Perspectives On The Impact Mission And Purpose Of The Business School

With contributions from some of the leading thinkers in business school education, this book explores the impact and purpose of the business school, and addresses some of the most important questions facing management education today. The diverse perspectives brought together by the EFMD in this volume examine a number of common questions, themes and challenges. These include: whether business schools should be viewed as schools of management, given the complexity of the business environment; what is the positive impact of business school research, and the balance of relevant, practical impact and academic rigour; the strategic evolution of business schools and how they may evolve in a more purposeful direction; and why business school leaders compete strongly but are reluctant to collaborate, and how collaboration may encourage greater positive societal impact. With insightful commentary and illustrative case studies, this book serves as a landmark publication on the value and impact of business schools. The book will be of particular interest to those working in business schools, higher education leaders, policy makers and business leaders seeking insight into the value, impact and future of business and management education.

This second book in the EFMD Management Education series explores business schools’ increasing focus on, and search for, meaningful societal and economic research impact. This involves, in particular, co-operation and collaboration in both knowledge creation and implementation of the findings of academic research in practice. Business schools have a critical role to play in ‘rewiring’ our missions for research relevance, impact and reach, and in recognising needs and addressing real issues of society and economy. With cases from a range of international business schools, the book doesn’t simply highlight the need for the dominant research model in business schools to evolve, but illustrates how this can happen in practice. In so doing, it opens the discussion on how the business school can contribute in very real ways to solving global and complex challenges such as climate change, rising inequalities, international isolationism, eroding democratic systems, and the spread of fake news. These are goals that the EFMD has championed since its inception, and this book will be of value and interest to policy makers and business leaders seeking insight into how management education will be shaped to support business and wider society, as well as those working in business schools and higher education leaders.

To meet the challenge of closing the gap between academic research and industry practice, we need a step change in how the business school and the business scholar engages with business. This book presents best practice in the methods of broadening successful academic–business engagement on a major scale. It presents concrete recommendations for setting programmes, creating incentives and structuring recruitment that will transform effective academic–business engagement. Most universities claim to have significant links with industry and the professions, but, in reality, only a limited number of business scholars are engaged with industry. A focus on ‘impact’ presents an additional potential trap, confusing promotion of research and tactical tips and tricks, with genuine engagement. This book explores the increasing number of new and innovative partnerships and collaborative activities, and looks at how academics can adapt to and leverage these new opportunities. It focuses on the academic as the primary driver of the external relationship and outlines the skills and capabilities needed to proactively develop engagement. Finally, the book provides a number of examples of best practice from a range of countries. Written by senior business scholars and leaders from around the world, and with examples of best practice included from leading universities, this book gives universities the insight needed to develop a broader range of relationships with businesses and to have genuine engagement and impact in practice.

Bridging the gap between business and business schools: fulfilling potential or thwarted ambition. The Engaged Business School is a road map to unlocking the potential between business and business schools at a time when it really matters, responding to a global, economic and social recovery.

Perspectives on Purpose brings together industry leaders to advocate for a more human-centered and socially-conscious future for businesses. Sharing stories from their work at companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Sephora, Airbnb, Diageo, VF Corporation, and Hyatt, these authors demonstrate how weaving purpose into the profit-making core of business helps companies do good and do well. Foreword by Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan, Co-founders of The Honest Company Chapters by: Jorge Aguilar (Prophet) Tom Andrews (TJALeadership, SYPartners) Maryam Banikarim (Hyatt, NBC Universal, Gannett, Univision) Ila Byrne and Ryan Hunter (Diageo) Corrie Conrad (Sephora) Alexandra Dimiziani (TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, Airbnb) Ambika Gautam Pai (Wolf & Wilhelmine) Heidi Hackemer (And So We Hunt) Sam Hornsby (TRIPTK) Jonathan Jackson (Harvard University, Blavity) Sam Liebeskind (Gin Lane, Wolff Olins) Rob Michalak (Ben & Jerry's) Thomas Ordahl (Landor) Frank Oswald (Columbia University) Sarah Potts (Thorn) Matthew Quint (Columbia Business School) Haley Rushing (The Purpose Institute) Letitia Webster (VF Corporation) Freya Williams (Futerra) Perspectives on Purpose and its sister book, Perspectives on Impact, bring together leading voices from across sectors to discuss how we must adapt our organizations for the twenty-first century world. Perspectives on Purpose looks at the shifting role of the corporation in society through the lens of purpose; Perspectives on Impact focuses on the recalibration of social impact approaches to tackle complex humanitarian, social, and environmental challenges.

Honoring the life and work of Herbert Simon, this illuminating Companion provides an in-depth survey of one of the most prolific social scientists of our age. Mirroring the breadth of Simon’s studies, chapters analyze his contributions to artificial intelligence, economics, entrepreneurship, management, psychology and other fields.

In the mid-20th century, university-based business schools re-oriented themselves to increased alignment with the preferences of the university and decreased alignment with the preferences of business. This re-alignment has caused multiple observers to question the effectiveness of current-day business schools. For example, recent discussions have lamented that business schools are engaged in research that does not influence the practice of business. This book engages these debates, arguing that all judgments about the effectiveness of business schools are rooted in assumptions about what the purposes of the business school appropriately are and that many of those assumptions are unstated and not subjected to debate. The author weaves a unique blend of complexity theory, philosophy of science, and the nature of professions to articulate those goals and assess the effectiveness at meeting them. The book traces parallel discussions regarding the purpose of the university in the writings of Aristotle and Wilhelm von Humboldt and ties those discussions to current debates. This book will inform business faculty and administrators of the degree to which university-based business schools are balancing multiple purposes which include discovery of knowledge, creating knowledge that informs the practice of business, training professionals, and instilling ethical principles in its training of those professionals.