Experiential Learning for Responsible Management Education

In recent years there has been much debate within business and management schools and higher education institutions in general as to whether business schools are providing students with the learning they require in order to build essential business knowledge and competencies to practise effectively once in employment (Levy & Petrulis, 2012; Scherpereel & Bowers, 2014; Tynjälä, 2008). In addition to this, many business leaders are questioning whether business schools are able to produce new graduates with the requisite skills and knowledge required to behave ethically and deal with responsibility and sustainability challenges (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2014; Colby, Ehrlich, Sullivan & Dolle, 2011; Datar, Garvin & Cullen, 2010). The charge has been made that business education is ‘too much about rigour and not enough about relevance’ (Smith, 2005: 357) and ‘does not prepare students for the realities of business life’ (Scherpereel & Bowers, 2014: 13). Similarly, within business schools there are many concerns and issues related to student learning; that students are too passive in their learning, have poor motivation and poor self-directed learning skills (Croney, 2016; Rolfe, 2002; Taylor & Bedford, 2004). As Baden and Parkes (2013) suggest, it is not enough to simply raise awareness of issues in business, particularly in the areas of sustainability, ethics and responsibility, rather educators should be developing future business leaders and managers who are able to influence workplace behavior