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One of the defining characteristics of higher education is the expectation that undergraduates will exercise some responsibility for the management of their learning. In the UK and elsewhere student self‐managed learning has become more salient due to resource constraints and the increasing emphasis on equipping students with what they need to become lifelong learners. At the same time, as a result of widening access policies, developments in compulsory education systems and changing lifestyles, undergraduates appear less well prepared to cope with the demands of self‐managed learning than might have been the case in the past. The problem is further compounded by the diversity of view amongst academic staff concerning the extent and nature of the support, which they should provide in this respect. Although the need for support will vary between institutions, all are faced, to a greater or lesser extent, with the challenge of ensuring that their learning and teaching strategies take account of the contingencies of self‐managed learning

Examines the outcomes of an evaluation exercise undertaken by tutors responsible for the delivery of contextual material to first year students on the socio‐demographic environment of business and public services. Working within the precepts of the critical paradigm of curriculum evaluation establishes the extent to which students perceive the course content to be vocational as well as their views on other aspects of the design and delivery of the unit. Describes key elements of the evaluation, namely that it was summative, tutor led, positivist and determinist, structured and quantitative. Assesses the findings which suggest that while, in general, the course is well received more could be done to strengthen its vocational orientation. Outlines how tutors have adjusted the learning and teaching strategy to make the unit more explicitly vocational and steps being taken to ensure that evaluation is a learning experience for students as well as tutors.

As student self‐managed learning becomes an increasingly significant element of campus‐based higher education courses, so action is required to ensure that academic staff are primed to deal with the challenges involved. Reconciling the needs and inclinations of students with the capabilities and disposition of academic staff in this respect is not for the faint‐hearted. It calls for an active and sensitive leadership that is prepared to endorse revised understandings of academic development and academic discretion and to put in place measures designed to bring about their realisation.

Over the last two decades there has been a substantial increase in the number and range of service sector SMEs. The management competence of the owner‐manager and/or senior staff is crucial to their success. Developing appropriate competencies presents a particular challenge for professional service SMEs, since the key players are more likely to be motivated by the perceived attractions of professional practice than the commercial and managerial aspects of the enterprise. Drawing upon the experiences of community pharmacists in the UK as an empirical frame of reference, consideration is given to the key management competencies, both operational and strategic, which are required to operate a professional service enterprise successfully. Issues concerning the provision of management training for community pharmacists are also highlighted.

Distinguishes between communication apprehension (CA), the fear of actually communicating, and communication development, the ability to maintain and improve performance as a communicator. Indicates that CA needs to be addressed before progress can be made in developing the communication skills of graduates to which employers attach considerable importance. Reports the results of a study comparing levels of CA amongst business and accounting students in the UK and Spain, which confirm the high levels of CA found in North American students but also indicate differences which may be due to cultural and other factors. Considers implications of findings for curriculum design and staff development.

To consider the shortcomings and strengths of the subject review process with a view to identifying criteria that might be used to assess the value of externally administered quality assurance processes in higher education.

Use is made of material from a variety of secondary sources blended with personal reflections on the experience gained from undertaking a project for LTSN BEST (Business Education Support Team), the aim of which was to establish what could be learned from the content of the 164 subject review reports for business and management issued during 2000/2001.

Much of the evidence indicates that subject review generated strong negative feelings on the part of many in higher education. However, while critics tended to make the running, there was an alternative point of view that was expressed a little more circumspectly.

In shaping the quality assurance processes of the future, due account should be taken not only of the concerns of those who criticised subject review but also of the stance of its defenders.

With the issue of quality remaining high on the higher education agenda, appraisals of past practice have an important part to play in guiding the way forward.

Explores the nature and symptoms of instrumental attitudes to learning in higher education and the relationship between instrumental and expressive learning. Examines some of the causes of student instrumentality, particularly with respect to business and management, including the increasing emphasis on higher education’s contribution to economic reproduction; instrumental attitudes among tutors, with learner support being seen as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself; and an over‐reliance on didactic methods of teaching. Suggests some remedies, such as giving due recognition to the affective dimension of education; using research to stimulate teaching; and the adoption of more creative approaches to learner support.

The principal aim of this paper is to present the case for securing greater affinity between the formal curriculum and the hidden curriculum with respect to integration in business education.

Consideration is given to the concept of the hidden curriculum, as manifested in the compartmentalised nature of academia and the need for this to be offset by business educators. A number of principles for configuring the hidden curriculum in ways that support the goal of integration are suggested.

Some of the literature on the hidden curriculum emphasises the need for consistency in the learning culture so that students' understanding of what their course is seeking to achieve is underpinned by the structures and processes that play an important part in shaping their learning experience.

If integration is the goal of business education then attention should be given to creating a learning environment in which its virtues are clearly demonstrated and the vices of compartmentalisation are eschewed.

The paper complements the very limited literature on the hidden curriculum in higher education, in general, and business education, in particular.

Highlights the current emphasis on student feedback in the review and evaluation of units/modules at higher education level for quality audit purposes. Expresses the view that, while this is unquestionably desirable and necessary, other stakeholder perspectives are essential to create a balanced picture – in particular, the professional judgments of academic staff. Explains how the principle of peer review informed a pilot project at Sheffield Hallam University, in which two groups of academic staff from different units within the same broad subject area reviewed and evaluated each other’s units. Reports on the background and motivation for the project and on the setting up and management of the review process. Identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the process based on feedback from the participants. Indicates some of the cultural and procedural lessons learnt from the project and suggests ways of taking the process forward.

Examines the nature of commissioned projects in business education and the value they hold for key stakeholder groups: students, tutors and clients. Identifies the essence of commissioned projects as being a unique fusion of vocational and pedagogic (problem‐based learning) perspectives. Describes the structure of commissioned projects and argues that this is a necessary but not sufficient condition for their success. Argues that the key to their successful utilisation is the establishment of effective foundations. Identifies these as a strategy for curriculum support; a commitment to the integration of skills and knowledge; a negotiated approach to the specification of learning outcomes; a recognition of the importance of process issues; the development of a framework for applying learning; and an emphasis on the concept of reflective practice.