Distinguishing the ‘Legitimate’ from the ‘Illegitimate’ in US Business Education

In this paper, we discuss the legitimacy of the emerging for-profit sector “career” business model versus the traditional business school model in the US. Following the conference theme, we argue that online education is challenging the institutional environment of traditional colleges and universities to the extent that business schools will need to revisit its competitive positioning. We conclude with implications for the future of postsecondary business education and recommendations for future research.