An exploratory study of the perceptions of AACSB International’s 2013 Accreditation Standards

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan P. Miles ◽  
Geralyn McClure Franklin ◽  
Martin Grimmer ◽  
Kirl C. Heriot
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Basic Requirement ◽  
Faculty Recruitment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Placement ◽  
Accreditation Standards ◽  
Widespread Agreement ◽  
European Foundation ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Member School

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of an exploratory survey designed to measure AACSB member deans’ perceptions about the recently revised 2013 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accreditation Standards. In April of 2013, AACSB International released a major revision of its accreditation standards to better reflect the increased globalization of management education. Design/methodology/approach – The present study surveyed AACSB member school deans via e-mail using SurveyMonkey during October and early November of 2013. A total of 1,131 valid e-mail addresses were found for the deans/heads of member schools (accredited and non-accredited). In total, 259 surveys were completed, resulting in a 23 per cent response rate for member schools with valid e-mails (n = 1,131). Findings – The present study found that the AACSB membership largely perceives that AACSB accreditation is a basic requirement to be a credible and competitive business school, is an indicator of a quality education and is linked to enhancing a business school’s ability to be effective in faculty recruitment and student placement. Even business school’s holding association of MBA (AMBA) and the European Foundation for Management Development’s International Accreditation Program (EQUIS) accreditation seemed to think that AACSB accreditation is a basic requirement to be a competitive business school. The most notable finding of this study is that most deans indicated that they will be able to meet the 2013 standards. Originality/value – Although at the time of the survey no business school had been subject to review under the new standards, member deans largely felt that the guiding principles and values and the accreditation standards themselves are achievable. In addition, there was widespread agreement that AACSB accreditation is valuable, meaningful and essential in today’s globally competitive environment.

How well do AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS manage their brands?

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan P Miles ◽  
Martin Grimmer ◽  
Geralyn McClure Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
On Line ◽  
School Marketing ◽  
European Foundation ◽  
Face Complex ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
School Accreditation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the question of how well business school accreditation bodies manage their own brands. It does so by extending research on business school branding by Pitt et al. (2006) to explore how well business school accreditation organizations such as AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs, and the European Foundation for Management Development Quality Improvement System manage their brands. Design/methodology/approach – An on-line survey of business school deans was conducted during October and November of 2013. SurveyMonkey was used to administer the survey to 1,131 valid e-mail addresses found for the deans of member schools. Findings – Business school deans face complex decisions in terms of marketing. The selection of which accreditation “co-brand” to seek is both strategically relevant to the market position of the business school and has numerous financial and often career implications. The findings in this research suggest that AACSB is perceived by a broad global sample of business school deans to be generally the strongest brand, and therefore likely the best choice if a school is seeking only one accreditation. Originality/value – This study contributes to the understanding of business school marketing, strategic planning, and branding in a highly competitive global market.

Modeling the critical barriers to implementation of AACSB accreditation in business schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 550-570
Author(s):  
Goutam Kumar Kundu
Keyword(s):  
Business School ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
School Management ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Interpretive Structural Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accreditation Standards ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Barriers To Implementation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and model the key barriers to the issue of adoption and implementation of AACSB accreditation standards in business schools. Business school management can focus on removing the key barriers and implement accreditation standards and practices to improve the quality of programs offered by them. Design/methodology/approach The present study adopts the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach to develop a hierarchical-based model of the key barriers to implementation of Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation standards. It also depicts the mutual relationships among the key barriers. Findings The paper has identified the key barriers and presented an integrated model using ISM. Business schools need to pay maximum attention to diagnose and overcome these hindrances for effective implementation of AACSB accreditation standards. Research limitations/implications The model is based on the experts’ opinions, which may be biased, influencing the final output of the structural model. The developed model is to help the business school management in understanding the significance of the barriers, to prioritize or eliminate the same for the implementation of accreditation standards. Originality/value The depiction of barriers in the form of an ISM-based model is a new effort in the area of business school accreditation. The results will be useful to understand the barriers and overcome these for successful implementation of AACSB accreditation standards in business schools.

“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.

Dancing in the storm: finessing emergency remote teaching in the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Louise Whittaker ◽  
Hayley Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Change Management ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Business School ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Management Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Managers ◽  
Academic Level

Case overview The Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), a South African based business school and one of the top ranked business schools in Africa, was yet again facing a crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having emerged out of an extraordinary year of strict lockdown regulations and having managed a rapid shift to emergency remote teaching. GIBS had managed to maintain its academic programmes, ensuring the completion of the curriculum within the academic year whilst maintaining the exceptionally high standards and quality learning experience it was known for. As 2020 drew to a close, the academic programmes team and the students looked forward to starting the new year in a more “normal” mode of operation. GIBS closed for Christmas holiday with the intent on returning, in early 2021, in some form of face-to-face teaching. However, on the 27th of December 2020, the President of South Africa announced a return to level-3 lockdown as the second wave of infections swept through the country. Strict measures were once again enforced, significantly impacting GIBS’ possible return to campus in January 2021. Reflecting on the lessons learnt over the past year, the Executive Director: Academic Programmes, Professor Louise Whittaker, yet again faced the challenge of deciding how best to proceed given the circumstances. The case illustrates the need for effective change management through the application of Kotter’s 8 steps to transformation, whilst demonstrating the complexity of change management during a crisis. A particular focus on the importance of communication during a change management process in a crisis is illustrated through this case. Expected learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: students need to understand that in a crisis, change management will be emergent and requires flexibility and adaptability; students will determine what concrete actions may be required during a change management process in a crisis; students will need to discern that theoretical models do not necessarily fit real world contexts, particularly in a crisis situation; and students will identify aspects that might be missing or inadequately formulated in standard models of change management. Complexity academic level The case is positioned at a post-graduate level and would be ideal as a teaching case for business school students on a Master of Business Administration programme, a specialised business masters programme or selected executive education programmes for general managers or senior executives. The case can be taught in a course in the following fields, namely, change management, leadership or strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy.

A comparative study of formal coaching and mentoring programmes in higher education

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Jones ◽  
Helen A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Business School ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Application Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Practice Recommendations ◽  
Matching Process ◽  
Two Phases

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate two coaching and mentoring programmes focused on the ever-increasingly important aim of enhancing the chances of professional level employment for undergraduate students, at two UK universities. In addition, to offer recommendations to enhance coaching and mentoring success within higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachTwo similar programmes are compared; the first study is a coaching programme delivered in two phases involving over 1,500 students within the business school. The second study is a mentoring programme involving over 250 students over a ten-year period within the business school at a different institution.FindingsThe two programmes have been compared against the key success criteria from the literature, endorsed by coaching and mentoring experts. The results highlight the importance of integrating with other initiatives, senior management commitment, budget, an application process, clear matching process, trained coaches and mentors, induction for both parties, supportive material, ongoing supervision and robust evaluation and record keeping.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on two similar institutions, with comparable student demographics. It would have been useful to dig deeper into the effect of the diverse characteristics of coach/mentor and coachee/mentee on the effectiveness of their relationships. In addition, to test the assumptions and recommendations beyond these two institutions, and to validate the reach and application of these best practice recommendations further afield.Practical implicationsThe results identify a number of best practice recommendations to guide HE institutions when offering coaching and mentoring interventions to support career progression of their students.Originality/valueThere are limited comparison studies between universities with undergraduate career-related coaching and mentoring programmes and limited research offering best practice recommendations for coaching and mentoring programmes in HE. The top ten factors offered here to take away will add value to those thinking of running similar programmes within HE.

How buyer roles and critical times affect buyer-supplier exchange episodes

IMP Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
William James Newell
Keyword(s):  
Social Space ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Relationship Change ◽  
Research Stream ◽  
E Mail ◽  
Critical Times

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to examine how buyer-supplier episodes are characterised by their dimensions of time and social space, and how these dimensions interact to impact the criticality of an episode; second, to explore how time and social space create patterns of episodes that lead to buyer-supplier relationship change and continuity; and third, to examine the social space by the different roles that the buyer assumes among their episodes, while focusing on the concept of critical time to denote the temporal context. Design/methodology/approach A case study of a small retailer and five suppliers is employed. The primary data are e-mail communications between the buying and selling firms, along with a two-week field study at the retailer’s location. A total of 2,000 e-mails are coded to yield 75 episodes for the analysis. Findings The criticality of episodes differs depending on the role that the buyer assumes, and whether the episode occurs within a critical time period. The social space affects the type of criticality, while critical times enhance an episode’s criticality. This study outlines five different patterns of episodes occurring within critical times and across social spaces that characterise each of the buyer-supplier relationships. Research limitations/implications This paper focuses on e-mail communication, with little data on interactions occurring outside of this medium. Originality/value To the researcher’s knowledge, this paper is the first to link specific patterns of episode characteristics to the concept of buyer roles. It also examines episodes using e-mail communication, which is not a common source within the IMP research stream.

Hospital discharge planning for Canadians experiencing homelessness

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristy Buccieri ◽  
Abram Oudshoorn ◽  
Tyler Frederick ◽  
Rebecca Schiff ◽  
Alex Abramovich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Discharge Planning ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Communication Privacy ◽  
E Mail

Purpose People experiencing homelessness are high-users of hospital care in Canada. To better understand the scope of the issue, and how these patients are discharged from hospital, a national survey of key stakeholders was conducted in 2017. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness distributed an online survey to their network of members through e-mail and social media. A sample of 660 stakeholders completed the mixed-methods survey, including those in health care, non-profit, government, law enforcement and academia. Findings Results indicate that hospitals and homelessness sector agencies often struggle to coordinate care. The result is that these patients are usually discharged to the streets or shelters and not into housing or housing with supports. The health care and homelessness sectors in Canada are currently structured in a way that hinders collaborative transfers of patient care. The three primary and inter-related gaps raised by survey participants were: communication, privacy and systems pressures. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to those who voluntarily completed the survey and may indicate self-selection bias. Results are limited to professional stakeholders and do not reflect patient views. Practical implications Identifying systems gaps from the perspective of those who work within health care and homelessness sectors is important for supporting system reforms. Originality/value This survey was the first to collect nationwide stakeholder data on homelessness and hospital discharge in Canada. The findings help inform policy recommendations for more effective systems alignment within Canada and internationally.

Future developments in IMC: why e-mail with video trumps text-only e-mails for brands

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeline Close Scheinbaum ◽  
Stefan Hampel ◽  
Mihyun Kang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Coding Theory ◽  
Marketing Communications ◽  
Dual Coding ◽  
Verbal System ◽  
Dual Coding Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Video ◽  
E Mail

Purpose Marketers use e-mail in new, potentially more informative, entertaining and lucrative ways – such as embedding video. The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer responses to audiovisual (i.e. text along with a short video) versus text-only messages in brand communication. Specifically, authors seek to uncover the efficacy of marketer-embedded video (vs text-only) in e-mail on the consumer's product interest, informativeness, perceived prestige, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intentions and willingness to pass the electronic message along digitally or on social media. With the dual coding theory and selective visual attention as theoretical guideposts, the intended contribution is a framework that can explain and predict advantages for multi-modal e-mail marketing communications. Design/methodology/approach Five hypotheses are tested experimentally with a one-factor experiment with two conditions (text-only vs audiovisual). The sample was 240 adult participants. Real brands (Audi and Apple) were used. For both brands, participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions of the e-mail (i.e. audiovisual vs text-only). The stimuli are identical, with the exception of embedded video in the e-mail body. The videos are authentic brand videos, are approximately 50 s and use a product feature appeal. Participants’ pre-existing brand attitude was measured. Then, five dependent variables (product interest, informativeness, perceived prestige, e-WOM intentions and willingness to pass the electronic message along digitally or on social media) were considered with respect to consumer exposure to e-mail with video and text in the e-mail from the brand versus text-only e-mail from the brand. Findings The results supported the hypotheses that audiovisual messages (i.e. those with text and video) heighten informativeness, product interest, perceived prestige, intentions to spread e-WOM for a brand and willingness to pass along the e-mail along to friends and family when compared to text-only messages. These experimental findings from a one-factor experiment with two conditions (text-only vs audiovisual) are generally consistent for an American consumer technology brand Apple (iPhone) and a German luxury automobile brand Audi (S4). Hypotheses are supported for both brands (Apple and Audi), with the exception of product interest for Audi, which may be explained by the high price of a luxury automobile. Research limitations/implications An implication here for the dual coding theory is that the theory may be extended to consider what happens after the consumer codes the information with both the verbal and the non-verbal subsystem. The finding of interest to information processing scholars is that a video accompanying text communication from a brand to a consumer has an advantage over text-only communication. Brands that communicate with multi-modal marketing communication have better outcomes in informativeness, brand prestige perceptions and intentions of online consumer behaviors, including positive e-WOM for the brand in general and willingness to pass the specific content along in digital and social media platforms. Consumers can become brand advocates by being more inclined to forward the e-mails with the product short video as well as the e-mail text. Practical implications Brand marketers should consider e-mail in an integrated brand promotion (IBP) campaign as a cost advantage; one of the reasons e-mail should have a solid place in the IBP toolkit is due to e-mail's relatively low cost. The main cost comes with administration and production of the video. As a managerial implication for advertisers, embedding ads of a short video format in e-mails is a way to be more effective than plain-text e-mails. Short videos in e-mails are a reasonable idea to include in an integrated marketing communications effort (plausibly due to information processing with both a verbal and a non-verbal system). Brands can use videos in e-mails to enhance informativeness regarding products to enhance product differentiation from competitors. Yet, it is important to raise caution with some concerning disadvantages potentially associated with e-mail marketing and video. The three areas of caution include potential issues of privacy, clutter and technical inhibitors. Originality/value Despite the fact that e-mail is one of the most heavily used communication tools in marketing, there is scarce literature on e-mail and branding. By brands evoking a degree of prestige with embedded videos, consumer willingness to become part of the marketing communications is enhanced, as their e-WOM and willingness to share the branded content increase.

scholarly journals The voice of dwellers – developing a place brand by listening to its residents

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Hakala
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Development ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
E Mail

Purpose Listening to the customers has long been a key phrase and success element in product branding. This paper aims to highlight the importance of listening to residents during the branding of a place. The study explores ways of listening to residents to ensure they are heard and also discusses the challenges and benefits related to place branding flowing from having residents participate in decision-making processes. Design/methodology/approach Listening to residents and offering opportunities to participate requires place branders to fully attend to, comprehend and respond to residents’ comments, requests, ideas and feedback. This study reports on how two Nordic cities – Turku and Helsinki – listen to their residents. The data used comprise face-to-face interviews, telephone and e-mail conversations and documentary material. Findings Residents should not be considered as one homogeneous target; participation options and channels should be adapted to the demographics and geographic issues of the different regions and resident groups. Research limitations/implications The role of residents and the importance of listening are crucial features in the emerging concept of inclusive place branding (Kavaratzis et al., 2017); its future conceptual development could benefit from the case examples at hand. Practical implications City authorities should listen to residents and provide them with opportunities to actively contribute to decision-making. Other cities could learn from the examples introduced in the paper. Originality/value This paper documents two Nordic examples of cities putting into practice a policy of listening to the residents, a previously neglected research area.

scholarly journals The characteristics of Portuguese management academics and their fit with teaching accreditation standards

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia S. Sarrico ◽  
Margarida M. Pinheiro
Keyword(s):  
Management Education ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accreditation Standards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the quality and accreditation of management education by examining the fit between the characteristics of current management academics in Portugal and recognised accreditation standards. For purposes of comparison, the authors use both general Portuguese teaching accreditation standards and specific international standards for management education. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyse indicators of staff career positioning, tenure status, full time vs part-time, age, degree qualifications, field of training, level of academic inbreeding, internationalisation, research activity, professional activity, and the number of hours taught per week. The authors also examine the relationship between them, in light of accreditation standards, for all academic staff teaching in management degrees submitted for compulsory accreditation by the Portuguese accreditation agency. Findings – The reality found in this study shows gaps between the actual attributes of management academics and what can be considered appropriate attributes, according to the general consensus found in the literature and which is duly mirrored in common “qualified faculties” accreditation standards by Portuguese and international standards (AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS). Research limitations/implications – The findings relate to the Portuguese situation and the analysis developed should be extended to other contexts. Also, while the data, which were collected through a census, has a wide national scope, it only covers one academic year. Practical implications – This work has policy setting implications for degree accreditation and for developing capacity during the transitional periods when universities implement the mandatory minimum standards. It can also help universities to benchmark themselves against their peers as a diagnostic tool for elaborating improvement plans. Social implications – The massification of higher education has led to legitimate concerns about the quality of the services provided, and consequently accreditation procedures were devised to restore trust. However, policy makers must be aware of the impacts of their actions, namely the effects of degree accreditation, as their goals need to be achieved with the minimum negative impact on academic work. Originality/value – The authors work sheds light on the characteristics of those who teach management and how they align with the current accreditation policies that affect academia globally and, in the process, presents empirical evidence from Portugal, which is at a relatively early stage in the accreditation process.

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