Business administration programs and competencies and skills for the labor market: a case study

Abstract

This paper analyzes the curricular dynamics of the Business Administration undergraduate program of a private college in Brasília. It intends to investigate whether the Business Administration program is congruent with the curricular guidelines and the abilities and skills demanded by the labor market. It is based on a qualitative research project and is a case study. Documental analysis and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The documents selected for the analysis were the National Curricular Guidelines (Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais – DCN), the program’s curriculum itself and the professors’ teaching plans. A protocol was worked out for the semi-structured interviews. The participants were one official of the institution, two assistant coordinators and eight professors of Business Administration. Three companies that select and allocate human resources in Brasília also participated in the study. The comparison and analysis of the collected data (i) suggest that the undergraduate programs, in a general way, are not able to foster the kind of professional abilities, skills and competencies required by the labor market; (ii) reveal conceptual differences between skills and competencies; (iii) indicate that the curricula follow the DCN and that the analyzed institution attempts to include in its curricula relevant contents in order to successfully esintegrate its graduates in the labor market. Some professors have difficulties in trying to contribute to the curricular modernization proposed by the institution.

Keywords: curriculum, business administration, competencies, skills.