Putting Neuroscience in the Business Curriculum

Putting Neuroscience into the Business Curriculum George S. Lowry 1, R. Adam Franssen2, Catherine L. Franssen2, Paul T. Barrett2, Charles D. White2 1Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia; 2Longwood University, Farmville,... [ view full abstract ]

Putting Neuroscience into the Business Curriculum
George S. Lowry 1, R. Adam Franssen2, Catherine L. Franssen2, Paul T. Barrett2, Charles D. White2
1Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia; 2Longwood University, Farmville, Virginia

In much the same way the study of international topics came into the business curriculum, so is the field of neuroscience. In the 1980s, emphasis on the ways social, cultural, and economic factors were influencing worldwide commerce brought about curricular changes, first by a single chapters in textbooks, then more fully into semester-long courses subsequently demanded complete texts. Now, whole programs are built around the study of international topics, some of which are highly specialized.
Neuroscience research and applications are of great interest in the popular press and increasingly in academic programs beyond the disciplines that define the science itself. Following an evolutionary path of its own, studying human behavior has progressed from empiricism to one that connects observed behaviors to biologically measurable conditions, particularly with regard to the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, EEGs, biometrics such as facial recognition, eye tracking and hormone measures, and others allow for fuller explanations of these behaviors. Given its long history of behavioral research, it is not surprising, then, that economics, business, and the allied fields are seeking ways to incorporate neuroscience into their programs.
This paper examines two key elements. Tracing the fields of research and resulting academic disciplines will provide an important understanding of where the field has come from and where it is likely to go. Challenging traditional assumptions about the rationality of how and why decisions are made led researchers to explore anomalies in decision-making behavior. Their departure from the established theoretical conventions was identified by naming their fields “behavioral economics” and “behavioral ethics”, although the inquiry and application was not limited to just these two. As neuroscience has been able to add to the understanding of the brain, the behavior-brain connection has led some of those original disciplines to emerge as neuroeconomcs, neurofinance, neuromarketing, neuroethics, neuromanagement, and neuroaccounting, to name the most active.
Secondly, this paper provides a proposed way to engage business faculty in neuroscience. The starting point is a workshop where faculty can be exposed to some examples whereby they may find connections to their own field of interest. Facilitated by established resources such as chapters in extant textbooks (or indeed whole textbooks), readers, articles, syllabi, and course descriptions, faculty can proceed to explore opportunities to integrate neuroscience into their own courses or programs. Additional support will be required from neuroscientists to provide a basic understanding of the nervous system, particularly the brain, leaving the depth of coverage to the needs of the business faculty member and the discipline they wish to explore. While it is true there will be new material to learn, both inside and outside the business discipline, the study of business will be influenced by the achievements of neuroscience research and the market will expect graduates to be prepared in this area.