<p>Myos- and to add one more clause to your excellent (and well stated) post- business programs which take course content which in a rigorous MBA program might constitute three weeks and stretch it into an entire semester (buyer behavior, organizational leadership and strategy, etc.) </p>
<p>Canuck- there are actual business grads in the US who have not taken any econ beyond the intro micro/macro. I’m not suggesting that every business degree holder needs to be able to do currency hedging in their sleep, but I’m talking about the basic conceptual building blocks on how the planet’s monetary systems and commercial enterprises operate. So you get business grads who have taken a lot of the applied courses (which a smart person can basically teach themselves if they’ve got the right analytical tools) but none of the intellectual underpinnings.</p>
<p>Talk to them about China’s transition to a market economy and why that’s challenging after a generation of Communism and you get a vacant look. (relevant how?) Ask a question about why a country which depends on extraction industries for its wealth (oil, diamonds, coal, gas) will have different economic challenges than one with a strong manufacturing/service base and sophisticated infrastructure and the kid looks like they’re falling asleep. And these are kids with degrees in “International Business”. They are so eager to do “international business” but IMHO (and in the view of many big companies) to study any of the sub-disciplines without any understanding of history and economic development- just a waste of their parents dime.</p>
<p>YMMV.</p>