Adapting strategic management pedagogy for non-business learners: A reflective curriculum redesign in an MBA context

MBA students from public, not-for-profit (NFP), Indigenous, and social enterprise sectors often struggle to apply traditional, business-centric strategy models. In response, this paper presents a reflective curriculum redesign of an MBA Strategic Management course aimed at enhancing relevance for non-business learners. Drawing on public sector strategy, Indigenous perspectives, and social business models, six modules were restructured to contextualise tools such as Porter’s Five Forces, VRIN (valuable-rare-inimitable, and non-substitutable), SWOT, Porter’s generic strategies ((cost leadership and differentiation), and complementary strategies. The redesign emphasised values such as public impact, cultural relevance, and community wellbeing. Practitioner reflection and informal student feedback suggest that the revised curriculum reduced cognitive barriers, increased engagement, and supported a broader understanding of strategic management frameworks. The paper offers a practice-based, transferable model for inclusive pedagogy in strategic management education and responds to calls for curricula that reflect the diverse professional realities of today’s management education.