The Business Academy: A Dynamic Capabilities Approach to First-Year Business Curriculum Integration

Abstract

Business schools continue to face challenges in delivering truly interdisciplinary education, particularly in the first year of undergraduate study. While students are often told that knowledge and skills acquired in individual courses are transferable, the reality is that curricula remain fragmented and discipline-bound. Existing integration efforts typically involve the inclusion of external themes such as sustainability or employability, rather than fostering genuine course-to-course knowledge exchange. In this article, we introduce the “Business Academy” model: an interdisciplinary, co-curricular framework designed to integrate first-year business education through the use of dynamic capabilities theory. This model leverages a suite of business case profiles (BCPs) that students select during orientation and apply across core courses throughout their first year. The BCPs serve as a unifying context, promoting intellectual coherence, peer learning, and a sense of belonging. We present the design principles underpinning the model, detail its implementation in a regional Australian business school, and evaluate its impact on student engagement and learning outcomes. Our findings contribute to the discourse on curriculum integration by offering a scalable, resource-efficient model that challenges disciplinary silos and fosters early development of business acumen.