Abstract: In an age when information, management and technology are supposed to be hand-in-hand, there is often a rift between these elements when considering people and comportment. The detachment is caused by a distressing lack of understanding between Information Systems (IS)/Information Technology (IT) students and professionals, and those they interact with in the business world. Eventually, this deficiency manifests itself in various ways including a collapse in communication and interaction. This paper is a discussion and sample case of a major oversight in curricula, of preparing students socially for immersion in technical business environments. The omission of cultural literacy on both sides of the equation, in IS/IT programs and in business and management programs (be they technically focused or not), is argued as the underlying cause of many problems in information professions and a source of management contention.

Keywords: cultural literacy, Curriculum, information programs, social skills, success, technical business environments, technology culture

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Recommended Citation: Hall, B. R. (2011). IS/IT Education vs. Business Education: The Plight of Social Collapse in Technical Business Environments. Information Systems Education Journal, 9(2) pp 55-64. http://isedj.org/2011-9/ ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2010)