Application of Focus Group Interviews for Business Curriculum Development in Higher Education

Abstract

This study emphasises the importance of business community feedback in the process of business curriculum design. In the turbulent business environment, higher education institutions must regularly evaluate and update their curriculum to respond to the emerging business needs. Focus group interviews with representatives from the business community are used to explore possibilities for the improvement of the business curriculum. Moreover, the study analyses the mismatch between graduates’ competencies and business community needs and requirements. Our results suggest that employing focus group interviews is a valuable method of gaining more insight into relationships between business community expectations and academic community approach to the processes of curriculum design and teaching. A set of guidelines is provided for the effective conduct of focus group interviews as part of the business curriculum development in the higher education.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p229