Commodifying business and accounting education: The implications of accreditation

Abstract

The paper examines how the new total quality management-continuous improvement technologies are being promoted within the education community and considers possible implications. The total quality management (TQM) technology is briefly described and shown to provide the basis for the AACSB's new business and accounting accreditation standards. TQM applications within business schools are reviewed and evaluated. The dialectical possibilities motivated by the new standards are considered using an evolutionary model of social development. The model identifies inherent societal tensions useful in recognizing the presence of these general tensions as they are being played out within the form and content of business education. © 1996 Academic Press Limited.