Narrating Profit: How Business Education Reproduces Hegemonic Economic Paradigms

Narrating Profit: How Business Education Reproduces Hegemonic Economic Paradigms | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Narrating Profit: How Business Education Reproduces Hegemonic Economic Paradigms Sanne Albers This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Narratives are increasingly recognised as powerful tools for shaping economic imaginaries and enabling transformative change. Yet in business education, narrative capital is frequently, and often unconsciously, mobilised to reproduce hegemonic paradigms centred on rational self-interest and profit maximisation. Although narratives receive growing attention in business education research, they are usually addressed conceptually. To date, no large-scale study has explored how they function in everyday teaching. Drawing on narratology, this study analyses full-lecture transcripts of a business programme at a university in Rotterdam, focusing on plot, events, and narration. The discourse often relies on vague and ostensibly positive formulations, such as “adding value,” which obscure the concrete consequences of business practices. While the narrative structure is, in principle, open to both prioritising social benefit and prioritising financial gain, the analysis shows that when operationalised through actors’ actions and motivations, the latter overwhelmingly overshadows the former. At the extreme, this orientation can go so far as to legitimise manipulation and exploitation. In terms of narration, rhetorical strategies normalise reductive views of human nature, while directive questions guide students toward predetermined responses. In this way, narrative capital is mobilised less for critical exploration than for reinforcing established logics, with even educators critical of such paradigms reproducing them through their framing. Transforming business education must therefore begin at the core, by helping educators recognise and rethink how their narrative capital is deployed, and the ideological assumptions embedded in foundational teaching. JEL Classification A22 · B41 · Q01 narrative capital business education economic narratives sustainability narratology value creation 1 Introduction Narratives are increasingly recognised as powerful forces in shaping economic imaginaries and expanding the horizon of what is politically and socially possible (Michalopoulos & Xue, 2021 ). In the case of business education, Hofman-Bergholm ( 2022 ) argues sustainable storytelling can help students reconnect to nature, to compensate for the ‘ecological illiteracy’ of growing urban populations. Jørgensen & Strand ( 2011 ) similarly suggest that storytelling “ teach[es] management students how to deal responsibly with the complexities, contradictions and value conflicts inherent in affairs of the world ” (p. 3). More broadly, educational research highlights that narratives and metaphors are central devices through which worldviews are communicated and internalised (Kaal & Hanne, 2018 ). They not only convey disciplinary assumptions but also contribute to the formation of students’ identities, often in ways that remain tacit or unspoken (Tilley, 2024 ). While narratives can foster such engagement, they also risk becoming static, reinforcing entrenched assumptions and limiting innovation (Bruni, 2021 ). Dominant economic principles, such as profit maximisation, endless economic growth, and rational self-interest, have been shown to perpetuate systemic crises rather than resolve them (Stiglitz, 2019; Mazzucato, 2021 ; Carbone, McCarthy & Touboulic, 2025 ; Csillag, Király, Rakovics & Géring, 2022 ; Jackson, 2016 ). Challenging these narratives is therefore essential for addressing today’s interconnected “polycrisis” of climate breakdown, inequality, and democratic erosion (Lawrence et al., 2024 ; Steffen et al., 2015 ; Raworth, 2017 ). Understanding how such narratives operate in practice is critical to fostering more responsible and transformative business education. Shanks ( 2018 , 2020 ) has taken important steps in this direction, showing that even lecturers critical of neoliberal paradigms often convey reductive assumptions of human behaviour as rational, self-interested utility maximisers (2018). He emphasises that ‘starting points matter’: the foundational assumptions presented at the outset of a curriculum strongly shape how students understand and engage with business concepts throughout their studies. Without engagement with counter-narratives, these foundational teachings, rooted in hegemonic neoliberal frameworks, risk dehumanisation and leave students ill-prepared to critically navigate economic systems (2020). Although narratives have received increasing attention in business education research, they are frequently treated at a conceptual level, with few studies examining their actual enactment in classroom practice. Roos and Reccius ( 2024 ) note that narrative analysis in economics is often conflated with merely identifying topics. To date, no study known to the author has sought to construct a representative ‘cross section’ of the ongoing narrative of business education. This article employs insights from narratology to offer a first systematic exploration of these narratives in practice. Drawing on transcripts of full lectures from the first block of a business programme at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, it analyses plot, events, and narration. 2 Methodology In Analyzing Social Narratives , Shenhav ( 2015 ) delves into the workings and possibilities for analysing social narratives. He defines social narratives as narratives that are “ adopted by a group and its individual members and tell something about that group ” (p. 1). Narratives thereby have a sense-making function and give direction to “ people’s perception of social reality ” (p. 2). Central to Shenhav’s understanding of social narratives lies the concept of ‘multiplicity’, which encompasses the ways in which social narratives are reproduced throughout society in different forms. Business education can be considered as part of a social narrative that, over time, has become institutionalised in business schools. Scholars increasingly argue that business schools have become key sites for the institutionalisation of neoliberalism, where market rationality, profit-maximisation, and individual self-interest are reproduced as taken-for-granted norms (Starkey, 2025 ; Singhal & Davis, 2023 ; Carbone, McCarthy & Touboulic, 2025 ; Csillag et al., 2022 ). When text is part of a social narrative, methods from narratology can be used for analysis, such as the analysis of events, characters, plot, and form. Previous studies offer useful, though partial, approaches to educational narratives. Nesi and Alsop ( 2021 ), for example, highlight the significance of “seemingly spontaneous” stories in lectures, showing how such imaginary episodes can elicit moral judgment and shape professional dispositions. Their strict linguistic criteria, however, identify only a handful of fragments per lecture. McNett (2016), by contrast, suggests that entire lectures may be understood as continuous narratives, a perspective aligned with Shenhav’s principle of multiplicity. Building on these insights, I adopt a broader perspective, seeking to capture a more representative cross-section of the ongoing narrative of business education as it unfolds in full lectures. The empirical setting is the bachelor’s programme in International Business at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. The focus is on the first teaching block of the first year, which introduces students to four core subjects: Marketing and Sales (Marketing), Operations and Supply Chain Management (SCM), Finance and Accounting (Finance), and Organisation and People (O&P). This block was chosen because “starting points matter” (Shanks, 2020 ): the initial framing of business subjects sets the tone for the remainder of the programme and provides an early site where assumptions about the nature and purpose of business are likely to be articulated. In addition to these courses, the analysis includes the introductory “kick-off” week. Data were collected through audio recordings of lectures, captured in the normal course of teaching to minimise disruption. Recordings were transcribed (AI-assisted and manually verified) and coded using Atlas.ti. In total, the dataset comprises 27 lectures, each lasting between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, taught by 18 different lecturers, representing 70% of the staff teaching in the first block. Coding was designed to capture how narratives take shape in practice. Building on narratological categories, I developed an approach that treats lectures as continuous narratives rather than as a collection of isolated stories. I analyse the teaching materials using three narratological dimensions: plot, actor–action–motivation sequences, and narration, providing a lens that captures both the breadth of overarching narrative arcs and the depth of specific narrative mechanisms. The coding focused on three complementary dimensions, which will be explained further below: (1) causal structures and values that explicitly engage with the plot , (2) sequences linking actors, actions, and motivations that make up narrative events , and (3) rhetorical devices through which lecturers position themselves and their students in the act of narration . This tripartite framework allows for a systematic exploration of how business education narratives are articulated, while leaving space in the analysis to show how these dimensions intersect in classroom discourse. In addition to the lecture materials, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the lecturers responsible for the course. These interviews served to contextualise the narratives I found in the teaching materials, providing insight into the lecturers’ intentions, framing choices, and reflections on student reception. While the analysis primarily focuses on the course content itself, the interview data offer an important complementary perspective. The study is exploratory in scope, focusing on a single block within one programme. Its contribution lies in moving narrative research in business education from conceptual discussion to empirical analysis, and in proposing a first step toward a systematic framework for capturing the ongoing narratives of classroom practice. By rendering these narratives visible, the study seeks to provide a foundation for future research aimed at reorienting business education toward more constructive paradigms. Plot: Framing the Purpose of International Business If business education is analysed as a social narrative, then it is first useful to look at elements where the central plot is explicitly discussed. In narrative analysis, a plot refers to “ the ways in which the events and characters’ actions in a story are arranged ” (Shenhav, 2015 ). Unlike a mere sequence of events, a plot introduces causality and meaning. Through this process of emplotment , narratives imbue events with ideological and moral significance by drawing on preexisting plot types. Building on this understanding, the analysis of plot in this study examines the causal structures and value orientations that organise the business curriculum. In educational narratives, plot refers not only to the sequencing of lecture content but also to the ways teaching materials and examples are arranged to express the purpose and rationale of business education. Analysing plot in this broader sense shows how lecturers frame the fundamental orientation of a programme or course, whether in terms of profit-making, value creation, or broader social responsibility, and in doing so reveals the ideological foundations on which the narrative of business education rests. A good place to start an analysis of the plot is the National Qualifications Framework (Reeb-Gruber & van Gulik, 2023 ), which defines Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for all International Business programs in the Netherlands. The first PLO can be considered to be the ‘main learning goal’, and reads: The IB professional defines international business opportunities and recommends possible strategies for the organisation to create sustainable multi-sided value for stakeholders (p. 15). The framework elaborates on the concept of multi-sided value for stakeholders as follows: IB professionals always consider social, ecological, ethical, economic and cultural aspects, they conduct impact analyses of the possible strategies both on the local (foreign) society and the organisation itself in order to determine which are viable, desirable and sustainable (p. 15). These excerpts from the PLO framework reflect the “plot” of the International Business curriculum, articulating both the purpose of the programme and the values it seeks to instil. The PLO statements define the professional actions expected of graduates and explicitly situate these actions within ethical, social, ecological, and cultural considerations. These learning goals are supposed to be operationalised through curriculum committees and course developers, ultimately reaching the classroom. Throughout the programme, the PLOs serve as criteria for evaluation, culminating in a portfolio of assessments designed to demonstrate that students have achieved the intended learning outcomes. Turning to classroom practice, one might expect a kick-off lesson to engage explicitly with the overarching “plot” of the programme. In practice, however, the session presents a markedly different plot, one organised around financial outcome. While procedural matters such as assessment expectations dominate, all three lecturers briefly ask students what they understand by international business. Rather than discussing the broader purpose or values of the field, the conversation centres on components of international business, such as cross-cultural communication, transportation, or finance. The definition provided on a slide reads: International business encompasses all commercial activities that take place to promote the transfer of goods, services, resources, people, ideas and technologies across national boundaries (Slides, Kick-off Introduction to IB). Rather than offering a definition that frames a narrative plot, this statement functions more as a description of scope. Only the use of the verb “promote” hints at a purposive orientation, but otherwise it lacks reference to goals, conflicts, or directions of action. Multi-sided value or stakeholder considerations are absent, and when goals are discussed, they are almost exclusively financial. For instance, when a student mentions making money, the lecturer responds: You get richer, and that's what we go for. We want to get lots of products or services sold (Kick-off). When marketing is discussed, another lecturer reinforces this emphasis: Marketing. Very good. Because we want to have as many people that want to buy our stuff (Kick-off). A third lecturer explicitly dismisses broader ethical or social goals, referring to them as a secondary concern: Profit, right? At the end of the day, business, you know, there's nice stories around it to help the environment and all kinds of things. But in the end of the day, it's about profit, yes? (Kick-off) These examples suggest that the kick-off lesson enacts a different plot in which activities are oriented toward financial gain. It omits broader ethical, social, and ecological dimensions, posing profit as the central organising principle. The four subjects each foreground different aspects of the overarching plot. Marketing classes most clearly foreground plot elements, emphasising that business actors must ‘ create value to capture value in return, while SCM, O&P, and Finance focus more on procedural knowledge, efficiency, or financial assessment. Even so, discussions of why-questions and broader ethical or social considerations are limited, and, as we will see in the detailed analysis below, profit repeatedly emerges as the primary organising principle. A pattern that contrasts with the programme’s emphasis on multi-sided value. Looking more closely at these explicit discussions of the plot in business education, two distinctive ultimate goals can be distinguished: either to ‘add’ value or to ‘capture’ it. Whereas PLO 1 clearly positions ‘adding value’ as the ultimate goal, lecturers in classrooms repeatedly make profit their ultimate objective. This tension between the intended learning outcomes and the classroom enactment highlights the importance of examining how the concept of value is communicated and operationalised in practice. Events: Actor–Action–Motivation Sequences In narratology, an event is an action, performed by an actor, which moves the story forward. In classrooms, lecturers constantly bring to life imaginary characters to illustrate concepts or theories. Nesi and Alsop ( 2021 ) analyse imaginary stories as part of a lecturer’s repertoire. To them, these stories are not just “ entertaining interludes ” (p. 1), but important parts of lecturers’ repertoire to engage students, explain highly abstract concepts, or “ elicit ‘moral judgement ’” (p. 2). Nesi and Alsop identify several linguistic markers through which imaginary stories emerge in classrooms, which all occurred frequently in the data. If-clauses introduce hypothetical scenarios, such as “ if you are a heavy, capital-intensive industry like steelmaking or car manufacturing, you need a lot of money” (Finance, lesson 3) The non-generic ‘you’ addresses students or hypothetical actors directly, for example, “ You are the manager, and you have to decide who reports to whom” (O&P, lesson 3). The inclusive ‘we’ positions lecturers and students as part of the unfolding narrative, as in “ We have to think about how consumers interpret this advertisement ” (Marketing, lesson 2). Finally, the eternal present frames events as occurring in the present moment, even if hypothetical: “The consumer sees the ad, evaluates the message, and decides whether to buy” (Marketing, lesson 1). These linguistic devices collectively enable lecturers to enact classroom narratives that engage students in moral reasoning and professional judgment. Whereas Nesi and Alsop ( 2021 ) employ strict linguistic criteria to identify hypothetical stories, they also acknowledge McNett’s (2016) argument that entire lectures can be regarded as ongoing narratives, an idea that aligns with Shenhav’s ( 2015 ) discussion of multiplicity. Building on these insights, the present study seeks to capture a more comprehensive cross-section of the ongoing narrative in business education. Rather than focusing on a limited set of isolated fragments, it adopts a systematic approach centred on actors, actions, and motivations as they appear throughout the narrative. In practice, every instance in the transcribed lectures in which an actor appears is coded for three elements: (1) the actor, (2) the action performed, and (3) the underlying motivation. This produces Actor-Action-Motivation (AAM) sequences, which serve as the basis for co-occurrence analyses that reveal relationships among these elements. For example, when ‘business owners’ (actor) ‘sell’ (action), what are the associated motivations? Or, when ‘consumers’ (actor) ‘solve their problems’ (motivation), what are common actions? This approach enables a systematic mapping of how business education narratives construct meaning through the interplay of actors, actions, and motivations. The analysis of AAM sequences reveals how business education constructs narratives as chains of causally linked actions and motivations. For example, businesses conduct market research (action) to better understand potential customers (motivation); they then analyse these customers (action) to determine positioning and strategy (motivation); and finally, they implement strategies and position themselves in the market (action) in order to sell (motivation). Notably, the same elements may appear as both ‘actions’ and ‘motivations’ depending on the stage of the sequence under discussion. Many AAM sequences operate entirely within this internal logic of the business process, without explicitly referencing broader or ultimate goals. Illustrative examples from the lectures include: The team of [a fictional company that is used as a case throughout block 1] have done a fairly robust job on understanding the new marketplace context, so as to decide where to focus and, most importantly, how to tailor the right product portfolio (Marketing, lesson 3). When I launch a new brand. What do I do? The first thing I do is I want to communicate to my customers: here is this new brand of laptops. It's fancy. It does better than HP, does better than Apple, and so on. Right? (Marketing, lesson 1) And you need raw materials or components from Asia, from China or whatever Asian country to produce, or from Japan. […] And that means you have to ship them. Yeah. You have to bring them to Europe. Sometimes by plane, sometimes by ship. Yeah. (SCM, lesson 1). Building on these AAM sequences, it becomes apparent that while lecturers do not explicitly frame the narrative around a singular goal, the internal logic of the business process channels actions toward an overarching orientation. Actions such as conducting market research, managing logistics, overseeing personnel, positioning, communicating, and selling function as intermediate steps that cumulatively push the narrative in a particular direction. Each sequence could, in principle, serve either of the two versions of the plot discussed earlier; creating multi-sided value for society or capturing value for the organisation. Yet the way these steps are arranged implicitly steers the educational narrative toward one of these endpoints. In the following section, I turn to the concept of value, analysing how actions are framed in terms of adding or capturing it. 2.1 Value Marketing classes make the most references to the concept of value. ‘Adding value’ is repeatedly presented as the ultimate goal of marketing or doing business more generally. One lecturer even has a ritual in which he asks students, “In what kind of business are we?” to which students must reply, “The value-adding business.” While in some instances, value is loosely defined in ways that align with the notion of multi-sided value—one lecturer clarifies, “For instance: helping out people” (Marketing, lesson 3)—the meaning of ‘adding value’ is often left unresolved. For example: The main model? It's this. Yes, this is the main model. If we understand who we are, as a business, we add value to the other person. And this is what we get back: recurring and retaining, um, value. In a business school, we are all about this concept (Marketing, lesson 3). AAM sequences serve to concretise these otherwise vague notions. By examining the actions and motivations of hypothetical actors, it becomes apparent how lecturers operationalise abstract concepts such as value. Analysis of these sequences shows that ‘adding value’ is predominantly presented as a means of capturing value in return. Linguistically, it is often used interchangeably with generating profit, and in many instances, ‘adding value’ appears to refer primarily to value for the company rather than broader stakeholders. For example: So how do you... the value that you've created... and that value could be in [different forms]. But it has to reach the customer. Without reaching the customer. You know, you're not really delivering the value. Now, how do you make the customer receive that value? How do you deliver that value? (Marketing, lesson 3). Another interaction highlights the same dynamic: Lecturer Okay. Marketing is about creating value for customers, with strong relationships, and capturing value. It's all about the money. Strong relationships, someone else also mentioned it. Why is it important to have a good relationship with your customers? […] Student Make sure your customers come back specifically to buy your product. Lecturer Yeah, that's very important. Good answer. (Marketing, lesson 1) Value is further discussed in lesson 2, particularly in the context of pricing strategies. One lecturer emphasises ‘value-based pricing,’ explaining that the price should reflect what customers perceive as the product’s worth, contrasting it with ‘cost-based pricing,’ which is called “ a little outdated .” Aspects of multi-sided value, such as environmental care, are even presented primarily as branding strategies: So, let's see, the pricing strategy. They say the price you have to set is the ‘right’ price, that means: to maximise. The important part is: Maximise sales and profit and deliver maximum value. Yeah, it could be that you can price your product low, so that people buy it. But if you price your product higher and people are still willing to pay for it, yeah, that is the opportunity, you can gain more (Marketing, lesson 2). Another option you have is to raise the perceived value. So, you still keep the same price, but you make people think... or believe it's worth spending more. [...]. It could be because you [say you] care about... I don't know, the environment, something, something higher quality (Marketing, lesson 2). Overall, these operationalisations show that, although ‘adding value’ is framed as the ultimate goal, in practice it functions primarily as a means of capturing value. In most cases, value is interpreted financially, as something a customer is willing (or can be persuaded) to pay for. The AAM sequences illuminate how hypothetical actors, actions, and motivations concretely structure this orientation in the educational narrative, clarifying the implicit logic behind seemingly abstract concepts. 2.2 Problems, needs and wants Another important aspect of the narrative is how it is initially triggered: the starting point that sets in motion the subsequent chain of events. In theory, if the ultimate goal of the business process were to create multi-sided value, this starting point would involve identifying genuine societal or individual needs. In practice, Marketing classes frame this as ‘understanding customer needs’. However, when capturing value for the organisation is the implicit orientation, any desire or “want”, including so-called latent needs, can serve as a valid starting point for business action. Lecturers emphasise that part of the marketer’s role is to uncover these latent needs, needs that customers are unaware of, thereby initiating a sequence of actions that moves away from societal benefit.. And remember, there are times when customers may not even know what they want. You as a marketing person, it is your job to analyse that data, synthesise it, and go beyond, to discover latent needs. What are latent needs? Latent needs are those which the customer doesn't even know he or she has, right? It's your job to discover them because then you can add... create added value (Marketing, lesson 1). Lecturers frequently illustrate the starting points of the narrative through examples of psychological and persuasive tactics, emphasising how marketers are expected to influence, or even manipulate, consumer behaviour to generate demand. A video shown in class clarifies this point, noting that while products are produced in factories, brands are “ created in the mind” (Marketing, lesson 1). The video further explains that, despite perceiving themselves as rational decision-makers, consumers are largely guided by the instinctive, subconscious parts of the brain, referred to as the “ reptilian brain ”. This framing reinforces the notion that initiating business actions often involves shaping desires and perceptions, rather than responding to genuine societal or individual needs. In several cases, this framing encourages the creation of desire or manipulates consumer perception, as illustrated in class examples such as: “ You got the interest. Now, we would like you to desire me . (Marketing, lesson 3, emphasis by lecturer)” In other instances, lecturers emphasise the necessity of influencing consumer attention through aggressive marketing, noting that: Because today there is such a cluttered environment with so many ads that you have to actually force your way into the consumer's mind, into the consumer's consciousness to stay relevant, to stay top of mind. Right? (Marketing, lesson 3) These examples highlight how the starting points of the narrative can implicitly normalise strategies that prioritise organisational gain over ethical or societal considerations. Interviews conducted with the lecturers revealed that they often expressed personal concerns about unbridled consumerism, manipulative marketing tactics, and material waste. However, when teaching foundational Marketing classes, they frequently, perhaps unconsciously, reinforce narratives of profit-maximisation without attending to stakeholders, ethical consequences, or broader societal and environmental effects. 2.3 Efficiency vs exploitation In the middle of the narrative chain, courses such as SCM and O&P introduce concepts like effectiveness, efficiency, and the reduction of “waste.” Finance classes frame the subject largely instrumentally, focusing on compliance, assuring investors, and generating data to optimise decision-making. While these concepts could theoretically support multi-sided value creation: satisfying customers, protecting the environment, and fostering employee well-being, they are again frequently framed in ways that implicitly prioritise organisational gain. An analysis of the classroom discourse shows that actions such as reducing labour costs or aggressively pursuing resources are presented without reference to ethical considerations, stakeholder impacts, or environmental consequences. One lecturer discusses the currency crisis in Turkey solely as a business opportunity, even though a student in the room remarks that the situation there is ‘very bad’ (Kick-off lesson). Several SCM lessons discuss resources that people fight over around the world, such as mines in Indonesia, without discussing neo-colonial or other ethical aspects. Another example: Lecturer GE has also opened up their new factory, I think about ten years ago um, in India. […] What would you think could be the benefits? Student Cheap physical labour. Everything is cheap. Lecturer […] A lot cheaper. Yeah. (SCM, lesson 2) In several classes, students ask questions about social or environmental issues, but lecturers generally disregard such remarks or affirm that is indeed a ‘good point’, without further addressing it. For example. In two different classes, students point towards issues with lithium batteries in electronic vehicles after lecturers use these as examples of sustainability. In both cases, lecturers disregard students’ concerns. This is one example: Lecturer : If you look at the value proposition of Tesla, very clear: electric vehicle premium for people who are ecologically-minded, have sustainability at their mind, right? Student But what about those lithium batteries? Lecturer Yeah. Okay. Well, that's another discussion altogether. Student Ahh, fair enough (Marketing, lesson 1). These patterns in AAM sequences indicate that, within the narrative of these courses, the internal logic of efficiency and operational optimisation functions largely to facilitate profit-oriented outcomes rather than multi-sided value. Even when students raise ethical or environmental concerns, the narrative subtly channels attention back toward organisational efficiency and gains, reinforcing a profit-driven plot. Narration: How the story of business is told The final dimension of narratological analysis considered here, following plot and AAM-event analysis, is narration. That is, how the narrative is communicated in the classroom. As discussed above, narratives can be employed to foster empathy, imagination, or transformative thinking. The preceding analyses have shown that the content of the business education narrative does not generally move in these directions; this section demonstrates how rhetorical strategies are deployed to guide students toward compliance with hegemonic theories, rather than encouraging creativity or critical reflection. Orvell, Kross, and Gelman ( 2017 , 2018 ) highlight that the use of the “generic you” can normalise particular behaviours or suggest universal truths. This pattern is pervasive in the data: many hypothetical events in business classes are framed with generic you’s, instructing students on what constitutes the appropriate course of action in a given situation. Perhaps the most consistent mechanism for enforcing normative compliance is the frequent, seemingly innocuous use of the word “right” at the end of a statement. While “right” can simply indicate obviousness, in the classroom data, it often follows statements involving ethical or normative judgments or conclusions about human behaviour. For example: So are you willing to pay a little bit more money [for] towels [when] the towels are produced sustainably, or we make sure no child labour is involved. Are you willing to pay a few euro more for a towel that has no child labour? Fair trade? Sustainable? I think most of you will say yes. [...] But in reality, people, when they buy clothes, they buy the cheapest one, right ? They forget all about the sustainability, the fair trade, child labour. Yeah, that's what happens sometimes. Okay. Um, and it makes sense, right ? Because people without a lot of money, students, they buy the cheapest version. They want to be fashionable. And... ok (Marketing, lesson 3). Another common rhetorical strategy involves posing directive questions to students. While questions could be used to encourage multiple perspectives and creativity, lecturers often ask questions to elicit specific, desired answers. If the initial responses do not align, the question is repeated or reframed until the student conforms. A striking example comes from a Marketing lecturer who opens the first lesson with a twenty-minute exercise asking students to imagine a world without marketing. Initially, students offer diverse and imaginative perspectives. They mention how such a world would be quieter, less distracting, how they would end up with more money at the end of the month, and how they would judge the quality of a product with their own senses. The lecturer reluctantly acknowledges these as “interesting perspectives” but then guides the discussion toward a predetermined conclusion, repeatedly prompting students until they arrive at statements such as “companies would not have the incentive to innovate,” effectively channelling the discussion toward a particular outcome: Yes. I doubt if the, uh, there is much marketing or branding activity in North Korea. The state controls everything, the erstwhile USSR… And anyone from Eastern European countries? Talk to your parents or grandparents. Do you... have you read about what happened in the 50s? In the 60s? Yeah. What? So, talk about it. Tell me […] Yes. It is a different world today […] even Russia has brands. It's a different world. Why is it different? Because it opened up. And one of the big things that opening up implied was a lot of communication, which included a lot of marketing, communication, a lot of choices. Marketing leads to choices for people (Marketing, lesson 1) Similarly, in another instance, a lecturer frames a question about transportation preferences in a way that subtly signals the “correct” answer: Lecturer And if you want to get from A to B, what kind of transportation would you prefer? Student Bus. Lecturer Bus okay... The wrong answer. Haha. Student Bike? Lecturer Bike... well.... Students Or... a taxi? Lecturer Guys... Every time I ask this question, someone says, I want to do this in a Ferrari, right? I want to get from... to my school with an expensive car. Or I had a class this morning and it was a Rolls-Royce. Okay, imagine that's your answer, right? I want to have some transportation I want. Yeah. Ferrari is a good idea, right? Yeah. Okay (Marketing, lesson 1). These examples illustrate that, through seemingly minor rhetorical devices, generic you’s, directive questioning, and strategic use of “right”, lecturers shape the narrative to guide student reasoning and behaviour toward hegemonic understandings, limiting the potential for imaginative or critical engagement with alternative perspectives. 3 Multi-sided value creation Examples of multi-sided value are not entirely absent from the narrative. Lecturers occasionally invoke phrases such as “solving problems” or “helping people,” suggesting that business activity could extend beyond organisational gain. However, when examined through the lens of AAM sequences, operationalisations of these concepts are extremely rare. Hypothetical actors within the narrative rarely perform actions motivated by multi-sided value, highlighting the limited presence of multi-sided value in the educational narrative. The clearest instances of multi-sided value occurred in a few isolated cases. For example, a video shown in class on the founding of Oatly illustrated that the company’s founders sought to solve a problem affecting a broad population rather than solely generating profit: Our founders just figured, like, okay, if the vast majority of the world population are intolerant to milk, why don't we make something that is actually designed for human beings, not baby cows? (Marketing, lesson 3) Similarly, in the fictional solar panel company case study used throughout the block, a manager described the satisfaction of addressing social and environmental needs: I personally feel energised that we can solve their problem and become more sustainable also in that part of the world (Marketing, lesson 1). The first lesson of O&P defines organisations as group of people to meet certain objectives or serve a purpose. One lecturer gives an example of such a purpose: That is the purpose of the Tesla organisation? Right, to develop electrical vehicles […] make a contribution to the environment. Okay (O&P, lesson 1). Stakeholders were mentioned only twice in the data. In a finance class, the lecturer referred exclusively to shareholders as the primary stakeholders (Finance, lesson 1). By contrast, in SCM a lecturer framed stakeholder engagement as “ the ethical part ” of business, contrasting past business education, which emphasised only shareholder profit, with contemporary expectations to consider a broader range of interests. These included employees and their opportunities for growth, suppliers reliant on the firm, consumers in both B2B and B2C markets, local communities living near production sites, and environmental impacts such as emissions (SCM, lesson 1). Beyond these examples, a few lecturers went further to critically evaluate business practices, mostly in Supply Chain Management courses. These instances are distinct in style: lecturers avoid the generic “you” and the normative “right,” instead presenting ideas cautiously and emphasising personal opinion or curricular limitations: But anyway, what I want to say… and that's very important for the near future for you, although to a certain extent it's not, let's say, fully integrated in this program. But if we talk about finance and accounting and cost price, you know, you base your cost price on [certain elements]. But the real cost price of products, if you take into consideration the social cost... So how much emission does it create? Yeah. How much, uh, other unethical behaviour… […] Then you would argue the price is not okay. Then we should apply a better price. But that's something that is not yet covered in our program. But that's something. Uh, food for thought for you guys. Yeah… (SCM, lesson 1). But like I said, you know, I find the whole fashion industry old-fashioned, the way they have organised themselves and the way they manage their supply chains, etc., etc. Okay, probably Zara is a good case, but, you know, still they overproduce. And if you look at the footprint […] you can argue. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. But okay that's also my personal opinion. Then you probably have a different opinion on this. Yeah. Okay (SCM, lesson 1). Interviews with these lecturers confirmed that they often feel self-conscious when discussing explicit ethical or societal issues in class, because they did not want to impose their views on the students and felt ethical issues belonged elsewhere in the curriculum. They were just “explaining the basics”. While they expressed uneasiness with these topics, it became apparent that they did not fully recognise the ethical implications embedded in their usual teaching practices. While these examples demonstrate that multi-sided value is conceptually present in the curriculum, AAM sequence analysis shows that operationalisations are rare; such sequences remain exceptional compared to the dominant profit-driven narrative, and they are communicated more carefully than AAM sequences that are in line with hegemonic economic theories. 4 Conclusion Narratives hold significant potential to transform business education, fostering forms of economics that address systemic crises rather than reinforcing them. Narratives are not only present in explicit sense-making moments; entire lessons, courses, and curricula operate as ongoing narratives. This study has demonstrated how methods from narratology can provide deeper insight into the implicit messages of business education. Three different angles were employed: (1) a plot analysis to trace explicit “why” questions, (2) AAM sequence analysis to map events and motivations as a more comprehensive cross-section and operationalisation of the ongoing narrative, and (3) a narration analysis to examine rhetorical form. While most narrative elements could in principle be oriented toward creating multi-sided value for a range of stakeholders, they most often function to normalise processes culminating in capturing value for the organisation. Explicit references to the programme’s stated learning outcomes, such as sustainable, ethical, and multi-sided value creation, were rare in classroom practice. Instead, lectures and examples overwhelmingly presented profit maximisation, cost reduction, growth, and, at times, strategies involving manipulation or exploitation as the ultimate aims of business activity. Even when lecturers introduced ideas such as “solving problems” or “helping people,” these were rarely operationalised in AAM sequences and were quickly subsumed under the dominant profit-driven logic. The clarity of this underlying plot is captured in a striking quotation from a kick-off lecture: So, in the end, all these things we learn, right, and marketing, and finance, is how to maximise profit. You know, marketing obviously [is about] how to do market research, how to sell more products, but with the end goal of profits. And to get profits, you need more sales. You need happy customers; you need customer service. All these things are there. But the end goal is always about profits. [That’s] just human nature, right? We always want more (Kick-off). Linguistic and rhetorical strategies, such as the pervasive use of the generic “you”, directive questions, or normalising expressions like “right?,” further reinforced compliance with hegemonic economic assumptions. This normalisation is particularly significant given that these courses form the starting point of a four-year programme and are meant to introduce students to the field of international business. The analysis therefore demonstrates how, from the very beginning of their studies, students are subtly guided into a narrative in which the “natural” purpose of business is framed as maximising profits, with ethical, social, or ecological concerns relegated to the margins. 5 Discussion These findings highlight the disjunction between the official policy framework and the narratives enacted in classroom practice. Interviews with lecturers revealed concerns with consumerism, exploitation, or environmental degradation, yet also showed that many perceived their role as simply “teaching the basics” and postponing ethical considerations until later in the curriculum. This suggests that the profit-driven plot is so deeply institutionalised in economic education that its ethical implications remain largely invisible to those who reproduce it. Moreover, while lecturers appear comfortable reiterating hegemonic economic theories, they often grow hesitant and uncertain when they become aware that the discussion involves ethical issues or alternative narratives. Recognising the narrative nature of business education provides opportunities for change. If narratives shape how students come to understand “what business is,” then consciously constructing alternative narratives can play a central role in transforming business education. Starting points matter: if the earliest courses consistently present business as value capture, later attempts to introduce multi-sided value are likely to be undermined. From the very beginning of the curriculum, ecology, externalities, and stakeholder perspectives should not be optional additions but integral aspects of the business narrative. 6 Finally, lecturers can critically evaluate the stories, cases, and hypothetical examples they bring into the classroom. Rather than reinforcing profit as the inevitable endpoint, they can foreground stories in which businesses are motivated by solving genuine problems, supporting communities, or addressing systemic crises. If storytelling is a pedagogical tool to engage students, then why not draw on lecturers’ narrative capital to tell beautiful stories that harness its transformative potential and expand the scope of business beyond financial gain. Declarations Competing Interests The author declares no competing interests. Ethics Approval The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Commission of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. All participants provided informed consent prior to data collection. Funding This work was supported by the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Author Contribution The author is solely responsible for the conception, design, data collection, analysis, and writing of this article. Data Availability The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions. References Bruni, L. (2021). The economics of values, ideals and organizations (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367762629 Carbone, V., McCarthy, L., & Touboulic, A. (2025). Practically re-imagining business education for sustainability. European Management Journal . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2025.04.015 Csillag, S., Király, G., Rakovics, M., & Géring, Z. (2022). Agents for sustainable futures? The (unfulfilled) promise of sustainability at leading business schools. Futures, 144 , 103044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2022.103044 Hofman-Bergholm, M. (2022). Storytelling as an Educational Tool in Sustainable Education. Sustainability (Switzerland) , 14 (5), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052946 Jackson, T. (2016). Prosperity without growth: Foundations for the economy of tomorrow . Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315673461 Jørgensen, K. M., & Strand, A. M. C. (2011). Towards a storytelling ethics for management education. In C. Wankel & A. Stachowicz-Stanusch (Eds.), Effectively Integrating Ethical Dimensions into Business Education (pp. 253–271). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Kaal, A. A., & Hanne, M. (2018). Narrative and metaphor in education: Look both ways . Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315106822 Lawrence, M., Homer-Dixon, T., Janzwood, S., Rockström, J., Renn, O., & Donges, J. F. (2024). Global Polycrisis: The Causal Mechanisms of Crisis Entanglement. Global Sustainability, 7 , e6. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2024.1 Mazzucato, M. (2021). Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism . Penguin UK. Michalopoulos, S., & Xue, M. (2021). Folklore. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 136 (4), 1993-2046. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjab015 Nesi, H., & Alsop, S. (2021). Stories and scenarios: Lecturers’ use of fantastic hypothetical events. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 53 , Article 101022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101022 Orvell, A., Kross, E., & Gelman, S. A. (2017). How “you” makes meaning. Science, 355 (6331), 1299-1302. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaj2014 Orvell, A., Kross, E., & Gelman, S. A. (2018). That’s how “you” do it: Generic you expresses norms during early childhood. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 165 , 183-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.06.013 Raworth, K. (2017). A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: Humanity’s compass in the 21st century. The Lancet Planetary Health, 1 (2), e48-e49. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30028-1 Reeb-Gruber, A., & van Gulik, J. (2023). National Qualifications Framework – International Business (Standard Quality). Vereniging Hogescholen. Retrieved from https://www.vereniginghogescholen.nl/system/profiles/documents/000/000/319/original/National_Qualifications_Framework_International_Business_(standard_quality).pdf Roos, M., & Reccius, M. (2024). Narratives in economics. Journal of Economic Surveys, 38 (2), 303-341. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12576 Shanks, N. G. (2018). A dominant narrative in economics?: Preservice teachers and pluralism in a social studies methods class. Journal of Social Science Education, 17 (3), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.4119/jsse-880 Shanks, N. (2020). “Starting Points Matter”: Humanizing Economics Pedagogy through New Economic Paradigms. The Social Studies, 111 (6), 296-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2020.1831843 Shenhav, S. R. (2015). Analyzing social narratives . Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819609 Singhal, D., & Davis, M. C. (2023). Rethinking business school education: A call for epistemic humility through reflexivity. Business & Society . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503231208148 Starkey, K. (2025). The business school and the end of history: Reimagining management education. Academy of Management Learning & Education . Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2024.0045 Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., … & Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347 (6223), 1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855 Tilley, M. (2024). The things students don’t say: Theorising Narrative Identity to understand non-traditional students’ experiences in higher education. Australian Educational Researcher, 52 (1), 607-625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00732-1 Wang, L., Malhotra, D., & Murnighan, J. K. (2011). Economics education and greed. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10 (4), 643-660. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.10.4.zqr643 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 22 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 13 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Oct, 2025 Reviews received at journal 16 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 17 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 17 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 15 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7619714","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":527490560,"identity":"8cbcd181-da4b-4650-b41e-3a892df56f23","order_by":0,"name":"Sanne Albers","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAApklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACxsMgkl8CRBYQqQesRXIGiDQgRYvBDWK1yDcwPzhcUHHP3vh27wPmAmK0GBxgMzg840xx4rY7xw2YZxClBYgO87YlJJjdSGNg5iHOYewfDvP+S7A3nkGsFoYDPEBbGhIYN0gQq8XgME/B4RnHEhJnAB12mDiHtbdvfFxQk2DPPyON8TFPBTEOY0Z2JDEaRsEoGAWjYBQQAQDkPjA4PcPGwwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sanne","middleName":"","lastName":"Albers","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-09-15 10:53:37","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":93665266,"identity":"a4dfb8cb-d7a3-4adf-b996-b11dbb1b5c81","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 08:54:01","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":60830,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AlbersNarratingProfitManuscript.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/13708eb7704e29dd44c31c4b.docx"},{"id":93664220,"identity":"a3783f11-2e97-4ca7-88b2-60d34bc78d76","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 08:46:01","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":3597,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"67e9dfe234f44a139747206eddc58ab5.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/a89e22531ab3d6de8b576b7f.json"},{"id":93664222,"identity":"0fbeaf54-fb3f-499b-bf58-26817e276002","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 08:46:01","extension":"xml","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":84486,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"67e9dfe234f44a139747206eddc58ab51enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/91dc0542cc572d4de381bbd9.xml"},{"id":93665268,"identity":"00c3ef0a-b582-47b0-83f7-505bc7ec456c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 08:54:01","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":83666,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"67e9dfe234f44a139747206eddc58ab51structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/3351d025ae81f1726af1a6bf.xml"},{"id":93664224,"identity":"3e767e7b-8539-4361-9ccc-3c57dbce73a6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 08:46:01","extension":"html","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":88896,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/91ef0413e4d277b9633656e7.html"},{"id":93665783,"identity":"ca0cf7e0-fb17-4997-a0c7-ccd7805ff712","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-16 09:02:01","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":488129,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7619714/v1/c99ff82f-65f7-4a04-a7fb-8523145524d8.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Narrating Profit: How Business Education Reproduces Hegemonic Economic Paradigms","fulltext":[{"header":"1 Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eNarratives are increasingly recognised as powerful forces in shaping economic imaginaries and expanding the horizon of what is politically and socially possible (Michalopoulos \u0026amp; Xue, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). In the case of business education, Hofman-Bergholm (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) argues sustainable storytelling can help students reconnect to nature, to compensate for the \u0026lsquo;ecological illiteracy\u0026rsquo; of growing urban populations. J\u0026oslash;rgensen \u0026amp; Strand (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) similarly suggest that storytelling \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eteach[es] management students how to deal responsibly with the complexities, contradictions and value conflicts inherent in affairs of the world\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (p. 3). More broadly, educational research highlights that narratives and metaphors are central devices through which worldviews are communicated and internalised (Kaal \u0026amp; Hanne, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e). They not only convey disciplinary assumptions but also contribute to the formation of students\u0026rsquo; identities, often in ways that remain tacit or unspoken (Tilley, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). While narratives can foster such engagement, they also risk becoming static, reinforcing entrenched assumptions and limiting innovation (Bruni, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDominant economic principles, such as profit maximisation, endless economic growth, and rational self-interest, have been shown to perpetuate systemic crises rather than resolve them (Stiglitz, 2019; Mazzucato, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Carbone, McCarthy \u0026amp; Touboulic, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e; Csillag, Kir\u0026aacute;ly, Rakovics \u0026amp; G\u0026eacute;ring, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Jackson, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Challenging these narratives is therefore essential for addressing today\u0026rsquo;s interconnected \u0026ldquo;polycrisis\u0026rdquo; of climate breakdown, inequality, and democratic erosion (Lawrence et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Steffen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Raworth, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Understanding how such narratives operate in practice is critical to fostering more responsible and transformative business education.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShanks (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) has taken important steps in this direction, showing that even lecturers critical of neoliberal paradigms often convey reductive assumptions of human behaviour as rational, self-interested utility maximisers (2018). He emphasises that \u0026lsquo;starting points matter\u0026rsquo;: the foundational assumptions presented at the outset of a curriculum strongly shape how students understand and engage with business concepts throughout their studies. Without engagement with counter-narratives, these foundational teachings, rooted in hegemonic neoliberal frameworks, risk dehumanisation and leave students ill-prepared to critically navigate economic systems (2020).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough narratives have received increasing attention in business education research, they are frequently treated at a conceptual level, with few studies examining their actual enactment in classroom practice. Roos and Reccius (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) note that narrative analysis in economics is often conflated with merely identifying topics. To date, no study known to the author has sought to construct a representative \u0026lsquo;cross section\u0026rsquo; of the ongoing narrative of business education. This article employs insights from narratology to offer a first systematic exploration of these narratives in practice. Drawing on transcripts of full lectures from the first block of a business programme at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, it analyses plot, events, and narration.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2 Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eAnalyzing Social Narratives\u003c/em\u003e, Shenhav (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) delves into the workings and possibilities for analysing social narratives. He defines social narratives as narratives that are \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eadopted by a group and its individual members and tell something about that group\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (p. 1). Narratives thereby have a sense-making function and give direction to \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003epeople\u0026rsquo;s perception of social reality\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (p. 2).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCentral to Shenhav\u0026rsquo;s understanding of social narratives lies the concept of \u0026lsquo;multiplicity\u0026rsquo;, which encompasses the ways in which social narratives are reproduced throughout society in different forms. Business education can be considered as part of a social narrative that, over time, has become institutionalised in business schools. Scholars increasingly argue that business schools have become key sites for the institutionalisation of neoliberalism, where market rationality, profit-maximisation, and individual self-interest are reproduced as taken-for-granted norms (Starkey, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e; Singhal \u0026amp; Davis, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Carbone, McCarthy \u0026amp; Touboulic, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e; Csillag et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen text is part of a social narrative, methods from narratology can be used for analysis, such as the analysis of events, characters, plot, and form. Previous studies offer useful, though partial, approaches to educational narratives. Nesi and Alsop (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), for example, highlight the significance of \u0026ldquo;seemingly spontaneous\u0026rdquo; stories in lectures, showing how such imaginary episodes can elicit moral judgment and shape professional dispositions. Their strict linguistic criteria, however, identify only a handful of fragments per lecture. McNett (2016), by contrast, suggests that entire lectures may be understood as continuous narratives, a perspective aligned with Shenhav\u0026rsquo;s principle of multiplicity. Building on these insights, I adopt a broader perspective, seeking to capture a more representative cross-section of the ongoing narrative of business education as it unfolds in full lectures.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe empirical setting is the bachelor\u0026rsquo;s programme in International Business at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. The focus is on the first teaching block of the first year, which introduces students to four core subjects: Marketing and Sales (Marketing), Operations and Supply Chain Management (SCM), Finance and Accounting (Finance), and Organisation and People (O\u0026amp;P). This block was chosen because \u0026ldquo;starting points matter\u0026rdquo; (Shanks, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e): the initial framing of business subjects sets the tone for the remainder of the programme and provides an early site where assumptions about the nature and purpose of business are likely to be articulated. In addition to these courses, the analysis includes the introductory \u0026ldquo;kick-off\u0026rdquo; week.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eData were collected through audio recordings of lectures, captured in the normal course of teaching to minimise disruption. Recordings were transcribed (AI-assisted and manually verified) and coded using Atlas.ti. In total, the dataset comprises 27 lectures, each lasting between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, taught by 18 different lecturers, representing 70% of the staff teaching in the first block.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCoding was designed to capture how narratives take shape in practice. Building on narratological categories, I developed an approach that treats lectures as continuous narratives rather than as a collection of isolated stories. I analyse the teaching materials using three narratological dimensions: plot, actor\u0026ndash;action\u0026ndash;motivation sequences, and narration, providing a lens that captures both the breadth of overarching narrative arcs and the depth of specific narrative mechanisms. The coding focused on three complementary dimensions, which will be explained further below: (1) causal structures and values that explicitly engage with the \u003cem\u003eplot\u003c/em\u003e, (2) sequences linking actors, actions, and motivations that make up narrative \u003cem\u003eevents\u003c/em\u003e, and (3) rhetorical devices through which lecturers position themselves and their students in the act of \u003cem\u003enarration\u003c/em\u003e. This tripartite framework allows for a systematic exploration of how business education narratives are articulated, while leaving space in the analysis to show how these dimensions intersect in classroom discourse.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn addition to the lecture materials, I conducted semi-structured interviews with the lecturers responsible for the course. These interviews served to contextualise the narratives I found in the teaching materials, providing insight into the lecturers\u0026rsquo; intentions, framing choices, and reflections on student reception. While the analysis primarily focuses on the course content itself, the interview data offer an important complementary perspective.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study is exploratory in scope, focusing on a single block within one programme. Its contribution lies in moving narrative research in business education from conceptual discussion to empirical analysis, and in proposing a first step toward a systematic framework for capturing the ongoing narratives of classroom practice. By rendering these narratives visible, the study seeks to provide a foundation for future research aimed at reorienting business education toward more constructive paradigms.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlot: Framing the Purpose of International Business\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf business education is analysed as a social narrative, then it is first useful to look at elements where the central plot is explicitly discussed. In narrative analysis, a plot refers to \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethe ways in which the events and characters\u0026rsquo; actions in a story are arranged\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (Shenhav, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Unlike a mere sequence of events, a plot introduces causality and meaning. Through this process of \u003cem\u003eemplotment\u003c/em\u003e, narratives imbue events with ideological and moral significance by drawing on preexisting plot types.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilding on this understanding, the analysis of plot in this study examines the causal structures and value orientations that organise the business curriculum. In educational narratives, plot refers not only to the sequencing of lecture content but also to the ways teaching materials and examples are arranged to express the purpose and rationale of business education. Analysing plot in this broader sense shows how lecturers frame the fundamental orientation of a programme or course, whether in terms of profit-making, value creation, or broader social responsibility, and in doing so reveals the ideological foundations on which the narrative of business education rests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA good place to start an analysis of the plot is the National Qualifications Framework (Reeb-Gruber \u0026amp; van Gulik, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), which defines Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for all International Business programs in the Netherlands. The first PLO can be considered to be the \u0026lsquo;main learning goal\u0026rsquo;, and reads:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe IB professional defines international business opportunities and recommends possible strategies for the organisation to create sustainable multi-sided value for stakeholders (p. 15).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe framework elaborates on the concept of multi-sided value for stakeholders as follows:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIB professionals always consider social, ecological, ethical, economic and cultural aspects, they conduct impact analyses of the possible strategies both on the local (foreign) society and the organisation itself in order to determine which are viable, desirable and sustainable (p. 15).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese excerpts from the PLO framework reflect the \u0026ldquo;plot\u0026rdquo; of the International Business curriculum, articulating both the purpose of the programme and the values it seeks to instil. The PLO statements define the professional actions expected of graduates and explicitly situate these actions within ethical, social, ecological, and cultural considerations. These learning goals are supposed to be operationalised through curriculum committees and course developers, ultimately reaching the classroom. Throughout the programme, the PLOs serve as criteria for evaluation, culminating in a portfolio of assessments designed to demonstrate that students have achieved the intended learning outcomes.\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTurning to classroom practice, one might expect a kick-off lesson to engage explicitly with the overarching \u0026ldquo;plot\u0026rdquo; of the programme. In practice, however, the session presents a markedly different plot, one organised around financial outcome. While procedural matters such as assessment expectations dominate, all three lecturers briefly ask students what they understand by international business. Rather than discussing the broader purpose or values of the field, the conversation centres on components of international business, such as cross-cultural communication, transportation, or finance. The definition provided on a slide reads:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInternational business encompasses all commercial activities that take place to promote the transfer of goods, services, resources, people, ideas and technologies across national boundaries (Slides, Kick-off Introduction to IB).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than offering a definition that frames a narrative plot, this statement functions more as a description of scope. Only the use of the verb \u0026ldquo;promote\u0026rdquo; hints at a purposive orientation, but otherwise it lacks reference to goals, conflicts, or directions of action. Multi-sided value or stakeholder considerations are absent, and when goals are discussed, they are almost exclusively financial. For instance, when a student mentions making money, the lecturer responds:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou get richer, and that's what we go for. We want to get lots of products or services sold (Kick-off).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen marketing is discussed, another lecturer reinforces this emphasis:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarketing. Very good. Because we want to have as many people that want to buy our stuff (Kick-off).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA third lecturer explicitly dismisses broader ethical or social goals, referring to them as a secondary concern:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eProfit, right? At the end of the day, business, you know, there's nice stories around it to help the environment and all kinds of things. But in the end of the day, it's about profit, yes? (Kick-off)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese examples suggest that the kick-off lesson enacts a different plot in which activities are oriented toward financial gain. It omits broader ethical, social, and ecological dimensions, posing profit as the central organising principle.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe four subjects each foreground different aspects of the overarching plot. Marketing classes most clearly foreground plot elements, emphasising that business actors must \u0026lsquo;\u003cem\u003ecreate\u003c/em\u003e value to \u003cem\u003ecapture\u003c/em\u003e value in return, while SCM, O\u0026amp;P, and Finance focus more on procedural knowledge, efficiency, or financial assessment. Even so, discussions of why-questions and broader ethical or social considerations are limited, and, as we will see in the detailed analysis below, profit repeatedly emerges as the primary organising principle. A pattern that contrasts with the programme\u0026rsquo;s emphasis on multi-sided value.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLooking more closely at these explicit discussions of the plot in business education, two distinctive \u003cem\u003eultimate\u003c/em\u003e goals can be distinguished: either to \u0026lsquo;add\u0026rsquo; value or to \u0026lsquo;capture\u0026rsquo; it. Whereas PLO 1 clearly positions \u0026lsquo;adding value\u0026rsquo; as the ultimate goal, lecturers in classrooms repeatedly make profit their ultimate objective. This tension between the intended learning outcomes and the classroom enactment highlights the importance of examining how the concept of value is communicated and operationalised in practice.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvents: Actor\u0026ndash;Action\u0026ndash;Motivation Sequences\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn narratology, an event is an action, performed by an actor, which moves the story forward. In classrooms, lecturers constantly bring to life imaginary characters to illustrate concepts or theories. Nesi and Alsop (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) analyse imaginary stories as part of a lecturer\u0026rsquo;s repertoire. To them, these stories are not just \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eentertaining interludes\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (p. 1), but important parts of lecturers\u0026rsquo; repertoire to engage students, explain highly abstract concepts, or \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eelicit \u0026lsquo;moral judgement\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rsquo;\u0026rdquo; (p. 2).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNesi and Alsop identify several linguistic markers through which imaginary stories emerge in classrooms, which all occurred frequently in the data. \u003cem\u003eIf-clauses\u003c/em\u003e introduce hypothetical scenarios, such as \u003cb\u003e\u0026ldquo;\u003c/b\u003e\u003cem\u003eif you are a heavy, capital-intensive industry like steelmaking or car manufacturing, you need a lot of money\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (Finance, lesson 3) The \u003cem\u003enon-generic \u0026lsquo;you\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e addresses students or hypothetical actors directly, for example, \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eYou are the manager, and you have to decide who reports to whom\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (O\u0026amp;P, lesson 3). The \u003cem\u003einclusive \u0026lsquo;we\u0026rsquo;\u003c/em\u003e positions lecturers and students as part of the unfolding narrative, as in \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eWe have to think about how consumers interpret this advertisement\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; (Marketing, lesson 2). Finally, the \u003cem\u003eeternal present\u003c/em\u003e frames events as occurring in the present moment, even if hypothetical: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;The consumer sees the ad, evaluates the message, and decides whether to buy\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (Marketing, lesson 1). These linguistic devices collectively enable lecturers to enact classroom narratives that engage students in moral reasoning and professional judgment.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhereas Nesi and Alsop (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) employ strict linguistic criteria to identify hypothetical stories, they also acknowledge McNett\u0026rsquo;s (2016) argument that entire lectures can be regarded as ongoing narratives, an idea that aligns with Shenhav\u0026rsquo;s (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e) discussion of multiplicity. Building on these insights, the present study seeks to capture a more comprehensive cross-section of the ongoing narrative in business education. Rather than focusing on a limited set of isolated fragments, it adopts a systematic approach centred on actors, actions, and motivations as they appear throughout the narrative.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn practice, every instance in the transcribed lectures in which an actor appears is coded for three elements: (1) the actor, (2) the action performed, and (3) the underlying motivation. This produces Actor-Action-Motivation (AAM) sequences, which serve as the basis for co-occurrence analyses that reveal relationships among these elements. For example, when \u0026lsquo;business owners\u0026rsquo; (actor) \u0026lsquo;sell\u0026rsquo; (action), what are the associated motivations? Or, when \u0026lsquo;consumers\u0026rsquo; (actor) \u0026lsquo;solve their problems\u0026rsquo; (motivation), what are common actions? This approach enables a systematic mapping of how business education narratives construct meaning through the interplay of actors, actions, and motivations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of AAM sequences reveals how business education constructs narratives as chains of causally linked actions and motivations. For example, businesses conduct market research (action) to better understand potential customers (motivation); they then analyse these customers (action) to determine positioning and strategy (motivation); and finally, they implement strategies and position themselves in the market (action) in order to sell (motivation). Notably, the same elements may appear as both \u0026lsquo;actions\u0026rsquo; and \u0026lsquo;motivations\u0026rsquo; depending on the stage of the sequence under discussion. Many AAM sequences operate entirely within this internal logic of the business process, without explicitly referencing broader or ultimate goals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIllustrative examples from the lectures include:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe team of [a fictional company that is used as a case throughout block 1] have done a fairly robust job on understanding the new marketplace context, so as to decide where to focus and, most importantly, how to tailor the right product portfolio (Marketing, lesson 3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen I launch a new brand. What do I do? The first thing I do is I want to communicate to my customers: here is this new brand of laptops. It's fancy. It does better than HP, does better than Apple, and so on. Right? (Marketing, lesson 1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd you need raw materials or components from Asia, from China or whatever Asian country to produce, or from Japan. [\u0026hellip;] And that means you have to ship them. Yeah. You have to bring them to Europe. Sometimes by plane, sometimes by ship. Yeah. (SCM, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilding on these AAM sequences, it becomes apparent that while lecturers do not explicitly frame the narrative around a singular goal, the internal logic of the business process channels actions toward an overarching orientation. Actions such as conducting market research, managing logistics, overseeing personnel, positioning, communicating, and selling function as intermediate steps that cumulatively push the narrative in a particular direction. Each sequence could, in principle, serve either of the two versions of the plot discussed earlier; creating multi-sided value for society or capturing value for the organisation. Yet the way these steps are arranged implicitly steers the educational narrative toward one of these endpoints. In the following section, I turn to the concept of value, analysing how actions are framed in terms of adding or capturing it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1 Value\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarketing classes make the most references to the concept of value. \u0026lsquo;Adding value\u0026rsquo; is repeatedly presented as the ultimate goal of marketing or doing business more generally. One lecturer even has a ritual in which he asks students, \u0026ldquo;In what kind of business are we?\u0026rdquo; to which students must reply, \u0026ldquo;The value-adding business.\u0026rdquo; While in some instances, value is loosely defined in ways that align with the notion of multi-sided value\u0026mdash;one lecturer clarifies, \u0026ldquo;For instance: helping out people\u0026rdquo; (Marketing, lesson 3)\u0026mdash;the meaning of \u0026lsquo;adding value\u0026rsquo; is often left unresolved. For example:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe main model? It's this. Yes, this is the main model. If we understand who we are, as a business, we add value to the other person. And this is what we get back: recurring and retaining, um, value. In a business school, we are all about this concept (Marketing, lesson 3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAAM sequences serve to concretise these otherwise vague notions. By examining the actions and motivations of hypothetical actors, it becomes apparent how lecturers operationalise abstract concepts such as value. Analysis of these sequences shows that \u0026lsquo;adding value\u0026rsquo; is predominantly presented as a means of capturing value in return. Linguistically, it is often used interchangeably with generating profit, and in many instances, \u0026lsquo;adding value\u0026rsquo; appears to refer primarily to value for the company rather than broader stakeholders. For example:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo how do you... the value that you've created... and that value could be in [different forms]. But it has to reach the customer. Without reaching the customer. You know, you're not really delivering the value. Now, how do you make the customer receive that value? How do you deliver that value? (Marketing, lesson 3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother interaction highlights the same dynamic:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eOkay. Marketing is about creating value for customers, with strong relationships, and capturing value. It's all about the money. Strong relationships, someone else also mentioned it. Why is it important to have a good relationship with your customers? [\u0026hellip;]\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eMake sure your customers come back specifically to buy your product.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eYeah, that's very important. Good answer. (Marketing, lesson 1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eValue is further discussed in lesson 2, particularly in the context of pricing strategies. One lecturer emphasises \u0026lsquo;value-based pricing,\u0026rsquo; explaining that the price should reflect what customers perceive as the product\u0026rsquo;s worth, contrasting it with \u0026lsquo;cost-based pricing,\u0026rsquo; which is called \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ea little outdated\u003c/em\u003e.\u0026rdquo; Aspects of multi-sided value, such as environmental care, are even presented primarily as branding strategies:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo, let's see, the pricing strategy. They say the price you have to set is the \u0026lsquo;right\u0026rsquo; price, that means: to maximise. The important part is: Maximise sales and profit and deliver maximum value. Yeah, it could be that you can price your product low, so that people buy it. But if you price your product higher and people are still willing to pay for it, yeah, that is the opportunity, you can gain more (Marketing, lesson 2).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother option you have is to raise the perceived value. So, you still keep the same price, but you make people think... or believe it's worth spending more. [...]. It could be because you [say you] care about... I don't know, the environment, something, something higher quality (Marketing, lesson 2).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOverall, these operationalisations show that, although \u0026lsquo;adding value\u0026rsquo; is framed as the ultimate goal, in practice it functions primarily as a means of capturing value. In most cases, value is interpreted financially, as something a customer is willing (or can be persuaded) to pay for. The AAM sequences illuminate how hypothetical actors, actions, and motivations concretely structure this orientation in the educational narrative, clarifying the implicit logic behind seemingly abstract concepts.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2 Problems, needs and wants\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother important aspect of the narrative is how it is initially triggered: the starting point that sets in motion the subsequent chain of events. In theory, if the ultimate goal of the business process were to create multi-sided value, this starting point would involve identifying genuine societal or individual needs. In practice, Marketing classes frame this as \u0026lsquo;understanding customer needs\u0026rsquo;. However, when capturing value for the organisation is the implicit orientation, any desire or \u0026ldquo;want\u0026rdquo;, including so-called latent needs, can serve as a valid starting point for business action. Lecturers emphasise that part of the marketer\u0026rsquo;s role is to uncover these latent needs, needs that customers are unaware of, thereby initiating a sequence of actions that moves away from societal benefit..\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd remember, there are times when customers may not even know what they want. You as a marketing person, it is your job to analyse that data, synthesise it, and go beyond, to discover latent needs. What are latent needs? Latent needs are those which the customer doesn't even know he or she has, right? It's your job to discover them because then you can add... create added value (Marketing, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLecturers frequently illustrate the starting points of the narrative through examples of psychological and persuasive tactics, emphasising how marketers are expected to influence, or even manipulate, consumer behaviour to generate demand. A video shown in class clarifies this point, noting that while products are produced in factories, brands are \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ecreated in the mind\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (Marketing, lesson 1). The video further explains that, despite perceiving themselves as rational decision-makers, consumers are largely guided by the instinctive, subconscious parts of the brain, referred to as the \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ereptilian brain\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo;. This framing reinforces the notion that initiating business actions often involves shaping desires and perceptions, rather than responding to genuine societal or individual needs.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn several cases, this framing encourages the creation of desire or manipulates consumer perception, as illustrated in class examples such as: \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eYou got the interest. Now, we would like you to\u003c/em\u003e desire \u003cem\u003eme\u003c/em\u003e. (Marketing, lesson 3, emphasis by lecturer)\u0026rdquo; In other instances, lecturers emphasise the necessity of influencing consumer attention through aggressive marketing, noting that:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause today there is such a cluttered environment with so many ads that you have to actually force your way into the consumer's mind, into the consumer's consciousness to stay relevant, to stay top of mind. Right? (Marketing, lesson 3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese examples highlight how the starting points of the narrative can implicitly normalise strategies that prioritise organisational gain over ethical or societal considerations. Interviews conducted with the lecturers revealed that they often expressed personal concerns about unbridled consumerism, manipulative marketing tactics, and material waste. However, when teaching foundational Marketing classes, they frequently, perhaps unconsciously, reinforce narratives of profit-maximisation without attending to stakeholders, ethical consequences, or broader societal and environmental effects.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.3 Efficiency vs exploitation\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the middle of the narrative chain, courses such as SCM and O\u0026amp;P introduce concepts like effectiveness, efficiency, and the reduction of \u0026ldquo;waste.\u0026rdquo; Finance classes frame the subject largely instrumentally, focusing on compliance, assuring investors, and generating data to optimise decision-making. While these concepts could theoretically support multi-sided value creation: satisfying customers, protecting the environment, and fostering employee well-being, they are again frequently framed in ways that implicitly prioritise organisational gain. An analysis of the classroom discourse shows that actions such as reducing labour costs or aggressively pursuing resources are presented without reference to ethical considerations, stakeholder impacts, or environmental consequences. One lecturer discusses the currency crisis in Turkey solely as a business opportunity, even though a student in the room remarks that the situation there is \u0026lsquo;very bad\u0026rsquo; (Kick-off lesson). Several SCM lessons discuss resources that people fight over around the world, such as mines in Indonesia, without discussing neo-colonial or other ethical aspects. Another example:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eGE has also opened up their new factory, I think about ten years ago um, in India. [\u0026hellip;] What would you think could be the benefits?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eCheap physical labour. Everything is cheap.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e[\u0026hellip;] A lot cheaper. Yeah. (SCM, lesson 2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn several classes, students ask questions about social or environmental issues, but lecturers generally disregard such remarks or affirm that is indeed a \u0026lsquo;good point\u0026rsquo;, without further addressing it. For example. In two different classes, students point towards issues with lithium batteries in electronic vehicles after lecturers use these as examples of sustainability. In both cases, lecturers disregard students\u0026rsquo; concerns. This is one example:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLecturer\u003c/b\u003e: If you look at the value proposition of Tesla, very clear: electric vehicle premium for people who are ecologically-minded, have sustainability at their mind, right?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut what about those lithium batteries?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eYeah. Okay. Well, that's another discussion altogether.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eAhh, fair enough (Marketing, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese patterns in AAM sequences indicate that, within the narrative of these courses, the internal logic of efficiency and operational optimisation functions largely to facilitate profit-oriented outcomes rather than multi-sided value. Even when students raise ethical or environmental concerns, the narrative subtly channels attention back toward organisational efficiency and gains, reinforcing a profit-driven plot.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNarration: How the story of business is told\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe final dimension of narratological analysis considered here, following plot and AAM-event analysis, is narration. That is, how the narrative is communicated in the classroom. As discussed above, narratives can be employed to foster empathy, imagination, or transformative thinking. The preceding analyses have shown that the content of the business education narrative does not generally move in these directions; this section demonstrates how rhetorical strategies are deployed to guide students toward compliance with hegemonic theories, rather than encouraging creativity or critical reflection.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOrvell, Kross, and Gelman (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) highlight that the use of the \u0026ldquo;generic you\u0026rdquo; can normalise particular behaviours or suggest universal truths. This pattern is pervasive in the data: many hypothetical events in business classes are framed with generic you\u0026rsquo;s, instructing students on what constitutes the appropriate course of action in a given situation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps the most consistent mechanism for enforcing normative compliance is the frequent, seemingly innocuous use of the word \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo; at the end of a statement. While \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo; can simply indicate obviousness, in the classroom data, it often follows statements involving ethical or normative judgments or conclusions about human behaviour. For example:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo are you willing to pay a little bit more money [for] towels [when] the towels are produced sustainably, or we make sure no child labour is involved. Are you willing to pay a few euro more for a towel that has no child labour? Fair trade? Sustainable? I think most of you will say yes. [...] But in reality, people, when they buy clothes, they buy the cheapest one, \u003cem\u003eright\u003c/em\u003e? They forget all about the sustainability, the fair trade, child labour. Yeah, that's what happens sometimes. Okay. Um, and it makes sense, \u003cem\u003eright\u003c/em\u003e? Because people without a lot of money, students, they buy the cheapest version. They want to be fashionable. And... ok (Marketing, lesson 3).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother common rhetorical strategy involves posing directive questions to students. While questions could be used to encourage multiple perspectives and creativity, lecturers often ask questions to elicit specific, desired answers. If the initial responses do not align, the question is repeated or reframed until the student conforms.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA striking example comes from a Marketing lecturer who opens the first lesson with a twenty-minute exercise asking students to imagine a world without marketing. Initially, students offer diverse and imaginative perspectives. They mention how such a world would be quieter, less distracting, how they would end up with more money at the end of the month, and how they would judge the quality of a product with their own senses. The lecturer reluctantly acknowledges these as \u0026ldquo;interesting perspectives\u0026rdquo; but then guides the discussion toward a predetermined conclusion, repeatedly prompting students until they arrive at statements such as \u0026ldquo;companies would not have the incentive to innovate,\u0026rdquo; effectively channelling the discussion toward a particular outcome:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes. I doubt if the, uh, there is much marketing or branding activity in North Korea. The state controls everything, the erstwhile USSR\u0026hellip; And anyone from Eastern European countries? Talk to your parents or grandparents. Do you... have you read about what happened in the 50s? In the 60s? Yeah. What? So, talk about it. Tell me [\u0026hellip;]\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes. It is a different world today [\u0026hellip;] even Russia has brands. It's a different world. Why is it different? Because it opened up. And one of the big things that opening up implied was a lot of communication, which included a lot of marketing, communication, a lot of choices. Marketing leads to choices for people (Marketing, lesson 1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimilarly, in another instance, a lecturer frames a question about transportation preferences in a way that subtly signals the \u0026ldquo;correct\u0026rdquo; answer:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd if you want to get from A to B, what kind of transportation would you prefer?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBus.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBus okay... The wrong answer. Haha.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBike?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eBike... well....\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStudents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr... a taxi?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturer\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003eGuys... Every time I ask this question, someone says, I want to do this in a Ferrari, right? I want to get from... to my school with an expensive car. Or I had a class this morning and it was a Rolls-Royce. Okay, imagine that's your answer, right? I want to have some transportation I want. Yeah. Ferrari is a good idea, right? Yeah. Okay (Marketing, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese examples illustrate that, through seemingly minor rhetorical devices, generic you\u0026rsquo;s, directive questioning, and strategic use of \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo;, lecturers shape the narrative to guide student reasoning and behaviour toward hegemonic understandings, limiting the potential for imaginative or critical engagement with alternative perspectives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3 Multi-sided value creation","content":"\u003cp\u003eExamples of multi-sided value are not entirely absent from the narrative. Lecturers occasionally invoke phrases such as \u0026ldquo;solving problems\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;helping people,\u0026rdquo; suggesting that business activity could extend beyond organisational gain. However, when examined through the lens of AAM sequences, operationalisations of these concepts are extremely rare. Hypothetical actors within the narrative rarely perform actions motivated by multi-sided value, highlighting the limited presence of multi-sided value in the educational narrative.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe clearest instances of multi-sided value occurred in a few isolated cases. For example, a video shown in class on the founding of Oatly illustrated that the company\u0026rsquo;s founders sought to solve a problem affecting a broad population rather than solely generating profit:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur founders just figured, like, okay, if the vast majority of the world population are intolerant to milk, why don't we make something that is actually designed for human beings, not baby cows? (Marketing, lesson 3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSimilarly, in the fictional solar panel company case study used throughout the block, a manager described the satisfaction of addressing social and environmental needs:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eI personally feel energised that we can solve their problem and become more sustainable also in that part of the world (Marketing, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first lesson of O\u0026amp;P defines organisations as group of people to meet certain objectives or serve a purpose. One lecturer gives an example of such a purpose:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat is the purpose of the Tesla organisation? Right, to develop electrical vehicles [\u0026hellip;] make a contribution to the environment. Okay (O\u0026amp;P, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStakeholders were mentioned only twice in the data. In a finance class, the lecturer referred exclusively to shareholders as the primary stakeholders (Finance, lesson 1). By contrast, in SCM a lecturer framed stakeholder engagement as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003ethe ethical part\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; of business, contrasting past business education, which emphasised only shareholder profit, with contemporary expectations to consider a broader range of interests. These included employees and their opportunities for growth, suppliers reliant on the firm, consumers in both B2B and B2C markets, local communities living near production sites, and environmental impacts such as emissions (SCM, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeyond these examples, a few lecturers went further to critically evaluate business practices, mostly in Supply Chain Management courses. These instances are distinct in style: lecturers avoid the generic \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rdquo; and the normative \u0026ldquo;right,\u0026rdquo; instead presenting ideas cautiously and emphasising personal opinion or curricular limitations:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut anyway, what I want to say\u0026hellip; and that's very important for the near future for you, although to a certain extent it's not, let's say, fully integrated in this program. But if we talk about finance and accounting and cost price, you know, you base your cost price on [certain elements]. But the real cost price of products, if you take into consideration the social cost... So how much emission does it create? Yeah. How much, uh, other unethical behaviour\u0026hellip; [\u0026hellip;] Then you would argue the price is not okay. Then we should apply a better price. But that's something that is not yet covered in our program. But that's something. Uh, food for thought for you guys. Yeah\u0026hellip; (SCM, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut like I said, you know, I find the whole fashion industry old-fashioned, the way they have organised themselves and the way they manage their supply chains, etc., etc. Okay, probably Zara is a good case, but, you know, still they overproduce. And if you look at the footprint [\u0026hellip;] you can argue. Mhm. Mhm. Yeah. But okay that's also my personal opinion. Then you probably have a different opinion on this. Yeah. Okay (SCM, lesson 1).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterviews with these lecturers confirmed that they often feel self-conscious when discussing explicit ethical or societal issues in class, because they did not want to impose their views on the students and felt ethical issues belonged elsewhere in the curriculum. They were just \u0026ldquo;explaining the basics\u0026rdquo;. While they expressed uneasiness with these topics, it became apparent that they did not fully recognise the ethical implications embedded in their usual teaching practices.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile these examples demonstrate that multi-sided value is conceptually present in the curriculum, AAM sequence analysis shows that operationalisations are rare; such sequences remain exceptional compared to the dominant profit-driven narrative, and they are communicated more carefully than AAM sequences that are in line with hegemonic economic theories.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eNarratives hold significant potential to transform business education, fostering forms of economics that address systemic crises rather than reinforcing them. Narratives are not only present in explicit sense-making moments; entire lessons, courses, and curricula operate as ongoing narratives. This study has demonstrated how methods from narratology can provide deeper insight into the implicit messages of business education. Three different angles were employed: (1) a plot analysis to trace explicit \u0026ldquo;why\u0026rdquo; questions, (2) AAM sequence analysis to map events and motivations as a more comprehensive cross-section and operationalisation of the ongoing narrative, and (3) a narration analysis to examine rhetorical form.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile most narrative elements could in principle be oriented toward creating multi-sided value for a range of stakeholders, they most often function to normalise processes culminating in capturing value for the organisation. Explicit references to the programme\u0026rsquo;s stated learning outcomes, such as sustainable, ethical, and multi-sided value creation, were rare in classroom practice. Instead, lectures and examples overwhelmingly presented profit maximisation, cost reduction, growth, and, at times, strategies involving manipulation or exploitation as the ultimate aims of business activity. Even when lecturers introduced ideas such as \u0026ldquo;solving problems\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;helping people,\u0026rdquo; these were rarely operationalised in AAM sequences and were quickly subsumed under the dominant profit-driven logic. The clarity of this underlying plot is captured in a striking quotation from a kick-off lecture:\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo, in the end, all these things we learn, right, and marketing, and finance, is how to maximise profit. You know, marketing obviously [is about] how to do market research, how to sell more products, but with the end goal of profits. And to get profits, you need more sales. You need happy customers; you need customer service. All these things are there. But the end goal is always about profits. [That\u0026rsquo;s] just human nature, right? We always want more (Kick-off).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLinguistic and rhetorical strategies, such as the pervasive use of the generic \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rdquo;, directive questions, or normalising expressions like \u0026ldquo;right?,\u0026rdquo; further reinforced compliance with hegemonic economic assumptions. This normalisation is particularly significant given that these courses form the starting point of a four-year programme and are meant to introduce students to the field of international business. The analysis therefore demonstrates how, from the very beginning of their studies, students are subtly guided into a narrative in which the \u0026ldquo;natural\u0026rdquo; purpose of business is framed as maximising profits, with ethical, social, or ecological concerns relegated to the margins.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5 Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThese findings highlight the disjunction between the official policy framework and the narratives enacted in classroom practice. Interviews with lecturers revealed concerns with consumerism, exploitation, or environmental degradation, yet also showed that many perceived their role as simply \u0026ldquo;teaching the basics\u0026rdquo; and postponing ethical considerations until later in the curriculum. This suggests that the profit-driven plot is so deeply institutionalised in economic education that its ethical implications remain largely invisible to those who reproduce it. Moreover, while lecturers appear comfortable reiterating hegemonic economic theories, they often grow hesitant and uncertain when they become aware that the discussion involves ethical issues or alternative narratives.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecognising the narrative nature of business education provides opportunities for change. If narratives shape how students come to understand \u0026ldquo;what business is,\u0026rdquo; then consciously constructing alternative narratives can play a central role in transforming business education. Starting points matter: if the earliest courses consistently present business as value capture, later attempts to introduce multi-sided value are likely to be undermined. From the very beginning of the curriculum, ecology, externalities, and stakeholder perspectives should not be optional additions but integral aspects of the business narrative.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6 Finally, lecturers can critically evaluate the stories, cases, and hypothetical examples they bring into the classroom. Rather than reinforcing profit as the inevitable endpoint, they can foreground stories in which businesses are motivated by solving genuine problems, supporting communities, or addressing systemic crises. If storytelling is a pedagogical tool to engage students, then why not draw on lecturers\u0026rsquo; narrative capital to tell beautiful stories that harness its transformative potential and expand the scope of business beyond financial gain.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author declares no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ch2\u003eEthics Approval\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Commission of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. All participants provided informed consent prior to data collection.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work was supported by the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe author is solely responsible for the conception, design, data collection, analysis, and writing of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBruni, L. (2021). \u003cem\u003eThe economics of values, ideals and organizations\u003c/em\u003e (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367762629\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCarbone, V., McCarthy, L., \u0026amp; Touboulic, A. (2025). Practically re-imagining business education for sustainability. \u003cem\u003eEuropean Management Journal\u003c/em\u003e. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2025.04.015\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCsillag, S., Kir\u0026aacute;ly, G., Rakovics, M., \u0026amp; G\u0026eacute;ring, Z. (2022). Agents for sustainable futures? The (unfulfilled) promise of sustainability at leading business schools. \u003cem\u003eFutures, 144\u003c/em\u003e, 103044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2022.103044\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHofman-Bergholm, M. (2022). Storytelling as an Educational Tool in Sustainable Education. \u003cem\u003eSustainability (Switzerland)\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e14\u003c/em\u003e(5), 1\u0026ndash;14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052946 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJackson, T. (2016). \u003cem\u003eProsperity without growth: Foundations for the economy of tomorrow\u003c/em\u003e. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315673461\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eJ\u0026oslash;rgensen, K. M., \u0026amp; Strand, A. M. C. (2011). Towards a storytelling ethics for management education. In C. Wankel \u0026amp; A. Stachowicz-Stanusch (Eds.), \u003cem\u003eEffectively Integrating Ethical Dimensions into Business Education\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 253\u0026ndash;271). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKaal, A. A., \u0026amp; Hanne, M. (2018). \u003cem\u003eNarrative and metaphor in education: Look both ways\u003c/em\u003e. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315106822\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLawrence, M., Homer-Dixon, T., Janzwood, S., Rockstr\u0026ouml;m, J., Renn, O., \u0026amp; Donges, J. F. (2024). Global Polycrisis: The Causal Mechanisms of Crisis Entanglement. \u003cem\u003eGlobal Sustainability, 7\u003c/em\u003e, e6. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2024.1\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMazzucato, M. (2021). \u003cem\u003eMission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism\u003c/em\u003e. Penguin UK.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMichalopoulos, S., \u0026amp; Xue, M. (2021). Folklore. \u003cem\u003eThe Quarterly Journal of Economics, 136\u003c/em\u003e(4), 1993-2046. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjab015 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNesi, H., \u0026amp; Alsop, S. (2021). Stories and scenarios: Lecturers\u0026rsquo; use of fantastic hypothetical events. \u003cem\u003eJournal of English for Academic Purposes, 53\u003c/em\u003e, Article 101022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101022 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrvell, A., Kross, E., \u0026amp; Gelman, S. A. (2017). How \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rdquo; makes meaning. \u003cem\u003eScience, 355\u003c/em\u003e(6331), 1299-1302. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaj2014 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOrvell, A., Kross, E., \u0026amp; Gelman, S. A. (2018). That\u0026rsquo;s how \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rdquo; do it: Generic you expresses norms during early childhood. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Experimental Child Psychology, 165\u003c/em\u003e, 183-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.06.013 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRaworth, K. (2017). A Doughnut for the Anthropocene: Humanity\u0026rsquo;s compass in the 21st century. \u003cem\u003eThe Lancet Planetary Health, 1\u003c/em\u003e(2), e48-e49. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30028-1 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReeb-Gruber, A., \u0026amp; van Gulik, J. (2023). National Qualifications Framework \u0026ndash; International Business (Standard Quality). Vereniging Hogescholen. Retrieved from https://www.vereniginghogescholen.nl/system/profiles/documents/000/000/319/original/National_Qualifications_Framework_International_Business_(standard_quality).pdf\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRoos, M., \u0026amp; Reccius, M. (2024). Narratives in economics. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Economic Surveys, 38\u003c/em\u003e(2), 303-341. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12576 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShanks, N. G. (2018). A dominant narrative in economics?: Preservice teachers and pluralism in a social studies methods class. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Social Science Education, 17\u003c/em\u003e(3), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.4119/jsse-880\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShanks, N. (2020). \u0026ldquo;Starting Points Matter\u0026rdquo;: Humanizing Economics Pedagogy through New Economic Paradigms. \u003cem\u003eThe Social Studies, 111\u003c/em\u003e(6), 296-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2020.1831843 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShenhav, S. R. (2015). \u003cem\u003eAnalyzing social narratives\u003c/em\u003e. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315819609\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSinghal, D., \u0026amp; Davis, M. C. (2023). Rethinking business school education: A call for epistemic humility through reflexivity. \u003cem\u003eBusiness \u0026amp; Society\u003c/em\u003e. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503231208148\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStarkey, K. (2025). The business school and the end of history: Reimagining management education. \u003cem\u003eAcademy of Management Learning \u0026amp; Education\u003c/em\u003e. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2024.0045\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSteffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockstr\u0026ouml;m, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., \u0026hellip; \u0026amp; S\u0026ouml;rlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. \u003cem\u003eScience, 347\u003c/em\u003e(6223), 1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTilley, M. (2024). The things students don\u0026rsquo;t say: Theorising Narrative Identity to understand non-traditional students\u0026rsquo; experiences in higher education. \u003cem\u003eAustralian Educational Researcher, 52\u003c/em\u003e(1), 607-625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-024-00732-1\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWang, L., Malhotra, D., \u0026amp; Murnighan, J. K. (2011). Economics education and greed. \u003cem\u003eAcademy of Management Learning \u0026amp; Education, 10\u003c/em\u003e(4), 643-660. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.10.4.zqr643 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-review-of-economics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"irec","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Review of Economics](http://link.springer.com/journal/12231)","snPcode":"12232","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12232/3","title":"International Review of Economics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"narrative capital, business education, economic narratives, sustainability, narratology, value creation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eNarratives are increasingly recognised as powerful tools for shaping economic imaginaries and enabling transformative change. Yet in business education, narrative capital is frequently, and often unconsciously, mobilised to reproduce hegemonic paradigms centred on rational self-interest and profit maximisation. Although narratives receive growing attention in business education research, they are usually addressed conceptually. To date, no large-scale study has explored how they function in everyday teaching.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on narratology, this study analyses full-lecture transcripts of a business programme at a university in Rotterdam, focusing on plot, events, and narration. The discourse often relies on vague and ostensibly positive formulations, such as “adding value,” which obscure the concrete consequences of business practices. While the narrative structure is, in principle, open to both prioritising social benefit and prioritising financial gain, the analysis shows that when operationalised through actors’ actions and motivations, the latter overwhelmingly overshadows the former. At the extreme, this orientation can go so far as to legitimise manipulation and exploitation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn terms of narration, rhetorical strategies normalise reductive views of human nature, while directive questions guide students toward predetermined responses. In this way, narrative capital is mobilised less for critical exploration than for reinforcing established logics, with even educators critical of such paradigms reproducing them through their framing. Transforming business education must therefore begin at the core, by helping educators recognise and rethink how their narrative capital is deployed, and the ideological assumptions embedded in foundational teaching.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJEL Classification\u003c/strong\u003e A22 · B41 · Q01\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Narrating Profit: How Business Education Reproduces Hegemonic Economic Paradigms","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-16 08:45:57","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7619714/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-12-23T10:48:52+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-12-22T17:59:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-12-13T14:01:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"257228522361934179652247348055483789528","date":"2025-12-08T23:16:59+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"70659072908856081096924676254953823956","date":"2025-10-23T14:20:50+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-10-16T16:16:37+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"195828089298875547613399496132481836434","date":"2025-09-19T15:24:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"7293184898613012069137857488291892142","date":"2025-09-19T11:55:49+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-09-19T11:42:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-09-18T00:34:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-09-17T07:29:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"International Review of Economics","date":"2025-09-15T10:48:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-review-of-economics","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"irec","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Review of Economics](http://link.springer.com/journal/12231)","snPcode":"12232","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12232/3","title":"International Review of Economics","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a8ced42f-ecad-406e-acf4-996dc70541ae","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 16th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-03T15:24:54+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-16 08:45:57","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7619714","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7619714","identity":"rs-7619714","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}