Strategy teaching in business schools within different institutional and economic contexts: Evidence from Russia and the United Kingdom

Abstract

The article addresses the problem of including the concepts and tools of strategic management demanded by managers in the curriculum of business schools. The requirements and expectations of managers regarding the content of the courses can be taken into account when developing the curriculum, while their adaptation is possible depending on those challenges that exist in various economic and institutional contexts. The purpose of this article is to identify the expectations of managers in Russia and the United Kingdom regarding the content of courses on strategy, as well as teaching methods used in the course development process. During an empirical study, a survey was conducted among students in the Master of Business Administration program at the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg State University (Russia) and the Westminster University Business School (UK). The survey was compiled taking into account the development of basic theoretical concepts and tools of strategic management as well as the teaching methods most used in the educational process of business schools in recent decades. The results of the study show that programs participants differ in their priorities of the sources of competitive advantage the methods necessary for their identification and retention, which can determine the differences in their expectations regarding the content of courses on strategy and teaching methods. The findings provide an opportunity to look at approaches to the development of strategic management courses, with regard to the requirements and expectations of students studying in various institutional and economic contexts. The results of the study make not only a practical contribution, discovering new aspects in the development of courses on strategy in business schools, but also create a theoretical contribution through the application of institutional theory in an educational context.