Does AACSB accreditation provide quality assurance and foster quality improvement for limited resource business schools whose missions are primarily teaching?

Abstract

This study used content analysis to examine whether AACSB accreditation provides quality assurance and leads to quality improvement for business schools whose missions are primarily teaching. The findings do not indicate that graduates of AACSB accredited schools experience greater career success than graduates from non-accredited schools or that the learning outcomes of students enrolled at AACSB accredited schools exceed those of non-accredited schools. Because of the lack of generally accepted metrics for evaluating quality improvement for institutions whose missions are primarily teaching, there is no empirical evidence to determine whether AACSB accreditation enhances or retards quality improvement for institutions whose missions are primarily teaching. The implications of the findings for the subject institutions and for AACSB are discussed.