scholarly journals COVID-19: accelerator or demolisher of the RME agenda?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Falkenstein ◽  
Ulrich Hommel ◽  
Annie Snelson-Powell
Keyword(s):  
Opportunity Cost ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to enrich the discussion at the intersection of responsible management education (RME) and the pandemic with new views that explore together the inhibitors of and drivers for a strengthening of RME in the emerging context. On the one hand, the pandemic crisis fosters the social role business schools play by supporting the enhancement of the RME rationale as an idealist foundational pillar of responsible business schools. On the other hand, it invites negative pragmatic responses in the light of financial and competitive disturbances that seem to enlarge the opportunity cost of moving RME forward. Design/methodology/approach The essay puts forward arguments that help dissect the inherent contradictions and synergies between idealistic and pragmatic business school strategies, as they are impacted by the dynamics of COVID-19. The analysis serves to frame a discourse over the extent to which the pandemic crisis is acting as an accelerator of the RME agenda or instead brings the risk of demolishing what has been achieved so far. Findings The authors form an opinion of the emerging factors that promote and inhibit RME in business schools as they grapple with the challenges of the pandemic whilst recognizing the inherent contradictions faced in their strategic choices and resourcing. Originality/value In light of the growing emphasis on RME in the literature, this study challenges the degree to which the agenda has already become firmly rooted as a core organizational and educational theme in business schools. By doing so, it delivers an assessment of RME progress as a relevant strategic lever for business schools, whilst nonetheless being at risk of back-sliding.

“That's not how I see it”: female and male perspectives on the academic role

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 497-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Shaw ◽  
Catherine Cassell
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
School Context ◽  
Empirical Work ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Role ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a piece of empirical work that examines gender differences in how academics make sense of performance within university business schools in the UK.Design/methodology/approachThe research reported draws on data collected using a life history and repertory grid methodology with male and female interviewees from two university business schools.FindingsThe findings are discussed in relation to how academics understand what is valued about their role and what they believe the organisation rewards and values when it comes to promotion. Gender differences are shown to exist in the ways women and men define the academic role and in what they think is important both to themselves and the institution.Originality/valueThe paper presents original data on gender differences within a business school context.

scholarly journals “Libraries motors of change” and the social role of (digital) libraries for their communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 142-145
Author(s):  
Mario Coffa
Keyword(s):  
Digital Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Role ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Individual Country ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Uniform Manner ◽  
The Individual

Purpose Based on a comparison with different realities, analysis of the situation of libraries in line with International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) policies and directives. Design/methodology/approach The method used for the following paper is that of a remote interview. Findings The expected results will emerge from the debate that can be raised from this paper. Research limitations/implications The IFLA guidelines have international value but are implemented according to the context of the individual country, not always in a uniform manner. Originality/value The interview reveals the formality of the contents through the informality of the method.

Entrepreneurial orientation in business schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherein H. Abou- Warda
Keyword(s):  
Entrepreneurial Orientation ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
International Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Industry Collaboration ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences between the four main kinds of business schools in Egypt (private; internationally affiliated; public with local programs; and public with international programs) in terms of perceptions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered 212 with a response rate of 55.1 percent from a sample of academics in the four groups of business schools (private; internationally affiliated; public with local programs; and public with international programs) using self-administered questionnaires. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to check EO, construct validity and to identify meaningful factors. MANOVA was performed by using factors identified in the previous step to establish whether any significant differences exist between the four groups. Findings – The results show that differences between the four groups exist in terms of four sub-constructs of EO (research mobilization, unconventionality activities, industry collaboration, and perception of university policies) which successfully predict business school involvement in accreditation and commercialization setting. Practical implications – It is meaningful to conduct a comparative study of EO; the results of this study may be broadly applied to higher education (HE) systems in other countries where strong entrepreneurship has contribute to building a more solid economy. Originality/value – The recent literature has put little effort in understanding the effects of cultural differences among universities and its departments in terms of EO and none in identifying the differences between HE systems on the same topic.

Learning the PR trade

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Business Education ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Change in business education is effortlessly elusive. No matter how often the great and the good of either the business or business school worlds lament the lack of adequate teaching through Masters of Business Administrations and other programmes, very rarely does anything seem to change. Managers are still put though their paces at business schools; they still read the same “seminal” books and case studies; they still get their blue riband qualification; they still receive a hefty increase in salary after graduation. Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organisations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Narrating around

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 260-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Maria Rudolf Céline Basten
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Discursive Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning History ◽  
The Past ◽  
Narrative Structures ◽  
The One ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe learning history is designed to describe the coming about of best practices, with their reproduction in mind. This paper seeks to discuss the implications of this instrument and presents a modified version.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a so‐called discursive learning history to zoom in on the interaction between a convergent, official, organisational narrative on the one hand, and people acting according to their own stories on the other.FindingsNarrative structures help to create an inner logic that helps people to make sense of their organisation. An example is the battlefield metaphor identified in an academic business school.Research implicationsIt is not easy to create a comprehensive whole out of a multitude of small, often ill‐aligned contributions. To tackle this problem, the author adjusts the method of the learning history for it to allow analysis of discursive practices.Practical implicationsWith this instrument, managers can identify patterns in the complexity of their organisations and understand what seems irrational at first sight.Social implicationsIn organisations there is a continuous tendency to create one line into this complexity. This can be disciplining and therewith can provoke all kinds of undesired behaviours.Originality/valueIt is often assumed that one can learn from history. Looking at the past and reconstructing what happened during a significant event seems an ideal way to create the coherent plot one feels comfortable with and learn from for the future. A discursive learning history shows there is more to organisations then meets the eye.

French industrial relations: a dual paradox with deep historical roots

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques R. Rojot
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Industrial Relations ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
The Other ◽  
French Society ◽  
Historical Explanation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the dual paradox of French industrial relations. On the one hand, unions are numerically weak and bitterly divided but retain a significant influence. On the other hand, the social climate remains highly conflict-prone and marked by an ideological rhetoric opposing the wealthy oppressors to the exploited masses within a relatively prosperous society. Design/methodology/approach – The paper finds a historical explanation in constant features of French society. Findings – The paper found that specific concepts of freedom and equality shaped the present organization of industrial relations. Originality/value – The paper explains the structure and organization of unions and labor relations through societal elements structured historically.

Responsible management education for a sustainable world

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Dyllick
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Management ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
Diverse Area

Purpose – The reforms in business schools based on the Ford and Carnegie Foundation reports (Pierson, 1959; Gordon and Howell, 1959) have been very successful in embedding management in a research-based body of knowledge, thereby elevating the academic status of business administration. These reforms, however, did nothing toward making management more socially trustworthy or management education more responsible. In the light of the pressing economic, social and environmental crises the world is facing, the feeling is spreading that not only business and economics but business schools also need to change fundamentally, if they want to be a provider of solutions to these crises and thereby keep and regain their legitimacy. The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the fundamental challenges facing the role of business schools and their contributions in the areas of education, research, managing faculty, and role of the business school. It presents suggestions what responsible management education for a sustainable world could and should look like. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on the existing literature on the needed changes in business schools and has been written as part of a large international project, the 50+20 initiative (www.50plus20.org), which was developed by a broad coalition of organizations with the World Business School Council for Sustainable Business (WBSCSB), the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) and the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) at its core and 16 business schools and organizations from all around the world as supporters (Muff et al., 2013). Findings – Business schools need to transform themselves fundamentally, if they want to be a provider of solutions to the crises of responsibility and sustainability and thereby keep and regain their legitimacy. Originality/value – The paper pulls together insights from a diverse area of literature and develops practical conclusions.

For better or for worse: the changing life of academic staff in French business schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Lichy ◽  
Kevin Pon
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Common Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business And Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the work of teachers in French schools of Management has evolved over the years and to see how these changes are perceived by the teachers themselves. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was developed with open ended questions and sent out to academic staff in various fields of business and management and then examined to see if there were any common factors to business schools. The perception of these changes were also examined through the questionnaire. Findings – There were many positive aspects found concerning these changes where staff had a certain amount of power over these changes. Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to a certain type of business school and within France. Originality/value – The paper highlights a number of positive changes to the work of academics staff in France and gives insight to how the staff themselves can have the power to change their work as they wish. It is therefore complimentary to research which lays the emphasis on the negative aspects of the profession.

scholarly journals Relatedness, co-inquiring and imagination: mimetic images of recovery

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-301
Author(s):  
Hugo Gaggiotti ◽  
Margaret Page
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Business School ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Learning Preference ◽  
The Social ◽  
Contemporary Practice ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the methodological challenges of developing a shared academic–student discourse of recovery with undergraduate students in their final year at a British business school. Design/methodology/approach The authors reflect on the meaning of recovery and how it was negotiated and constructed by the relation established between students and academics, by analysing the visual- and text-based materials they produced and the discussions provoked by these materials using symmetric ethnology and content analysis. Findings The main finding is that students tended to reflect on the real, particularly the social, by creating copies and replicas; the authors, as academics, engaged with this practice with ambivalence. The article concludes that this as an attempt to manage what is felt to be unmanageable, echoing what some authors consider to be a contemporary practice of social justification (Boltanski and Thévenot, 1991) and others consider to be a well-established cultural practice (Taussig, 1993). Research limitations/implications The paper contributes to a better understanding of how relatedness and reflexive inquiry become essential for when teaching and that is linked with academics being able to be openly related with students and their situation; to a better understanding of recovery and how it can be co-constructed by academics and students through a share narrative; to a methodology for the analysis of text and images, and its appropriateness for the study of ways in which imagination of the future may be co-constructed; and to an understanding of mimetic objects, replicas and copies. Practical implications The paper suggests that this approach could have practical implications when applying co-inquiry approaches of learning, the understanding of institutional and academic meaning of replication and relatedness in academic context of economic crisis. Originality/value The authors conclude that academic relatedness and students–tutors engagement is constructed differently when re-considering replication as a way of learning. Preference for copying and pasting found texts and images, rather than creating, served as a way of managing the unknown and of constructing recovery through a process of “mimeting” (Campbell, 2005).

Chinese hedonic values and the Chinese classical virtues: managing the tension

2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 709-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Urban Society ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Social Unrest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Profit Maximisation ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Market Economics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which Chinese classical virtues act as a restraint on consumerist hedonic values and the associated priority on profit maximisation by managers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a literature review and adopts a reflective approach to the topic.FindingsThe paper considers how Chinese classical virtues are related to contemporary relational or indigenous values and how a social tension is created between these values and the hedonic values now present in Chinese urban society. Implications for management and management education are reviewed in the light of this tension.Practical implicationsThe social unrest created by the privatisation of SOEs can be mitigated by the promotion of management education sensitised to the cultural norms and expectations of the Chinese people in relation to the role and responsibilities of managers. The Junzi (gentleman‐leader) archetype and the virtues of ren‐yi‐li are offered as exemplary features of a management seeking to balance social responsibility with profitability.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the social turbulence created by the advent of market economics in China and the concomitant rise of consumerism and the privatisation of state‐owned enterprises.

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