Transition to a hybrid teaching model as a step forward toward responsible management education?

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how the COVID-19 health crisis could help business schools move towards more responsible management education (RME). Business schools have been extensively blamed in previous crises for not educating their students in a responsible way. The COVID-19 pandemic could be the pivotal opportunity for business schools to regain legitimacy and a wake-up call to accelerate their journey towards RME. The authors aim to outline an illustration of the transition to a hybrid teaching model and how such educational reconfiguration might lead to more sustainable and RME, also beyond COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach is proposed to analyse and decrypt the challenges and opportunities of a hybrid approach, its implications for the transformation of business schools and RME. This study also includes a state-of-the-art literature review, a specific investigation of the case of ESCP, the European cross-border multi-campus business school, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders impacted by the crisis. Findings The health crisis demonstrated the unprecedented capability of higher education to embrace rapid and profound change. Furthermore, the pandemic served as a wake-up call in that it may even have caused the progress of business schools, previously somewhat reluctant, towards more socially responsible and sustainable thinking. Thus, the schools have used the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to regain legitimacy and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Practical implications The paper pulls together a multitude of suggestions for higher education in general and business schools in particular. Originality/value Combining two of higher education’s main challenges, namely, digitalisation and sustainability and applying the principles for responsible management education framework to map and analyse the pandemic’s implications, this paper provides a new, compelling and inspiring resource for business schools on their path to a more responsible management approach and education.

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Responsible management education in Egyptian public business schools

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-01-2019-0022 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (8) ◽

pp. 681-696

Author(s):

Mohamed Mousa ◽

Hala A. Abdelgaffar ◽

Rami M. Ayoubi

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Business Ethics ◽

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Content Type ◽

General Acceptance ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Global Responsibility

Purpose Out of 24 public business schools in Egypt, the purpose of this paper is to focus on three in order to investigate how responsible management education is perceived and exercised by academics there. Design/methodology/approach A total of 168 academics were contacted and interviewed in 42 focus groups. The length of each focus group was about 45 min, and all of them were conducted in Arabic because the majority of respondents are not fluent in English. The authors used thematic analysis to determine the main ideas in the transcripts. Findings Based on data analysis of the perceptions of academics concerning business education, research and management process at the target business schools, the authors of this paper found that responsible management education is not considered a priority in the work agendas of the Egyptian public business schools. Furthermore, the authors believe that besides issues with the general acceptance of the need for responsible management education, there are functional, procedural and edu-academic barriers that these schools need to overcome first before proceeding with implementation and expecting positive outcomes. Research limitations/implications This research maybe subject to criticism because the authors address only the perspectives of academics in the chosen business schools while neglecting other academic partners, particularly those in managerial positions, such as rectors and heads of departments. Future researchers may use the same research questions to investigate a managerial level perspective to depict a more holistic picture of the situation. Moreover, including Egyptian private business schools may also enrich the findings. In fact, the authors suggest that scholars from different academic disciplines such as sustainability management, business ethics, higher education, sustainability and cultural diversity work together to produce more interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research on the global responsibility themes business schools have to manage. Originality/value This paper contributes by filling a gap in sustainability, HR management, business ethics and higher education literature in which empirical studies on responsible management education and the responsible practices of academics have been limited so far.

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COVID-19 and responsible management education (RME) among others: why should public business schools feel threatened?

International Journal of Educational Management ◽

10.1108/ijem-10-2020-0453 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Mohamed Mousa

Keyword(s):

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Business Students ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Content Type ◽

Cultural Challenges ◽

Cultural Aspects ◽

Responsible Management ◽

The Future ◽

Multiple Case

PurposeThrough a multiple case study design, this article elaborates the chances of initiating and/or implementing responsible management education (RME) in Egyptian public business schools after the identification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In other words, this paper identifies the effect of COVID-19 on internalizing RME in the previously mentioned context.Design/methodology/approachThrough addressing four business schools in Egypt, this article explores the future of public business schools that did not previously implement responsible management education (RME) principles, after the identification of COVID-19. In other words, this paper identifies the main threats facing public business schools in Egypt post the spread of COVID-19.FindingsAlthough the previous study done by Mousa et al. (2019a) showed that academics in public business schools in Egypt were not ready to implement responsible management education, and furthermore, that they thought that addressing socio-cultural aspects is the mission of professors in sociology and humanities, the results of this study show that the spread of COVID-19 has positively changed the situation. The interviewed academics assert that socio-cultural challenges shape the minds of business students, academics and trainers, and these accordingly, have to be tackled. Furthermore, the author explores some socio-political, academic and labour market threats facing business schools in Egypt today. Managing those threats may ensure the continuity of the addressed business schools and their counterparts.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in the literature on responsible management education and leadership in the higher education sector, in which empirical studies on the future of business schools, particularly those that did not implement responsible management education earlier, after the identification and spread of COVID-19 have been limited until now.

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The business case and barriers for responsible management education in business schools

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-06-2013-0082 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 34-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Bob Doherty ◽

John Meehan ◽

Adam Richards

Keyword(s):

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Organisational Change ◽

Business Case ◽

Critical Issue ◽

Institutional Pressures ◽

Longitudinal Case Study ◽

Content Type ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Depth Study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to gain a greater depth of understanding of both the pressures and barriers for embedding responsible management education (RME) within business and management schools. Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises a longitudinal case study design of six business/management schools. Findings – This research identifies a set of institutional pressures and barriers for RME in the business schools selected. First, the pressures appear to come from a number of external business school sources and the barriers from a series of organisational resource and individual factors. Research limitations/implications – RME cannot be seen as just a bolt on. The orientation needs to change to view RME as requiring a shift in culture/purpose/identity. Due to the barriers this will require systemic organisational change at all levels and an organisational change process to bring about implementation. Practical implications – The results clearly show these market pressures are no passing fad. Failure to respond in a systemic way will mean business schools will run into serious problems with legitimacy. Originality/value – This paper fulfils a need for an in depth study of a number of business schools to identify the barriers to RME. This is now a critical issue for schools and this research has provided a number of practical recommendations which will help business schools overcome the identified barriers.

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Responsible management education for a sustainable world

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-02-2013-0022 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 16-33 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

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.

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Contribution of PRME in education, research, and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education ◽

10.1108/ijshe-09-2020-0350 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Aline Bento Ambrósio Avelar ◽

Keilla Dayane da Silva-Oliveira ◽

Milton Carlos Farina ◽

Raquel da Silva Pereira

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Education Research ◽

Local Community ◽

Management Education ◽

Higher Education Institutions ◽

Hierarchical Classification ◽

Content Type ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

Development Goals

Purpose This paper aims to assess the contribution of the UN’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in higher education, covering education, research and outreach in Brazilian higher education institutions (HEIs) after becoming signatories. Design/methodology/approach Teachers representing Brazilian HEI signatories to the PRME were interviewed. The IRAMUTEQ software was used for content analysis, descending hierarchical classification and similarity tree, allowing to quantify the quality variables originating from the professors’ beliefs and opinions. Findings The PRME helps Brazilian HEIs to review or create disciplines related to responsible management education and adopt transdisciplinarity for sustainability. The signatories’ PRME-influenced research is interdisciplinary, focusing on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Social responsibility is promoted through local-community projects, while partnerships, initiatives and innovative pedagogies from foreign-signatory HEIs provide international experiences for teachers and students. However, within one initiative, which had 170 signatories in 2008 and over 800 in 2020, indicators should be formulated to analyze and enhance HEIs’ sustainability profile. The PRME contributes to educating young people and adults in Brazil via education, research or outreach; however, this contribution needs to be assessed. Originality/value Prior studies have not collected data through interviews to consider professors’ perspectives on the PRME’s contribution to signatory HEIs in Brazil. This study interviewed professors involved with the PRME to broaden their understanding beyond bibliometrics and assess the alignment of the PRME and UN SDGs.

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Post-pandemic responsible management education: an invitation for a conceptual and practice renewal and for a narrative change

Journal of Global Responsibility ◽

10.1108/jgr-12-2020-0110 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Lovasoa Ramboarisata

Keyword(s):

Organizational Climate ◽

Recent Work ◽

Design Methodology ◽

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Moral Imagination ◽

Content Type ◽

Critical Studies ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Employer Responsibility

Purpose This essay makes the point that the corona crisis should motivate business schools and scholars to reflect on their interpretation of responsible management education (RME). It suggests both a conceptual and a practice renewal of RME, by respectively highlighting the relevance of the constructs organizational climate (OC) and professorial roles (PR) and calling for an enactment of business schools’ employer responsibility. It also argues that beyond mere techno-pedagogical and strategic developments, business schools’ post-pandemic challenges should encompass a narrative change. Design/methodology/approach Review of recent studies on the neo-liberalization of business schools and the implications of the latter on management educators and management education. Findings The corona crisis carries the risk of putting center stage and amplifying the entrepreneurial narrative in business schools. Such a narrative is deeply rooted in neoliberal assumptions. However, the corona crisis is also an opportunity to renew RME and to favour critical studies, encourage moral imagination and embark collectively on systemic activism. Originality/value Like other recent work, this paper reflects on what RME should mean and how business schools should set and fulfill their RME agenda in the aftermath of the corona crisis. To complement those former work, this paper proposes that the constructs of OC and PR be invited into the conceptualization of RME and insists that business schools acknowledge their employer responsibility.

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An integrated framework of UN and AACSB principles for responsible management education

Journal of Global Responsibility ◽

10.1108/jgr-12-2020-0104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Uma G. Gupta ◽

Sam Cooper

Keyword(s):

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Business Community ◽

Societal Impact ◽

Unique Contribution ◽

Human Welfare ◽

Content Type ◽

Integrated Framework ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Key Terms

Purpose Given the increasing relevance of Responsible Management Education (RME) to social and human welfare around the world, this paper aims to present an integrated framework that captures the essence of the principles of RME as defined by the United Nations (UN) and further set forth and embedded in the core principles of the accrediting body of business schools, namely, the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business (AACSB). Such a framework serves as a rigorous platform for business schools and key stakeholders to integrate and implement core RME principles to deliver long-term sustainable benefits to the communities in which they operate Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper. The authors first define key terms of RME used in the UN and AACSB guidelines to provide a universal language for business schools to communicate with their stakeholders and to monitor RME initiatives. Next, the authors identify and map RME Principles and Standards common to both organizations that business schools can apply and integrate into their educational practices to create societal impact. Finally, they categorize the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN into four core purposes and articulate the benefits of clear and consistent messaging that aligns with the vision and mission of the institution Findings The integrated framework presented here makes a unique contribution to business schools that are in the early stages of RME implementation in the following ways: It simplifies the complexity and challenges of integrating the complex RME principles outlined by the UN and the spirit of the RME principles embedded in the accreditation guidelines of AACSB; the four unique themes that emerged from our research provide business schools with a clear pathway to assess their RME progress; and the framework addresses how RME can deliver exceptional value to various stakeholders of business schools. Research limitations/implications There are many opportunities for future researchers to expand on our work particularly, in the areas of RME-driven curriculum development and experiential learning, embedding ethics within high-impact RME practices and developing rigorous metrics to define and measure societal impact. Future researchers may also wish to expand and refine the definitions of key terms and explore the role of societal interaction as an indicator of meaningful institutional engagement with the business community. Practical implications Business educators can use this framework that maps AACBS core RME themes to the RME guidelines of the UN to assess, establish and enhance their strategies to implement and improve RME-driven business education. Originality/value This integrated framework makes a unique contribution to business schools by simplifying the complexity and challenges of implementing RME principles outlined by the UN and that of AACSB. By integrating the principles outlined by both the accrediting body of business schools with the ideals of the U.N in a simple and elegant framework, business schools can embrace and embark on implementing one or more of the four core RME themes identified in this paper. Implementation of these principles within a core RME theme has the potential to create a strong and unique global leadership position for a business school and its graduates.

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Developmental challenges to internationalizing the higher education sector: a critical inquiry of business schools in Kerala

Rajagiri Management Journal ◽

10.1108/ramj-07-2021-0058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Kishore Thomas John ◽

K. Shreekrishna Kumar

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Human Development ◽

Time Series Data ◽

Management Education ◽

Technical Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Education Sector ◽

Series Data ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type

PurposeKerala is one of India's most advanced states in human development and other social indices. This study aims to look at the management education scenario in Kerala from a macro-perspective and examines the existing trends, major issues and presents challenges facing the sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study is driven by previously unexplored secondary data published by India's apex technical education regulator–All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Qualitative and quantitative assessments are assimilated from the organization, dissection and categorization of unit-level data.FindingsBusiness schools (B-schools) in the state are facing acute distress in enrolments. There are intra-regional variations in institution count and occupancy rates. The vast majority of the institutions have no accreditation at all. The entire sector is facing a protracted decline.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has relied primarily on descriptive statistics considering a single discipline within the higher education sector in Kerala. Future studies should look at other disciplines (engineering, medicine) simultaneously. Use of statistical methods like panel data regression would be beneficial to find hidden trends in cross-sectional and longitudinal time-series data.Practical implicationsManagement education in Kerala is facing an existential crisis. This has implications for the state's economic development. The paper creates strong imperatives for government policymaking to forestall the complete decline of the sector.Social implicationsA highly literate state with advanced human development indices need not be a suitable location for building a knowledge-based economy. Government policy has strong implications for the development and sustenance of higher education. The relationship between government and business schools are symbiotic.Originality/valueThe paper maps the progression of B-schools from local to global. A typology of privately funded B-schools is proposed. The conceptual framework advanced in this study can contribute to further literature development. The suggested policy initiatives are applicable not only to Kerala but also to other tightly regulated markets.

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Responsible management education (RME) post COVID-19: what must change in public business schools?

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-10-2020-0316 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 (2) ◽

pp. 105-120

Author(s):

Mohamed Mousa

Keyword(s):

Study Design ◽

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Multiple Case Study ◽

Content Type ◽

Case Study Design ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Multiple Case

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Moving beyond the rhetoric of responsible management education

Journal of Management Development ◽

10.1108/jmd-06-2014-0059 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 2-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Eric Cornuel ◽

Ulrich Hommel

Keyword(s):

Business School ◽

Management Education ◽

Business Schools ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Full Time ◽

Special Issue ◽

Content Type ◽

For Profit ◽

Responsible Management ◽

Starting Point

Purpose – Business schools appear to be slow adopters of responsible management education (RME), though the rhetoric of RME is visible throughout the sector. The purpose of this paper and the accompanying ones in this Special Issue is to address this apparent gap between substance and image by analysing the barriers to RME adoption and potential ways of overcoming them. The contributions offer insights from a range of different perspectives that will help encourage an informed debate on how to make RME more of a reality in management education. Design/methodology/approach – This paper analyses the problem within the dominant institutional logic of the business school sector, which is shaped by entrepreneurialism, operational for-profit orientation and externally validated reputation creation. It sets the stage for the other contributions to this Special Issue, which use alternative approaches to analyse the limited progress of RME adoption. Findings – This paper identifies five potential barriers to RME adoption: students, as “customers”, do not sufficiently value the “R” in RME; the switch from full-time to part-time and online provision precludes the use of pedagogical methods particularly suited for RME; the fragmentation of intellectual production in business schools makes it difficult to implement an institution-wide RME-based learning model; the standardization of educational provision combined with a focus on ranking-related performance indicators moves business schools away from addressing RME-specific learning needs; and entrepreneurialism and business school rankings link RME directly and indirectly to financial impact, which is difficult to determine. In the authors’ view the way forward requires a review of the intellectual underpinning of modern management in combination with the adjustment of organizational routines and more explicit forms of faculty development. Originality/value – The existing literature focuses on the differentiating features of RME and how they can help to overcome deficiencies in management education as practiced today. This paper and others in this Special Issue adopt the reverse perspective and analyse the reasons for institutional inertia as a starting point for identifying ways of encouraging more widespread adoption.

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