Tales of the unexpected: issues around the development of a crisis management module for the MBA program

Fischbacher-Smith, D. and Fischbacher-Smith, M. (2013) Tales of the unexpected: issues around the development of a crisis management module for the MBA program. Journal of Management Education, 37(1), pp. 51-78. (doi: 10.1177/1052562912455664)

Abstract

Crisis Management teaching has not featured within business schools to the extent that we might expect given the crises witnessed in a range of business sectors over recent years. One of the criticisms voiced against the MBA degree is that it has too great a focus on the rational and positivistic approaches to dealing with managerial problems. Organizational crises provide a challenge to that paradigm and suggest that a more critical approach to dealing with the management curriculum is required. This article provides an account of a stand-alone course in crisis management that has been delivered over a 20-year period in a number of institutions worldwide. The authors set out how the course is designed and delivered to bridge the gap between academia and business practice, how it makes use of evidence-based management, and how a critical approach is embedded throughout. The authors also discuss some of the challenges associated with designing and delivering a course that is multidisciplinary and technically demanding.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Fischbacher-Smith, Professor Moira and Fischbacher-Smith, Professor Denis
• Authors: Fischbacher-Smith, D., and Fischbacher-Smith, M.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Journal of Management Education
• ISSN: 1052-5629
• ISSN (Online): 1552-6658
• Published Online: 30 August 2012