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1 – 10 of over 40000Michael John Segon, Chris Booth and Jeremy Pearce
The purpose of this paper is to establish a typology of a profession and to then assess the circumstances under which management could be classified as a profession against such a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to establish a typology of a profession and to then assess the circumstances under which management could be classified as a profession against such a typology.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper is conceptual. The research approach consists of formulating a typology of a profession based on the literature research methodology. The resulting typology is applied to assess management as a profession.
Findings
Although there have been efforts in recent literature and media commentary to position management as a profession, no thorough conceptually based analysis to rigorously analyze nor test this claim against the dominant arguments in the literature has been undertaken. The typology presents comprehensive research and analysis across disciplines to identify the circumstances under which management could be considered a profession.
Research limitations/implications
The paper offers a complete typology upon which to classify a profession. It provides highly supported arguments to discern elements of a profession. The key limitation lies in capturing and organizing extensive concepts and views across diverse literature disciplines to refine a holistic perspective (i.e. accountancy, business management, ethics, psychology and sociology).
Practical implications
This conceptual typology enables the design of a highly operable assessment system. It considers requisite standards for professions. It also informs potential professional bodies of the obligations to which they and their members must adhere to achieve and retain the status of a profession.
Originality/value
A comprehensive typology indicating the interdependent requirements and obligations required by a profession has not been espoused in either popular business journals or academic journals across the discipline areas now covered by this research investigation. The contribution provides a comprehensive academic argument to answer the question: can management be considered a profession?
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Laszlo Zsolnai, Sven Junghagen and Antonio Tencati
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the crisis of the business profession and the role that management education can play in renewing business management. It is argued that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the crisis of the business profession and the role that management education can play in renewing business management. It is argued that unless future managers demonstrate that they serve the common good in their daily practice, the legitimacy and moral standing of the business profession remain questionable.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the Masters in International Management Program of CEMS – Global Alliance in Management Education as a pioneering example of developing reflective and responsible managers.
Findings
The future manager is defined as a reflexive practitioner who is committed to environmental sustainability, exercises social responsibility, works with sensitivity toward gender and diversity issues, harmonizes information and communications technologies with processes and organizational culture, applies holistic perspective in problem solving, cooperates with social and political actors, and is engaged in progressive entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
The paper shows that responsibility can be successfully integrated into a global management education curriculum.
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Shares reflections and experiences on teaching a business ethicscourse to students of business over the past three years in the hopethat wider debate about this aspect of…
Abstract
Shares reflections and experiences on teaching a business ethics course to students of business over the past three years in the hope that wider debate about this aspect of management learning will establish its place in the business education curriculum. Considers the problems of teaching ethics in an occupation where there is no commonly accepted code of ethics. Discusses design, aims and objectives of a business ethics course and describes and reflects on aspects of the process and content of the course with a view to improving its practice in the future.
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The purpose of this work is to consider how to best prepare current and future business students for the inevitable ethical dilemmas that they will face in the course of their…
Abstract
The purpose of this work is to consider how to best prepare current and future business students for the inevitable ethical dilemmas that they will face in the course of their professional careers. To that end, the – still under-researched – rich history of the academic study of business ethics is leveraged in order to consider how a better understanding of the history of business ethics can help prepare for the future of business ethics. In addition to the above, the inescapable central role of the individual decision maker is demonstrated, with special emphasis on what is known about contemporary students of business can inform with regard to what business ethical challenges may await them and those impacted by their decisions.
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Ekta Singh and Devendra Pratap Singh
Spurred by the internationalization trend, many architectural professional bodies across the globe relaxed their norms related to the acceptance of promotion and marketing within…
Abstract
Purpose
Spurred by the internationalization trend, many architectural professional bodies across the globe relaxed their norms related to the acceptance of promotion and marketing within the services. However, in India, the architectural services codes have not reflected any changes. This paper aims to focus on Indian architectural practice and attempts to investigate about the causes of low marketing activities within the practice in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a primary research process of data collection through survey administration. Survey is conducted using a close-ended structured questionnaire based on Likert scale technique. The data are analysed using both descriptive and empirical research techniques mainly, factor analysis. The sample is defined using random clustering sampling technique, from the list of architects registered with the professional regulating body of India, i.e. the Council of Architecture.
Findings
The findings of the study are suggestive that architectural firms in India are instinctively practising marketing-related activities, to position their firm to attract clients without formally adopting them. There appears to be a silent routinization of the marketing tasks in the firms. The findings are suggestive of academic and professional ignorance as one of the barriers towards marketing. The findings advocate that recognizing the growing competitive nature of architectural practices in the country, the regulatory and institutional body, Council of Architecture, may retrospect their code of conduct. The results of the present study have a great implication on the architectural education in the country. The findings advocate that the architectural curriculum in the country should be broadened to include the basic knowledge about marketing.
Research limitations/implications
The present study opens a newer paradigm in the practice of architectural services. It highlights the growing linkages between the field of marketing and architecture. It opens a new area of research where linkages between interdisciplinary fields is an important aspect that needs researchers attention, to have a good model of survival for professional firms in a highly competitive environment.
Practical implications
The research findings have great implications for the architectural firms that seek to operate in the globally volatile environment. The increasing competitive nature of the architectural services in India demands a dynamic decision and procurement methods that can strategically position firms in the market. Marketing strategies have a significant role in positioning firms and increasing their client base.
Originality/value
The subject of architectural practice and its operation is an under-researched area. The present study makes a strong point for formal involvement of marketing strategies in the promotion of architectural firms in India. The paper attempts to bridge this gap, and the strength of the paper lies in the empirical nature of its investigation.
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Oswald A. J. Mascarenhas, Munish Thakur and Payal Kumar
The 170-year-old Master in Business Administration (MBA) program is becoming obsolete and inefficient to address today's real-world problems, and is facing mounting criticism from…
Abstract
Executive Summary
The 170-year-old Master in Business Administration (MBA) program is becoming obsolete and inefficient to address today's real-world problems, and is facing mounting criticism from business scholars, management deans, and academic scholars alike. Reviewing major criticisms, this chapter suggests a new design for the MBA program that will not only address the criticisms but also accept a paradigm shift that will spearhead it in coming decades. The redesigned MBA “structure” proposes a four-semester full-time program, during which each semester delves into deeper marketplace problems of increasing complexity (i.e., from simple to complex to unstructured to wicked problems) and deals with these problems with new levels of critical thinking skills and ethical reasoning processes tempered by corresponding entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, and values. The “content” of the redesigned program is anchored around five major themes of business learning: namely, intrinsic motivation management, creativity and innovation management, productivity management, revenue management, and eco-sustainability management, each geared to generate professional entrepreneurial knowledge, and skills and values urgently needed today. Numerous beneficial features of this newly redesigned integrated business management program (MBA) are also discussed.
There is a general sentiment against the idea of marketing among architectural professionals. This paper argues for the necessity of a marketing approach particularly in times…
Abstract
There is a general sentiment against the idea of marketing among architectural professionals. This paper argues for the necessity of a marketing approach particularly in times where the workload is declining. This paper looks at the marketing strategies that the Western Cape architects follow. It examines their efforts in building a successful marketing portfolio that defines marketing targets, utilizes proper marketing tools, and carry on helpful image building tasks. The data were collected using a mailed questionnaire to all principals of architectural offices in the Western Cape Province. The concluding section relates these strategies with the perception of growth over a five‐year period.
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The purpose of this study is to better understand the origins of modern corporate social responsibility. The paper seeks to examine some factors that enabled the new industrial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to better understand the origins of modern corporate social responsibility. The paper seeks to examine some factors that enabled the new industrial corporation to expand its role in society.
Design/methodology/approach
Using institutional theory, this paper describes how some of the institutional characteristics of the modern corporation itself provided some opportunities or challenges in terms of gaining social legitimacy.
Findings
The institutional features of the corporation, its technology and management created new demands on the corporation by society. These in turn led to the development of such concepts of corporate social responsibility as: public relations, service, trusteeship, and public welfare.
Research limitations/implications
Future research on social legitimacy should focus on demands placed by the institutional characteristics of new organizations. Other research might include comparative studies of corporate legitimacy in Europe or Asia or an examination of the evolving role of managers from the role of welfare capitalist to trusteeship.
Practical implications
Institutions that adapt to changing demands have the best chance to survive. Firms that adopt new social activities are likely to have to sustain them in the long run.
Originality/value
This study is the first to argue that the features of the modern corporation itself stimulated some of the social activities it undertook. Contributions of scientific management scholars to the shaping of the emerging corporate role are also noted.
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Leon C. Prieto and Simone T.A. Phipps
This article aims to depict the pivotal role Octavia Hill, Jane Addams and Mary Parker Follett played in the field of social entrepreneurship. The article aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to depict the pivotal role Octavia Hill, Jane Addams and Mary Parker Follett played in the field of social entrepreneurship. The article aims to examine the contributions made by these remarkable women who made valuable theoretical and practical contributions to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach
Synthesizing articles from history journals, writings about the figures of interest, published works by the figures themselves and other resources, this paper illustrates how Hill, Addams and Follett made valuable contributions to social entrepreneurship and questioned the rectitude of unadulterated capitalism.
Findings
This paper concludes that Hill, Addams and Follett refuted the viewpoint that self-interest and single-minded self-survival were the best ways to live and to conduct business. By their actions, the women showed that they did indeed bring “capitalism in question”, by recognizing the importance of seeking others’ interests.
Originality/value
This article highlights the contributions made by Hill, Addams and Follett, who made valuable contributions in the field of social entrepreneurship which is made evident by their work with housing settlements, community center development, etc.
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Despite the attention being paid to business ethics, it seems the behaviour of business leaders and employees has not improved. This paper takes a different approach to…
Abstract
Despite the attention being paid to business ethics, it seems the behaviour of business leaders and employees has not improved. This paper takes a different approach to understanding why this is the case. A distinction made in the higher education literature between surface and deep approaches to learning is adapted to provide an insight into the reason for the difference between the rhetoric concerning ethics and actual business practice. It is argued that a surface approach to ethics, which is associated with self‐interest, will not promote ethical behaviour, while a deep approach, motivated by the desire to do the right thing, does have the potential to do so. The difference between the rhetoric and business practice suggests that most businesses either intentionally or unintentionally adopt a surface approach to ethics.
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