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© 2020, © 2020 HERDSA. We focus on the pedagogical merit of introducing and assessing Thresholds Concepts (TCs) in the curriculum with a view to (inter alia) regain public confidence and trust in the legitimacy of business education and qualifications–especially since the 2007–2010 global recession. While the education literature foregrounds the role of higher education in preparing graduates for responsible practice, we claim there has been insufficient attention to the potential that TCs hold for renewed focus on knowledge and capabilities of graduates through the vehicle of assessment. The implications are profound. In this paper, we examine a case of how the application, and assessments in particular, of TCs in a first year quantitative business subject has impacted positively on student performance in that subject as well as in subsequent subjects of which those courses depend.

© 2019, © 2019 HERDSA. Systematic changes to higher education curriculum typically occur within the extended timeframes of formal curriculum review processes. Programmes need to be reviewed periodically for internal and external accountability or to determine whether the curriculum has lost its coherence due to the accumulative effect of continual small-scale changes. These programme reviews often lend themselves to the introduction of innovations in teaching and learning however experiences suggest that these innovations are often short-lived. Even with well-thought-through project plans, adequate funding and staffing, and robust project evaluations, a curriculum innovation may fail to take hold and continue beyond the short-term. In this article we work towards developing a general framework that identifies the various factors and drivers that are essential to sustain important curriculum innovation beyond the short-term. The framework is developed from an analysis of several curriculum innovations related to the embedding of graduate attributes to highlight the important factors necessary to ensure longevity in important developments in teaching and learning.

© 2016, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the implications for curriculum design by operationalizing threshold concepts and capabilities (TCC) in subject delivery. The motivation for undertaking this exploration is directly related to addressing public concerns for the business school curriculum. Design/methodology/approach – A post facto analysis of a compulsory subject in finance that is part of an Australian business degree and the impact on a subsequent finance subject. Findings – Customary approaches to granting part-marks in assessing students, (fractionalising) understanding of content can mean students pass subjects without grasping foundational concepts (threshold concepts) and are therefore not fully prepared for subsequent subjects. Research limitations/implications – Students passing subjects through fractionalization are poorly equipped to undertake deeper explorations in related subjects. If replicated across whole degree programs students may graduate not possessing the attributes claimed for them through their qualification. The implications for undermining public trust and confidence in qualifications are profound and disturbing. Practical implications – The literature has exposed risks associated with operationalizing threshold through assessments. This highlights a risk to public trust in qualifications. Originality/value – Operationalizing threshold concepts is an underexplored field in curriculum theory. The importance of operationalizing customary approaches to assessments through fractionalising marks goes to the legitimacy and integrity of qualifications granted by higher education. Operationalizing assessments for TCC presents profound, inescapable and essential challenges to the legitimacy of award granting institutions.

© Springer-Verlag London 2015. Business-to-business and consumer-to-business transactions in the banking industry have witnessed a dramatic shift in the method of payment over the last two decades. This rapid growth had been initially fuelled by the early adoption of electronic payments such as credit and debit cards but now with the advent of mobile and internet technologies, non-cash transactions have grown even more rapidly. These technological developments have spurred a range of service innovations within the banking industry that has not only improved consumer convenience and reduced staffing and bank operating costs, but also increased the need for greater vigilance around security and fraud detection. This rapidly changing technology is also facilitating the entry of new payment providers in the financial sector with innovative products to meet the changing needs of consumers and businesses. The consequence is a rapidly changing banking industry.

Purpose: A modern business graduate is expected to have strong disciplinary skills as well as the soft skills of communication and team work. However today's business graduate needs to be more than the traditional "I-shaped" graduate of the past and more of the "T-shaped" graduate employers are looking for. Many undergraduate business degrees profess to offer integration of the curriculum but on investigation this occurs mainly through a capstone subject at the end of the degree. Today's business graduates need a more integrated approach to their learning. This paper aims to outline the transformation of a traditional business curriculum to one that is inter-disciplinary, outlining the necessary steps and conditions including the most challenging - faculty buy in. Design/methodology/approach: The review of the Bachelor of Business degree at University of Technology Sydney (UTS) provided an opportunity to explore the option to embrace an integrated curriculum. The authors outline how the review was shaped, the need for change and the approaches to interdisciplinary business education, and an approach to designing an interdisciplinary curriculum. They also provide two case studies. Findings: Approaches to developing an integrative curriculum can take many forms, but the most effective is one that is embedded throughout an entire degree program. This must start with a cornerstone subject to set the road map for the student's study. This subject needs to demonstrate how each discipline interrelates and how at the end of the degree through a capstone subject, this knowledge is again brought together to deal with more complex issues using the more sophisticated tools studied throughout the degree. There also needs to be a strategy that integrates the various first-year disciplinary subjects traditionally included in an undergraduate business degree. Originality/value: This paper aims to outline the transformation of a traditional business curriculum to one that is inter-d