Business students’ perceptions of corporate governance best practices

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a better understanding of business students' perceptions of the relative importance of corporate governance best practices within the context of major area of study and compare student rankings of corporate governance best practices to those of working professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a previously published survey, data were collected from business students at two Midwestern US universities and analyzed using factor analysis.

Findings

This research demonstrated that students rank strategic human resource management as the most important corporate governance practice, matching the perceptions of professionals. Accounting majors report significantly greater understanding of corporate governance, the importance of corporate governance to business and the role of understanding corporate governance in their careers as compared to management majors.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the inclusion of business students at only two US universities. Further studies should be conducted to better understand the similarities and differences between students and professionals and accounting and management majors in their perceptions of corporate governance best practices.

Practical implications

Managers can use these findings to enhance the training recent college graduates receive on corporate governance topics. Business schools can use these findings to evaluate ways to embed corporate governance throughout the curriculum.

Originality/Value

This research highlights gaps in current business school curriculum coverage of corporate governance best practices. It compares and contrasts students' and professionals' perceptions of best practices and offers suggestions for managers and educators.

Citation

Zuckweiler, K.M., Rosacker, K.M. and Hayes, S.K. (2016), "Business students’ perceptions of corporate governance best practices", Corporate Governance, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 361-376. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-08-2015-0117