The Past, Present, and Future of the Business School

This book examines the criticism that modern business schools face and how these obstacles have evolved throughout history. Through historical, resource, and professional school contexts, it sheds light on the operating environment of the business school and the challenges endemic to various university-based professional schools, exploring the likelihood that potential interventions will result in success or failure.

Business schools are often accused of inhibiting the practice of business by producing research that is irrelevant and does not address real concerns facing managers. This book investigates these accusations by outlining the historical values on which academic institutions are based, the resources and funding available today, and comparisons to other professional schools which undergo a similar level of scrutiny. This extensive coverage will help academics, administrators, faculty, and policy makers with the tools to understand better the ill-will towards business schools in today’s university structure, and ultimately to deliver on the benefits they provide to stakeholders.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Part I: The University
Chapter 2: Higher Education from Antiquity to the Medieval University
Chapter 3: Medieval Craft Guilds Died Out in Business, but They Are Alive and Thriving in Business Schools
Chapter 4: Critical Juncture I: The  Pseudo-­Humboldtian Influence
Chapter 5: The Purpose of the University
Chapter 6: Critical Juncture II: Mass Education and the Demise of the Humboldtian University: The Great Paradox—University in Ruin Caused by Its Own Success
Chapter 7: Prestige and Prestige-Seeking in Universities

Part II: The Business School
Chapter 8: Critical Juncture III: The 1959 Foundation Reports—Throwing Out the Baby with the Bath Water?
Chapter 9: Prestige-Seeking by Business Schools
Chapter 10: Credentialing: Safe for Another 800 Years?

Part III: The Business School Among the Professional Schools of the University
Chapter 11: Professions, University-Based Professional Schools, and Business as a Profession
Chapter 12: Professional Schools Displace Practice-Based Training
Chapter 13: Lessons from University-Based Journalism Schools and Law Schools
Chapter 14: Lessons from University-Based Medical Schools

Part IV: Looking Forward
Chapter 15: Critical Juncture IV: The State’s Reduction in Munificence
Chapter 16: Another Paradox: The Business School in Ruins