There's certainly a 'business' case for giving those talks (I can't get out as easily these days but I used to do loads). But also, universities are 'bodies corporate' rather than businesses, and thus consist of their membership. 1/

So the managers having become more business-oriented doesn't mean that the academic staff necessarily have. This is also why Universities UK is dishonestly named. They don't represent universities, they represent their bosses, and the two should not be mistaken for one another. 2/w