There is nothing new about the idea that product design matters to business: whether you manufacture tea cosies or build software, your company will surely live or die by the quality of your double stitching or your user interface. However, until now, business schools offering an MBA, the gold standard business qualification, have put little emphasis on the subject of design.

Many MBA programmes touch on design at some level - in the context of entrepreneurship or marketing modules, for example - and a few offer elective courses in subjects such as design management. But, traditionally, the real meat of these programmes is found in core modules such as economics, finance and the principles of general management.