A Study of the Employability of Graduates of the Bloomsburg University Zeigler College of Business
Open Access
- Author:
- Heimbach, Christine Ramona
- Graduate Program:
- Workforce Education and Development
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 27, 2023
- Committee Members:
- William Rothwell, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Mark Threeton, Major Field Member
Albert Vicere, Outside Field Member
Susan Land, Program Head/Chair
John Ewing, Outside Unit Member - Keywords:
- leadership
teamwork
communications
initiative
interpersonal skills
business schools - Abstract:
- The inception of the business school began in Paris, France in 1819. From there the concept spread to other locations including the United States. In 1881 the first business school in America came to fruition when the birth of the Wharton School of Finance and Economy occurred. From the beginning business schools were steadfast in what was deemed important to impart to the students. Current employers of business school graduates want certain qualities from their new hires. This qualitative study seeks to identify the skills employers of business graduates want in their new hires and examines if the graduates of the Bloomsburg University Zeigler College of Business demonstrate these preferred skills. The literature review found that employers of business school graduates were not as interested in what are termed hard skills (mathematics, accounting, finance, and marketing for example) in their new hires. Employers sought graduates that were well-versed in interpersonal skills such as leadership, communication, innovation, initiative, and teamwork. Interpersonal skills were deemed more essential for succeeding in business than hard skills. Interpersonal skills brought dimensions to customer service, communication, and global engagement with prospective customers that made working with an organization more attractive. For this paper research was done via nine in depth interviews with seven different companies who hired Bloomsburg University Zeigler College of Business graduates thereby determining if the graduates had the skills the employers wanted. The interviews were analyzed to find themes that defined what employers wanted in their new business school hires. Analysis for validity and reliability was completed by one, open axial coding; and two, member checking. Data collected from the interviews found that the employers wanted the business school graduates they hired to show initiative, communication, leadership qualities, and people skills. Some surmised that the employers leaned stronger on the people skills and communication more so than leadership qualities and initiative. The research found what qualities employers want from their business school new hires and if the Bloomsburg University Zeigler College of Business demonstrated the qualities. Recommendations were that more business schools follow the example of the Bloomsburg University Zeigler College of Business curriculum and processes.