Search results

Attitudes of deans of American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accredited schools/colleges of business were surveyed regarding nine areas central to the practice of collegiate level business education. These deans were then classified into three categories in a manner consistent with the new AACSB standards for accreditation. Finally, a one‐way ANOVA indicated the degree to which the attitudes of these groups of deans differed across items on the original instrument. The study suggests implications for the revised accreditation process of the AACSB.

Communication studies have expanded significantly around the globe in the last decades. Due to new channels of communication and more and more mediatised societies, the role of communication has gained significance. In contrast, communication does not seem to be a topic of high priority for many corporate leaders. They often still value communication as a mere support function.

This chapter explores communication courses of business schools in the United States and Europe. It is hypothesised that only if communication courses are recognised in such programmes the profession of business communicators will realise entry into the highest levels of corporate decision-making.

The main question is how far top-ranked Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes integrate communication courses. This is investigated via website analysis and interviews. This chapter also provides explanations for the current status quo. The results will be of interest to all those responsible for shaping MBA curricula and give insights into how the communication discipline is viewed by leaders of business schools.

The purpose of this editorial is to introduce the set of papers which comprise this issue of the journal, and to provide an interpretation of the current strategic debates about the future evolution of business school paradigms and, hence, identify possible strategic options.

The papers can be categorized into three broad themes: first, the impacts and environmental influences on management education including issues of globalization, global sustainability and advances in digital and social media. Second, challenges and criticisms of management education covering issues of legitimacy, business model sustainability and the need for change in business models. Third, the re‐invention of business schools and the creation of alternative models of management education and approaches for effective implementation and delivery of those models.

Globalization is an important environmental influence. Arnoud de Meyer, the President of SMU, offers his reflections. The paper by Peter Lacy and his colleagues at Accenture builds on the theme of globalization by examining the new era of global sustainability in the management arena. In discussing the second theme of challenges and criticisms, David Wilson and Howard Thomas examine the continued legitimacy of the business school with respect to both academic legitimacy in the university and business relevance and thought leadership legitimacy in the management community. Kai Peters and Howard Thomas address the issue of the sustainability of the current business school financial model and question whether it is too luxurious. Santiago Iñiguez and Salvador Carmona reinforce this urgent need to review the sustainability and viability of the existing business school models. Building on the importance of technology impacts, James Fleck illustrates how the Open University Business School (OUBS), the leader and pioneer in blended and distance learning in management education, has focused on further developing models of blended learning which will challenge the current weak adoption of such models in well‐known business schools. Rich Lyons, on the other hand, presents a thoughtful analysis of the careful implementation of a completely new MBA curriculum at the well‐regarded Haas Business School at Berkeley. Peter Lorange's “network‐based” model, on the other hand, is the most radical change model. Granit Almog‐Bareket's leadership paper offers one perspective on the importance of business school leadership in creating the conditions for innovative and insightful management of business school futures.

Clearly, debates and criticisms of business schools will continue to be addressed. It is a sign of a healthy academic and management community that such debates – particularly through the auspices of EMFD – can be presented in an open and constructive manner, as in this special issue of the Journal of Management Development.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the purpose of the business school in light of the growing globalization of the business world.

The paper investigates the purpose of the business school, with views from the literature. It also presents views as to the purpose of the business school today.

The paper finds that the purpose of the business school is to create value in the forms of academic, personal and public or social value.

This paper has interesting information as to the purpose and role of business schools in the globalizing modern world.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of the business school now and in the future.

The paper takes the form of an editorial review and argument.

The paper acknowledges the impact of globalization and “marketization” on business schools.

The editorial offers scope for accounting academics to engage with the university and protect against business school corporatization and/or privatization. This is an important issue in higher education, not only in Australia, but internationally.

The paper provides important empirical data and research information to scholars in the interdisciplinary accounting field of research about the future for business schools.

Suggests that there are six major dimensions that influence students' attitudes on postgraduate marketing education selections and these are: practical considerations; curriculum requirements; convenience factors; experience with the institutions; academic factors; and admission considerations. Emphasises that with new, progressive business teaching postgraduate marketing programmes sprouting up, the face of European and UK marketing and business schools is changing rapidly. Investigates the attitudes of the major business schools in the UK towards the variables that influence the selection of marketing studies, focusing on finding relationships between dependent variables. Sums up that the expansion of the marketing concept to higher education industry, requires the adaptation and implementation of these findings, in order to improve.

The paper seeks to describe the rationale behind the Financial Times business school rankings and some of the problems inherent in developing and publishing them.

The rationale behind the Financial Times business school rankings is discussed, as are the ways in which business schools use the rankings.

Business schools have an ambivalent relationship to business schools rankings, openly criticising them but using favourable aspects of the rankings in their schools' marketing.

Business school rankings are probably here to stay. Most business schools are developing ways of using them for their own purposes.