Jean-François Manzoni explores an international business school’s experience with the EFMD Business School Impact System In 2017, IMD adopted the tagline “Real Learning, Real Impact,” reflecting the institution’s orientation towards having a significant and sustainable impact on individuals, organisations and society. Around the same time, we were introduced to the EFMD Business School Impact System…

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Michel Kalika and Gordon Shenton assess the role of BSIS after seven years.   When BSIS (Business School Impact System) was created in 2012, the main aim was to develop a system that would allow business schools to convince their stakeholders of their impact and the extent of their usefulness to their impact zone. At…

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Paul Beaulieu explains how, in response to a new wave of social demands, business schools should adopt a more comprehensive and responsible social engagement. This may pave the way for the emergence of a new generation of business schools.   A new wave of social pressures and requests is infusing the higher-education milieu. Around the…

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For those involved in STEM research and the publishing industry, the last year has been all about Plan S and its potential impact on both constituencies. But what are the consequences, unintended or otherwise, for business schools and their research programmes? Simon Linacre lifts the lid on Plan S and what might be in store…

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Michel Kalika and Gordon Shenton explain why business schools not only talk about impact but are learning how to make a better job of assessing it.    Business schools refer more and more frequently to the issue of impact when defining their mission/vision/strategy. In 2018, out of the 55 schools to which AACSB and EFMD…

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Ramon O’Callaghan and José Varejão outline the positive effects of a BSIS study. Unlike most universities, Portugal’s University of Porto has delegated its mission to educate future business leaders to two schools: the School of Economics and Management (FEP) and the Porto Business School (PBS). FEP is a regular school of the University of Porto.…

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Patricia Bradshaw and Erin Elaine Casey describe how the BSIS process has helped herald the impact of the Sobey School in Canada, the first business school in North America to utilise the system The Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University is a large business school in a medium-sized university in a small city in a small province on…

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The impact, or otherwise, of academic research in management and business is a current hot topic but Peter McKiernan and William Glick suggest a cooler, more measured approach The European Enlightenment shaped much of our present educational world. The intellectual elites of the day placed great emphasis on the usefulness of science to a changing social and economic society. John…

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BSIS was designed to measure the impact of business schools on their environment. But, ask Gordon Shenton and Michel Kalika, what is the ‘impact’ of the Business School Impact System, and what effect does undergoing the BSIS process have on business schools themselves? The Business School Impact System (BSIS), a joint venture between EFMD and FNEGE (the…

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Not necessarily say Udo Steffens and Michael Grote. What is more important for both researchers and students is that research and teaching is based on rigorous scientific thinking A current lively discussion among business school deans centres on measuring the impact of not only business schools themselves but also of the research they carry out. The catchphrase to be heard is: “impact is…

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BSIS: The key tool for measuring a business school’s impact on the world around it. The Business School Impact Survey (BSIS) scheme is designed to determine the extent of a school’s impact upon its local environment – the city or region in which it is located. The scheme was initially designed by FNEGE (the French…

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Scientific research, and particularly management research, is in dire straits, accused of lack of relevance and impact and an unhealthy preoccupation with theoretical and methodological rigor. Marco Busi suggests some solutions. The original, noble purpose of universities was to conduct research that would contribute to advancing societal understanding and well-being. And being a scholar automatically…

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Sir Richard Lambert suggests four key issues. What does business want from business schools? The answer is: “exactly what it has always wanted” – great graduates and relevant ideas. But the qualities required of those graduates and the nature of the ideas that are of most interest to business are both changing radically. The world…

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Employee training and development is essential. But how can companies ensure it is effective and worthwhile? Lindsay Ryan provides some guidelines. Most organisations realise they need to spend money on employee training and development but few of them optimise their programmes and return on training expenditure. Even organisations among those highly regarded for investing in…

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Wolfgang Lassl offers some thoughts on the relationship between business academia and managers. The 16th century marked the end of medieval castles. The power of gunpowder turned their walls into paperboard and the rise of cities as the vibrant centres of society made rural castles irrelevant. So, are we now seeing similar changes with regard…

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Santiago Iñiguez argues that what business schools need today is multi-faceted and well-rounded faculty. When the Olympic Games were founded in Ancient Greece sometime during the eighth century BC, the king of sports was the Pentathlon. As its name suggests, competitors were required to show supreme skill in five areas: the long jump; javelin; discus…

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Alexandra Santos and Mathabo le Roux explain how a UN initiative is encouraging business schools to prepare students for tackling poverty and other development challenges equipping managers to help the world. The United Nations recently announced sustainable development goals (SDGs) intended to galvanise worldwide action on poverty reduction, food security, human health and education, and…

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Nehme Azoury explains how an historic Lebanese university has opted for a modern impact programme for its business school. In 1736, at a time when the idea of a young woman pursuing her studies was inconceivable, a Lebanese Christian community known as Maronites declared the adoption of a policy of free and compulsory education for…

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Management is not only taught in business schools. For more than 100 years it has also been taught by a special type of university that is ‘more than a business school’. An international group of university leaders trace the emergence, role and future contributions of ‘universities for business and management’ Some traditions remain vital while…

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Business schools are facing increasing pressures to demonstrate their ‘impact’ on their surroundings and operations. Christophe Lejeune, Julie Davies and Ken Starkey analyse new research into how the impact agenda is affecting schools. Among the many implications for business schools of the 2008 financial crisis was the emergence of the “impact agenda.” At its core…

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Despite immense ongoing challenges, Karim Seghir describes how a business school in the Arab region is continuing its quest to make a positive impact on its locality. If the popular uprisings in the Arab region have taught us one thing, it is that in an environment that focuses solely on maximising shareholder value we cannot…

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Business schools can create new opportunities, says Alfons Sauquet, if they continue to reflect on their role in society. A good deal of pressure has been exerted on business schools in the wake of the financial crisis, on what our contribution;could have been or should have been. But let’s reflect instead on the actual contribution…

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Jørgen Thorsell and Justin Bridge explore new perspectives on achieving immediate impact from executive development. Executive development is no longer simply about offering learning that leads to new insights and changed behaviour. Today it is about creating immediate impact in support of change. The challenge is how executive development can keep up with the demands…

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