, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA

ABSTRACT

Fraud remains a significant and growing concern across organizations worldwide, impacting companies, shareholders, investors, and individuals. Most often, a lack of ethics, values, and moral weakness leads individuals to commit fraud. This paper uses the Fraud Triangle as a framework to understand fraud and connect teaching ethical decision making and values throughout the program of study accounting and business.  The goal is to prepare students to anticipate, prevent, and recover from accounting fraud in the workplace. Through the addition of ethics-based learning objectives throughout their courses and an interdisciplinary approach, we support the idea that the role of teaching ethical values, helping students build their morals and ultimately high integrity, helps students to mitigate or prevent fraud.

Through curriculum mapping and an interdisciplinary lens, this research proposes enhancements to accounting education that emphasize the importance of building ethical values in students throughout their studies that can lead to high integrity as an anti-fraud strategy. Rather than confining ethics to standalone courses, this paper proposes that integrating ethical learning objectives throughout accounting programs builds high ethical values and professional integrity in students. Integrating the suggested ethical learning objectives from this paper throughout accounting and business courses through curriculum mapping will assist business schools in implementing a culture of ethical decision making and integrity building in their students.

Keywords: Accounting education, fraud prevention, students’ ethical values, fraud triangle, curriculum integration, professional ethics, interdisciplinary accounting education

Workplace Conflict and the New Employee: Learning to Deal with the Pushy, the Grumpy, the Entitled, and the Gossips

Edward G. Wertheim, D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Paulette McCarty, D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

ABSTRACT

Organizations have long expressed concerns about recent college graduates’ unrealistic expectations and lack of “soft skills” for handling common workplace conflicts. This exercise is designed to help students learn about the typical conflicts they are likely to encounter as new employees and to apply the conflict resolution models discussed in organizational behavior or negotiation classes to these situations. It is intended as a supplement to a unit on conflict and conflict resolution. It is appropriate for an undergraduate or graduate course in Organizational Behavior or Negotiations, as well as for a workshop preparing students for the workplace.

Keywords: conflict, conflict resolution, negotiation, remote work, organizational behavior, recent graduate

Needed and Important Vocabulary in the Undergraduate, Introductory Organizational Behavior Course

Wayne Smith, California State University, Northridge, CA, USA

ABSTRACT

Literacy is important, and vocabulary is a critical aspect of literacy.  Undergraduate students enrolled in a required, survey course in management and organizational behavior at a large, urban, public campus select a book on management, broadly defined, from a narrow range of relevant books in the campus library.  Part of the resulting book report is the identification of two unknown or challenging terms.  From 2011-2015, approximately 750 students have completed this assignment.  The most difficult words (with the reporting frequency in parentheses) were “paradigm” (10), “synergy” (7), “acrimonious” (5), “axiom” (5), “congruent” (5), “hubris” (5), “remuneration” (5), “benchmark” (4), “convergent” (4), “idiosyncratic” (4), “pertinent” (4), “reprimand” (4), and “ubiquitous” (4).  At least two students found the word “innovation” unknown or challenging.  An analysis of these and other words from this recurring activity offers 1), a unique insight into the cognitive processes and learning patterns of a contemporary business student, 2), a qualitative mirror of the formative elements of the course syllabus, and 3), perhaps a signpost and normative position to guide the design and development of outcomes, knowledge, activities, and measures associated with future organizational behavior courses.

KEYWORDS:  Business Communication, Reading, Vocabulary, College Writing, Pedagogy, Language Use, Semantics, Workplace skills, Career Success

The Unintended Consequences of Exogenous Events Impacting the                  Globalization of Business Schools

Michael A. Carrillo, University of Florida, Florida USA

Arthur Kraft, Chapman University, California USA

    John Kraft, University of Florida, Florida USA

ABSTRACT

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of the Communist Bloc spurred unprecedented growth in global trade, as China, Vietnam, and Eastern European countries became new markets and production hubs. With declining barriers to trade and foreign direct investment, improved logistics, and better communication, firms began to source, sell, and produce globally. US business schools and their accrediting bodies responded in kind. AACSB encouraged global thinking in the curriculum and cultural diversity as early as 1990, accredited its first non–North American school in 1997, and today accredits more than 1,000 schools in over 60 countries. EFMD's standards emphasize the international composition of faculty and students. Schools built international partnerships, exchange and study abroad programs, joint degrees, global immersion experiences, and active recruitment of international students and faculty, and continued to globalize even after 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic. As recently as 2026, AACSB and others continued to stress the value of globalization for US business schools.

That progress now faces a cluster of largely exogenous policy shocks: successive rounds of tariffs, a proposed shift from "duration of status" to fixed admission periods for student visas, a proposed $100,000 H-1B application fee, the possible elimination of Optional Practical Training, and rising geopolitical tensions. This article maps how these shocks affect five core business school functions — tuition revenue, classroom diversity, the faculty pipeline, doctoral programs, and study abroad — and argues that, while each shock alone is modest or contested, together they threaten to reverse three decades of globalization. The contribution is twofold: a framework linking specific policy shocks to the business school functions they endanger, and a set of concrete strategic responses, from diversifying recruitment markets and restructuring partnerships to embedding globalization in the curriculum and protecting the faculty pipeline, that schools can pursue while the policy environment remains outside their control.

Keywords: globalization, business school internationalization, H-1B visas, tariffs, Optional Practical Training, international students

Teaching One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: An Ethical Reasoning Assignment in Business Education

Dr. Linda C. Rodriguez, Professor of Management

University of South Carolina, SC, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper describes a modular ethical reasoning assignment that integrates ethical frameworks, literary fiction, and the AAC&U Ethical Reasoning VALUE Rubric. Instructors can rotate the central artifact (e.g., a novel) without changing supporting materials or assessment tools. This keeps both students and professors engaged while reducing recycling of student work. The paper summarizes Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, details the supporting materials students use to analyze ethical dilemmas, presents excerpts from student reflections, and includes the instructor’s reflexive insights. It concludes with practical suggestions for future improvements. This study contributes to Critical Management Education (CME) by demonstrating how novels can be used to teach management critically in the ethics module of an undergraduate Business and Society course. Further, it shows how a flexible, literature-based ethical reasoning assignment offers instructors high-impact, adaptable pedagogy that promotes deep student reflection, maintains consistent assessment standards, and counters recycled submissions.

KEYWORDS: Critical Management Education (CME), Novels, Solzhenitsyn, Ethics

Establishing Student Managed Investment Funds: Key Strategic and Operational Considerations

C. Alan Blaylock, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texas, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper identifies twelve key issues to consider when establishing a Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF), synthesizing dispersed insights from prior literature and practice into a holistic framework. SMIFs are high-impact experiential learning tools that enhance student outcomes in investment skills, communication, leadership, and critical thinking. The paper explores challenges and decisions related to these issues to aid in creating new SMIFs and enhancing existing SMIFs. Despite the challenges and complexities, the educational and institutional benefits of SMIFs make them a valuable initiative for business schools seeking to align with accreditation standards and promote career readiness.

Keywords: SMIF, student-managed investment funds, experiential learning, financial education, financial pedagogy

Using Generative AI to Construct Instructional Financial Baselines for Case Teaching

Mary Beth Rousseau PhD, Valdosta State University Nathan Moates PhD, Valdosta State University Kelly F. Gamble PhD, Valdosta State University

ABSTRACT

Business cases often provide rich narrative context but lack decision-ready financial statements, limiting students’ ability to evaluate the economic feasibility of strategic recommendations. This article proposes a structured instructional approach in which the instructor uses generative AI, industry benchmarks, and case-specific operational data to construct transparent, hypothetical financial baselines for classroom use. Rather than asking students to generate financial statements, the method focuses student effort on interpreting assumptions, testing sensitivity, and linking financial outcomes to strategic decisions.

The approach is illustrated using a multi-farm dairy network case, where production metrics and cost relationships enable the construction of a simplified income statement and balance sheet. Students then explore how changes in key variables—such as feed costs, production yield, and financing structure—affect profitability and risk exposure. By shifting attention from mechanical modeling to analytical reasoning, this method integrates financial thinking into qualitative case discussion without requiring advanced accounting knowledge. The article provides a replicable workflow, classroom activity design, and implementation guidance for instructors seeking to incorporate financially grounded reasoning into case-based courses while using generative AI responsibly in instructional preparation. The instructional approach addresses a common gap in case teaching by linking qualitative strategic analysis to transparent financial reasoning without requiring advanced financial modeling expertise.

Keywords. Generative AI; case teaching; financial modeling; business education; sensitivity analysis; experiential learning

Designing a Student Managed Private Equity Real Estate Fund for Undergraduate Students

Shawn D. Howton, Villanova University, Villanova PA USA

Shelly W. Howton, Villanova University, Villanova PA USA

Megan McGinnis, Villanova University, Villanova PA USA

Jessica Taylor, Villanova University, Villanova PA USA

Abstract

Student managed investment funds (SMIFs) have become an increasingly popular form of experiential learning across finance and real estate programs.  Real estate funds exhibit specific challenges from a design perspective.  Most real estate investments occur in private markets where there are additional challenges to designing a fund beyond the standard public securities that are the focus of most SMIFs.  This paper adds to the literature on SMIFs by providing an overview of how Villanova University structured their real estate fund to allow students to invest in private real estate deals and provide students with the experience of private investments where many of them will ultimately start their careers.  The design challenges and solutions should help other universities start their own real estate funds or enhance existing public security focused funds.

Keywords: Student Managed Investment Fund, SMIF, Real Estate Curriculum, Real Estate Investment Fund, Private Equity

A Study of Business Student Individual Factor Perceptual Changes:

Pre, During and Post-COVID Perceptions

Lynn Fish, Ph.D. and Coral Snodgrass, Ph.D., Canisius University, NY, USA

ABSTRACT

Over the past 13 years, business students’ perspectives regarding face-to-face and online were surveyed.  This paper addresses the changes in online students’ perspectives over that time frame – pre-, during and post-pandemic. Results indicate that online business students’ perceptions have changed over the years with respect to their motivation, discipline, self-directed, time investment, cost investment, preference for FTF education, happiness with online education, and the appropriateness of online education. Their perceptions of independence and schedule flexibility did not significantly change over this timeframe.  The AACSB-accredited, Jesuit, Catholic University has a strong focus on face-to-face teaching. This article offers insight into the students’ transition with respect to their individual educational environment preferences, which may affect student learning. 

Keywords:      Online Education, Individual Perceptions, Students

Virtual Reality 360° Video as an Instructional Tool in Business Education: Student Perceptions from a Classroom-Based Study

Charles Piscitello, Ashland University – Ashland, Ohio, USA

Laura Kruger, Ashland University – Ashland, Ohio, USA

Abstract

As business education increasingly emphasizes experiential and applied learning, instructors are exploring immersive technologies that may enhance student engagement and contextual understanding. This study examines student perceptions of 360-degree video as an instructional tool within a classroom-based undergraduate business course. A survey was administered to students enrolled in a course integrating 360-degree video content to assess technology comfort, engagement, and perceived instructional value. Of 28 enrolled students, 20 completed the survey (71% response rate). Results indicated high levels of comfort with multimedia technology and strong agreement that 360-degree video enhanced engagement and supported learning of course concepts. A qualitative follow-up interview provided contextual insight into survey findings, highlighting the role of spatial context, learner control, and instructional guidance. While limited to self-reported perceptions within a single course, the findings suggest that students view 360-degree video as a promising and scalable instructional innovation for business education, particularly for enhancing student engagement and perceived contextual understanding. However, because this study relies on student perceptions rather than direct measures of learning outcomes, further research is needed to determine the impact of 360-degree video on actual learning gains.

Keywords: experiential learning, immersive technology, 360-degree video, business education, instructional innovation

From Generation to Evaluation: Teaching Critical Assessment of

 AI-Generated Marketing Output

Ronald Drozdenko, Western Connecticut State University, Connecticut, USA

Donna Coelho, Western Connecticut State University, Connecticut, USA

Johnine McCartney, Western Connecticut State University, Connecticut, USA

ABSTRACT

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly embedded in student coursework and professional marketing practice. Although these tools can support idea generation and information access, unstructured use may encourage surface-level learning and cognitive offloading. This study examines a comparative AI evaluation assignment used in upper-level undergraduate marketing courses in which students compared outputs from two AI platforms and justified which response was superior based on reasoning quality, evidence, and strategic usefulness. Survey data from 124 students indicate that the evaluation-based approach was associated with higher student perceptions of learning, critical thinking, confidence in applying course concepts, and preparation for professional tasks, without higher perceived difficulty. The findings support integrating AI as an object of critique rather than solely as a content generator.

Keywords: Generative AI; marketing education; critical thinking; assessment design; Bloom’s taxonomy

A Study of Business Student Program Factor Perceptual Changes:

Pre, During and Post-COVID Perceptions

Lynn Fish, Ph.D. and Coral Snodgrass, Ph.D., Canisius University, NY, USA

ABSTRACT

Over thirteen years as part of an ongoing study of student perceptions of online versus face-to-face education, business students at an AACSB Jesuit, Catholic University were surveyed in before (2012 and 2018), during (2021) and following (2025) the Covid pandemic. With educational and technological improvements, prior research found that students’ perceptions may change over time. Results indicate that student perceptions on the program factors of difficulty, student-to-student interaction and student-to-instructor interaction changed over this time period. However, students’ perceptions of cheating continue to indicate that students feel it is easier to cheat online. Results have implications for instructors and administrators.

Keywords: Student Perceptual Changes, Program Factors, Online

When First Impressions of Financial Data Can Be Wrong

Martin Gosman, Wesleyan University, Middletown CT. USA

Zach Idinopulos, Wesleyan University, Middletown CT. USA

Sophia Lindus, Wesleyan University, Middletown CT. USA

Michael Manieri, Wesleyan University, Middletown CT. USA

ABSTRACT

At times, the data presented in firms’ financial statements can seem puzzling. This article describes instances in which the reported figures could leave the firm’s stakeholders with a first impression that the data must be in error, as they are difficult to believe or even counterintuitive. As student detectives address the discussion questions provided, they encounter the discretion provided to firms in designating both quarterly-reporting periods and the components of cost of goods sold. In addition, they learn that both a sizable falloff between a firm’s current and quick ratios and a spectacular return on stockholders’ equity might not signify what they often imply. Other situations addressed include a firm with huge gross profits that nevertheless felt it necessary to liquidate, a retailer of discretionary goods that somehow fared much better than a service firm during an economic meltdown, and a firm reporting different amounts for its account changes depending on which financial statement one looks at.

A teaching note provides suggested answers to the discussion questions, learning takeaways, and follow-up discussion points for instructors.   

Keywords: financial statement analysis, accounting-disclosure differences among firms, ratios that can inadvertently mislead

From Elective to Essential: Designing an Accessible Data Analytics Course for All Business Students

Alicia T. Lamere, Stonehill College, Massachusetts, USA

Ali Mohammed Bazarah, Stonehill College, Massachusetts, USA

Michael J. Salé, Stonehill College, Massachusetts, USA

ABSTRACT

As data continues to inform business decision-making, business schools are facing growing pressure to ensure that all students, not just those pursuing analytics-related careers, develop meaningful data literacy. This paper describes the redesign of an introductory-level course in analytics, transitioning it from a course that initially served a self-selected group of Data Analytics minors to a required course in the undergraduate business core. The redesign shifted from a modeling-intensive course to a broad survey of the analytics lifecycle, encompassing key topics such as data preparation, data ethics, modeling, visualization, and communication of results. To improve accessibility for a diverse business student population, the course reduced barriers associated with programming requirements and deep mathematical theory, while still maintaining rigor. The revised course incorporates industry software tools such as Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, and SAS, allowing students to engage at a practical level. Early evidence from pre- and post-surveys suggests that students are strengthening self-perceptions while developing stronger conceptual understandings of analytical processes and abilities to interpret results and communicate them with stakeholders. The findings contribute to an ongoing discussion of how business schools can better prepare diverse student populations for a data-driven business world.

Keywords: Data analytics education, curriculum development, business core, data literacy, perceived value, perceived ability

A Study of Instructor Perceptual Changes:

Pre, During and Post-COVID Perceptions

Lynn Fish, Ph.D. and Coral Snodgrass, Ph.D., Canisius University, NY, USA

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, as part of an ongoing study of online versus face-to-face education, instructors at a Jesuit, Catholic University in the northeast were surveyed before (2017), during (2021) and after (2025) the Covid pandemic. With educational and technological improvements, an increase in instructor experience online and student perceptual changes over this timeframe, changes in instructor perceptions were expected. However, with the exception of time investment, this is not the case as results indicate that instructor perceptions have not changed with respect to individual and program factors. This paper presents the lack of change in instructor perceptions that may impact education going forward.

Keywords: instructor perspectives, online education, face-to-face education

Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: Integrated and Experiential Approach in Business Education

Shane Bowyer, Minnesota State University, Mankato, USA

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates an integrated approach to address the persistent gap between employer demand for soft skills and traditional academic preparation in business education. Implemented at a mid-sized business school, the 7-credit Critical Skills and Thought (CST) program integrated three courses covering professional development, ethics, and consulting experiences. Students also earned a digital badge credential upon completion. End of semester survey results showed positive outcomes: 100% of students rated the experience valuable for professional development, 87.5% agreed the courses were well-integrated, and 81% recommended the program for all business majors. The independent soft skills course showed particular strength in fostering a growth mindset (4.47/5.0 average improvement), with communication identified as the most critical career skill by all respondents.

Keywords: business education, soft skills development, classroom experiment, integrated curriculum, experiential learning, digital badge

Improving Student Attendance in Principles of Macroeconomics Through Implementation Intentions

Christopher K. Manner, Union University – Jackson, TN, USA

ABSTRACT

Class attendance plays a key role in student performance, especially in subjects like economics, where regular attendance is vital for understanding complex concepts. This study used an experimental design across six sections of Principles of Macroeconomics (N = 193) to examine how implementation intentions affect student class attendance. The experimental group specified how, when, and where they would attend class. The results indicate that implementation intentions effectively encouraged class attendance. This suggests that using implementation intentions is a simple and low-cost way to boost attendance in macroeconomics courses, which could lead to better academic performance.

Keywords: attendance, absenteeism, implementation intention, macroeconomics

Predicting the WNBA Draft: An Excel-Based Regression Exercise

for Undergraduate Students

Adam Patterson, University of Connecticut, CT, USA

Sijia Chen, University of Connecticut, CT, USA

Oskar Harmon, PhD, University of Connecticut, CT, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper describes an Excel-based classroom exercise in which undergraduate economics students use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to predict which NCAA Division I women’s basketball players will be selected in the WNBA draft. Using a dataset of 1,673 fourth-year NCAA players from 2013 through 2024, students activate Excel's Data Analysis ToolPak and estimate a linear probability model (LPM) with five intuitive predictors: points, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game, plus a power-conference indicator. They then interpret the regression coefficients and construct a prediction formula to rank-order two specific players from the 2025 draft class. The exercise teaches regression mechanics, coefficient interpretation, and the limitations of linear models for binary outcomes, while leveraging student interest in sports to sustain engagement. Prior research indicates that students have positive engagement with sports data and limited applied econometric projects that relate to their interests. The unique combination of modeling sports data in Excel offers increased educational value to students exposed to this exercise. Question and answer workbooks are available in the linked GitHub repo for instructors to easily adopt for classroom usage.

Keywords: Excel, regression, sports economics, active learning

Designing AI-Ready Business Courses: Insights from a Large-Scale Student Survey in a Principles of Finance Class

James C. Brau¹, Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Utah, USA

Stephen R. Owen, Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University, Texas, USA

ABSTRACT

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), defined as large language models capable of producing human-like text, images, and analysis, has entered the undergraduate business classroom regardless of whether instructors have designed their courses around it. This paper reports findings from a survey of 980 undergraduate business students at a large private university, documenting near-universal adoption of generative AI, high-frequency usage for academic tasks, and a strong belief that AI enhances productivity and the speed of work. Students rate their business courses as only moderately adequate in preparing them for AI-enabled professional work, while formal AI coursework shows heightened awareness of AI’s workforce implications, suggesting that structured AI education adds value. We draw on these findings to propose five curricular changes that business programs can implement to close the gap between how students use generative AI and how their formal education prepares them to apply AI in the real world.

Keywords: generative AI, business education innovation, curriculum design, student attitudes, AI literacy, course design

What Do Business Students Think About General Education? Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey

James C. Brau, PhD, CFA, CFP®, Brigham Young University, Utah, USA

*Jim Brau contact author, 801.318.7919, jbrau@byu.edu, Department of Finance, Marriott School of Business, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602. The author thanks Nate Boekweg, Quentin Jenkins, and Cash Schmutz for research assistance.

ABSTRACT

This paper examines undergraduate business students’ attitudes toward general education (GE) requirements at a large private university. Using survey data from 977 students, we document an ambivalent but coherent pattern: students report mild enjoyment of GE classes and acknowledge their broad importance yet strongly prefer that most categories be made optional. Skill-building courses in writing, quantitative reasoning, and oral communication are rated most worthwhile and best-fulfilling their stated purposes; humanities and natural science requirements are rated least valuable and most favored for optional status. OLS regression shows associations wherein male students and upper-division students hold less favorable GE attitudes, while higher-GPA students and more politically liberal students are more supportive. These findings offer data-driven guidance for administrators weighing GE curriculum reform: skills-oriented courses already enjoy student legitimacy; it is the breadth requirements that need clearer value articulation.

Keywords: general education, curriculum reform, student attitudes, course requirements, business education

Data Analytics in the Accounting Profession:

How is data analytics transforming the accounting profession, and how should the accounting curriculum evolve to prepare students for these changes?

Marion Scott

V. Brooks Poole, Ed.D., MTAX, CPA, CIA

School of Business, Mississippi Christian University

ABSTRACT

Rapid advancements in data analytics are transforming the accounting profession by reshaping traditional practices and expanding accountants' roles far beyond routine tasks. This paper examines how data analytics is influencing the accounting role and explores how accounting curricula should evolve to prepare students for these changes. Using a qualitative research design with document analysis, the paper reviews scholarly literature, industry reports, and educational research to identify opportunities, challenges, and skill requirements associated with the adoption of analytics. The findings show three major themes: the technological impact of analytics on accounting tasks, the balance of benefits and risks it introduces, and a gap between professional skill demands and current accounting education. The results suggest that while data analytics helps with decision-making, transparency, and strategic value, accounting programs often fail to meet industry needs by providing hands-on analytics training. This paper concludes that accounting education must place more emphasis on data analytics, ethical reasoning, and skill development to ensure graduates remain competitive in a data-driven profession.

Keywords: Data analytics, accounting profession, accounting education, curriculum, auditing

Embedding Micro-Internship in a Marketing Career Development Course

Jun Myers, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA

Jing Hu, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA

Xin Liu, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA

Frank Bryant, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA

ABSTRACT

This study explores the integration of micro-internships (MI) into an undergraduate career development course at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. By embedding micro-internships, the course aims to enhance career readiness among marketing students. The manuscript highlights the benefits, challenges, and implementation strategies of this pedagogical experiment, emphasizing the alignment with NACE core competencies. Initial findings suggest that micro-internships offer flexible, practical experiences that bridge academic learning and real-world application, ultimately contributing to students' professional development and employability.

Keywords: micro-internships career readiness, first-generation students