Project Director

Kimbro, Devori

Department Examiner

Sompayrac, Joanie

Department

Honors College

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Business is often seen as a field driven by numbers, but it is fundamentally powered by shared narratives, such as branding and mission statements. Increased optimization and efficiency has resulted in industries stripped of their humanity, leaving professionals interpersonally deficient. In an increasingly competitive workforce, one’s humanity has become a primary differentiator from the competition (artificial or otherwise). The division between the humanities and business has become a professional liability apparent to any observer, yet it is rarely addressed as the systemic failure it has become. This very divide increasingly hinders progress, rather than serving as the specialization of fields it was always intended to be. Incorporating the humanities into business education can bridge this divide in four distinct ways: cultivating well-rounded students, reinforce moral and ethical conduct, refine soft skills, and serve as points of connection. By examining the historical divide and the future pressures of the workforce, this paper proposes that bridging the gap through humanities integration is essential to cultivating well-rounded individuals who possess the soft skills, empathy, and ethical grounding required for true leadership.

Degree

B. S.; An honors thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Science.

Date

5-2026

Subject

Humanities--Study and teaching (Higher); Business education; Interdisciplinary approach in education

Keyword

humanities; soft skills; interdisciplinary; ethics; renaissance of ideas

Discipline

Business

Document Type

Theses

Extent

i, 41 leaves

DCMI Type

Text

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Business Commons

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