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From: jacobo.rn@gmail.com On Behalf Of Jacobo Ramirez

Dear Charles,

Could you please the following call (IMD-List)? I also include it as an attachment.

Thank you, Jacobo

Rethinking Business Schools and their Role in Economic and Social Development

The 14th Asia-Pacific Researchers in Organization Studies Conference
Nov 29-Dec 1 2011
School of Management, Massey University Auckland, New Zealand

Recent advances in management education research have highlighted the need to rethink the purpose of business schools and their role in economic and social development (Gomez-Samper, 2009; Khurana, 2007). With business schools in many locations immersed in conflicting societal demands and with their reputations damaged by economic scandals, we observe nowadays that business schools are playing a different role than their initial one of certifying management as a profession.
Diverse stakeholders are demanding that business schools work together with various economic and social actors, not only to improve the business environment but also to support social development through generating management science knowledge. For example, in some countries governmental and private agencies are granting economic funds to business schools for creating business incubators, accelerators or technological parks as part of their facilities (e.g. Mexico and Spain). In other countries, business schools receive economic funds from private donors or state agencies to develop an entrepreneurial, international or sustainable focus in their curricula (e.g. México, Colombia, India, Brazil or Russia). We also find business schools with governing boards that promote a strong orientation to humanities, fine arts or political sciences in all dimensions of their mission, educational strategies and academic programs (e.g. Denmark). In addition to those demands is the constant pressure that business schools experience for obtaining international accreditation and for competing in international rankings (Adler and Harzing, 2009).

We hypothesize that business schools' changing role could be a backlash response to the 'Americanization' of management education. That is, business schools are being more reactive to their particular contextual needs than just replicating 'American' management models. The historical analysis of business schools in Europe and Latin America shows the great influence of American management sciences and academy on higher education institutions (Gomez-Samper, 2009; Starkey and Tiratsoo, 2007; Usdiken, 2004). However, when we study business schools as organizations we identify a different trend. Business schools around the world are highly motivated to become both economic and social institutions of consequence. Therefore, the research question changes from focusing on teaching and research, to research and development concepts and strategies.
Our aim is to question and modify the negative tone that has characterized the critical analysis of business schools towards a more optimistic view for understanding the impact of management education on economic and social development. In particular, we are concerned to develop a body of knowledge that surrounds the development of business schools in emerging economies when comparing them with those of Europe or other regions. Take, for example, the case of Latin American business schools. We already know the great influence of societal actors such as the Ford Foundation in developing business schools in the region. We are also aware of the great opportunities that the United States of America offers to professionalize academic professors via scholarships and research funds. However, we know little of the influence of European business schools in Latin America. We acknowledge that European accreditation agencies (e.g. EQUIS3), academic associations (e.g. LAEMOS4), and diverse institutions of higher education are entering the region offering to partner with local business schools. How is this trend manifested in other societies?

We invite papers that focus on the changing roles of business schools and their future roles. We suggest the following potential research themes (but are open to others):

1. The role of business schools in economic and social development;
2. Business schools as organizations;
3. The institutionalization of business schools in diverse societies;
4. Comparative or cross-cultural studies of business schools as organizations;
5. Historical analysis of business schools in emerging economies;
6. Management models derived from business schools in emerging economies;
7. The Europeanization of business schools in emerging economies; and
8. The Americanization of business schools in emerging economies.

Keywords: Business schools; management education; economic and social development.

Submission: Abstracts should be about 1000 words in length (including references), set in A4 page layout, single spaced and in 12 point font. They should be sent by email to anabella.davila@itesm.mx by April 1, 2011. Full papers for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings are due by October 30, 2011.


References:

• Adler, N., and Harzing, A. (2009). When knowledge wins: Transcending the sense and nonsense of academic rankings. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(1), 72-95.
• Gomez-Samper, H. (2009). Business Schools in Latin America: Global Players at Last? (pp. 170-179). In A. Davila, and M.M. Elvira, (Eds.). Best Human Resource Management Practices in Latin America. Oxford, UK: Routledge.
• Khurana, R. (2007). From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Starkey, K., and Tiratsoo, N. (2007). The Business School and the Bottom Line. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Usdiken, B. (2004). Americanization of European management education in historical and comparative perspective: A symposium. Journal of Management Inquiry, 13(2), 87-89.