Business School Research Articles

Centennium of collegiate real estate education: a prospection on “the search for a discipline” in the American school of business

PurposeThis study reviews the teaching of real estate in the USA for the first 100 years after the foundational curriculum was laid down in 1923 by three key institutions: the National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB), the Institute for Research in Land Economics and Public Utilities (The Institute) and the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Its line of investigative pursuit is the persistent lamentation by American real estate scholars that real estate is not getting the respect it deserves as an academic discipline compared to its peers in the school of business such as accounting, finance and marketing. The study addresses a fundamental question: What is the cause of this endless “search for a discipline”? This is motivated by the belief that identification of the root cause of this “search for a discipline” will lead to the requisite solution: the intellectual foundation of the real estate discipline.Design/methodology/approachThe study used qualitative document analysis to review two primary documents published in 1959 as reports on business education in the USA: (1) Higher Education for Business, financed and sponsored by the Ford Foundation, and (2) The Education of American Businessmen – financed and sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The impacts of the publications on the teaching of real estate to date have been reviewed in the context of scholarly actions and literature that has been generated in relation to the two documents.FindingsThe two primary documents impacted negatively on the teaching of real estate. The committee members who produced the two reports had indicated that real estate did not fit into the business curriculum hence should not be taught in business school. This conclusion led to unintended negative outcomes for real estate education. The negative impact of the reports arose principally because the teachers of real estate misinterpreted the outcome to mean that they should tweak the real estate curriculum to fit in the pedagogical framework of the business school. This reaction is responsible for perpetuating the identity crisis that has plagued real estate as an academic discipline since its inception as a subject of study in 1923. Secondly, at the inception of the real estate education in 1923, while the AACSB accepted real estate as a discipline in the school of business, Richard T. Ely wrote the curriculum under land economics which has led to the persistent collegiate dilemma regarding the teaching of the discipline.Social implicationsThe study sheds light on the situation of business education in the USA and AACSB-accredited colleges internationally. It draws attention to the incoherent body of knowledge of business education and will help schools of business to redesign their curricula to include course contents that rightly reflects the business oriented academic disciplines.Originality/valueThe study is timely as it has been done 100 years since the development of the first standard collegiate real estate curriculum following the 1923 conference at Madison. The study has reviewed the first 100 years in terms of the persistent quest: “in search of a discipline”. In so doing, it has uncovered the root cause of this search during the first centennium; and to end the search, it proposes that real estate should not be taught as a business discipline.

The ethical student scale: development of a new measure

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop the “ethical student scale” to understand the underlying factors that lead to the decisions of cheating and plagiarism and where business students are developmentally from a moral perspective and to help academic institutions assess how best to develop ethical education throughout the curriculum. This three-dimensional nine-item scale based on Kohlberg’s moral development model is proposed to serve as a valuable tool for educators who are struggling with identifying the best approach to help their students make ethical choices both within and outside of the walls of their educational institutions and once they join the workforce. Design/methodology/approach Four survey design studies were conducted to determine what factors had previously been identified to both negatively and positively impact the propensity of a university student to engage in cheating and/or plagiarizing (Study 1, N = 179), to preliminarily validate the three dimension nine item scale that emerged from Study 1 (Study 2, N = 87); to test the construct validity of the three-dimensional nine-item scale (Study 3, N = 235); and to test the nine-item scale for convergent, divergent and predictive validity (Study 4, N = 201). The four surveys were administered to undergraduate students at two universities in the Northeast in the USA. Findings To shed light on the underlying factors that lead to the decisions of cheating and plagiarism, the authors propose three factors that are engaged when students make these types of ethical decisions: rules and enforcement as an external control, personal morality as an internal control and social influences as a social control (Kohlberg, 1976). Through four studies, this paper presents a three-dimensional nine-item scale based on Kohlberg’s moral development model to determine the factors that influence the propensity of a university student to engage in cheating and/or plagiarizing. The proposed scale showed strong reliability across the three dimensions. Research limitations/implications The limitations of the scale are that this research was restricted to an academic setting. The relationship between the academic environment, the resulting behaviors of students and the subsequent behavior of these students as managers also needs investigation to determine if business ethics education does have an impact on increasing ethical decision-making. Practical implications The ethical student scale attempts to measure the development stage of students in a university setting and has the potential utility to help higher education institutions better understand the moral development of their students and what drives their decisions to engage in an ethical manner. Being a short yet reliable tool, ethical student scale may help business schools develop programs beyond a single business ethics course to instill ethical decision-making in students. Social implications One of the goals as business educators is to produce ethical managers. The ethical student scale can help us develop a more integrated approach to business ethics education. As the students become managers and leaders in organizations, the social implications for more ethical decision-makers and organizations are widespread and vital to the community and the economy. Originality/value Ethical student scale is an attempt to quantify what types of controls (external, social, or personal) help develop ethical students and ethical managers. Based on Kohlberg’s moral development model, this three-dimensional nine-item scale which shows strong reliability will serve as a valuable tool for educators who are struggling with identifying the best approach to the issue of unethical decisions and behaviors as they try to create strategies to help their students make ethical choices both within and outside of the walls of their educational institutions and once they join the workforce.

Teaching Race in Business Schools: The Challenges and Possibilities of Anti-Racist Education

AbstractThis article explores anti-racist education in business schools amidst the backlash against critical race theory in an anti-Black world. I conduct an autoethnography of my experiences as a woman of colour and management educator who has attempted to bring critical discussions of race and racism into my classrooms. The article examines the barriers to anti-racist teaching in business schools and shows how they interweave individual/interpersonal, institutional, and ideological domains of power. Through my stories, I offer an account of the ways anti-racist education may be limited when it relies on the efforts of individual academics and reveal the tolls that anti-racist education can take on the educator, especially when they are navigating wider systems that are hostile to racial justice. By interrogating the challenges of anti-racist education, I also reflect on the practices and conditions that make meaningful anti-racist education possible.

The Evolution of the Memory of Alexei Gastev as the Founder of the National School of Management – Scientific Organization of Labor in Modern Practices of Commemoration

The Scientific Organization of Labor (NOT) became the largest school of management in the young Soviet republic, and Alexei Gastev's work as head of the Central Institute of Labor was duly appreciated by both contemporaries and followers. In this connection, during the subsequent period, the ideas of the authors of the NOT were used in management practice to solve urgent problems. In the post-Soviet period, researchers of the national history of management thought considered the developments of the ideologist of the NOT Alexei Gastev as a paradigmatic stage in the development of managerial ideas in our country. This article analyzes not the ideas of the author of the NOT themselves, but the memory of his ideas and how this memory was reflected in the process of their interpretation and application. The research is based on the methodology of Memory studies by such authors as Maurice Halbwachs, Jan and Aleida Assmann, Pierre Nora, as well as on the approaches of representatives of the Cambridge School of Intellectual History Quentin Skinner and John Pocock and the research apparatus of the concept of deterritorialization by Gilles Deleuze. In addition, the author's approach is used in the form of synthesis of the results of a meaningful and contextual analysis of memory practices. The result of the study is a description and justification of changes in the general context of A. K. Gastev's memory practices. Due to the lack of collective and cultural memory of A. K. Gastev in Soviet times, in the early years of the post-Soviet period, the practice of commemoration focuses on the building of memory through the actualization of research on the scientific organization of labor. Further, the context of actualization loses its significance and the process of attaching the memory of A. K. Gastev to nearby cultural objects, such as the culture of the avant-garde era, takes place. At the moment, the transformation of the memory of A. K. Gastev is clearly expressed in the formation of the cultural memory of "Gastevski". This new form of memory does not yet have precise boundaries, but some contours are already emerging.

The impact of cyber entrepreneurship education on Chinese college students’ self-efficacy and intention in cyber entrepreneurship

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the effects of four types of cyber entrepreneurship courses on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and intention. It is based on Social Cognitive Theory and Regulatory Focus Theory, which takes Chinese college students as the research objects.Design/methodology/approachApproximately 101 senior business school students who had participated in all cyber entrepreneurship courses were selected to complete the horizontal analysis. Approximately 317 students from different grades who had participated in different cyber entrepreneurship courses were selected for the multi-group analysis (MGA) for the longitudinal comparison.Findings The results show that different cyber entrepreneurship courses may trigger Chinese students’ positive or defensive mechanisms for cyber entrepreneurship and affect their ESE and intentions. The impact of cyber entrepreneurship theoretical courses on Chinese students’ entrepreneurial intentions is not significant, and self-efficacy has no mediating effect between cyber entrepreneurial theory courses and intentions.Originality/value This study helps teachers and policymakers to better understand the impacts of cyber entrepreneurship courses and to adopt proper teaching contents and methods for diversity goals. It also has reference value in theoretical and practical perspectives.

Empowering business school global presence: The key role of accreditation

Empowering business school global presence: The key role of accreditation

Towards an understanding of multi-generational higher education cohorts in gamified entrepreneurship education

The increasing inclusion of gamified courses in entrepreneurship programmes in higher education have left gaps in understanding the critical essentials of the multi-generational student cohort undertaking these programmes. In this paper, we interrogate the educational experiences of multi-generational higher education students in a core gamified entrepreneurship course in an undergraduate business school programme. The research analyzed 392 course feedback responses from three generations (X, Y and Z) of a multi-generational cohort. The study developed and validated a behaviour-results model for gamified entrepreneurship courses leading to student entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial orientation, and disaggregated student engagement into it's multiple dimensions of cognitive, behavioural and emotional. The model also validated six dimensions of individual entrepreneurship orientation. Using the model, the study found differences in the component variables based on student Generations X, Y, and Z. Also, student cognitive and behavioural engagement led to entrepreneurial intention which also influenced student entrepreneurial orientation. There were marked differences in student grit, cognitive engagement, and emotional engagement between Generations X and Z. Furthermore, generational differences existed amongst Generation Z and Y, and also for Generation Z and X in student entrepreneurial intention. The study also confirmed the difference in entrepreneurial orientation between Generations X and Z. Additionally, the study found that there is a need to contextualize student engagement facilitators such as results demonstrability of the business simulation platform, student grit and user characteristics as they have selective effects on student cognition, behavioural and emotional engagements in a multi-generational student cohort of Generation X, Y and Z.

Selection of a business school dean: a multi-criteria knowledge-based approach

Purpose Business schools play a significant role in providing individuals with the ability to adapt to constantly changing environments. Such agile organizations require deans who, as leaders, possess the knowledge and attributes of astute and responsible executives. In this regard, the measurement of the attributes of leadership paves the way for evaluating a leader’s options process. In this study, we measure the attributes of leadership to pave the way for evaluating a leader’s decision-making process. Design/methodology/approach The rich data included the opinions of 93 university professors from seven countries: Iran, India, China, France, the UK, Canada and the USA. In appraising the responses, the authors considered the nationality and the development level of each participant’s country and continent. In this study, the authors developed an online questionnaire based on the best-worst method (BWM). By performing a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), the authors also determined the significant statistical differences of the scientific communities through the lenses of authentic leadership, leader-member exchange and social identity and leadership. Findings The results provide evidence of transparency, measured as the most important criterion for leading a business school, i.e. knowledgeable deanship. Furthermore, the findings reveal a meaningful difference between developed and developing countries in the context of an authentic leadership pillar. Originality/value This paper contributed to the literature in five major ways as follows: The authors investigated the attitudes of scientific communities from different countries, business schools, BWM, dean selection and leadership evaluation.By means of the BWM, the authors measured the criteria culminating in the selection of a knowledgeable leader for a business school.The authors compared and contrasted the attitudes of scientific communities in developing countries vis-à-vis those in developed ones.The authors addressed the differences and similarities among countries in relation to the selection of a knowledgeable business school leader.The authors provided beneficial insights by addressing the different perspectives of researchers on the weights of the criteria involved in the selection procedure for a business school dean.

The potential of virtual internships for management education: capturing student journey through experiential learning

PurposeThe study aimed to capture student experience during virtual internships by identifying the facilitators and barriers during their experiential learning journey. The students were pursuing their Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) program at a business school in India. The authors shed light on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the current education system, specifically experiential learning through virtual internships.Design/methodology/approachAbout 38 Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted from July to September 2022 with the students of a business school located in Pune, India. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed to generate new themes for ascertaining the facilitators and barriers to virtual internships. Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis was undertaken to analyze the lived experiences of the respondents.FindingsStudents viewed virtual internships positively in terms of mentor support, active learning, flexibility, and an easy onboarding process. Poor work-life balance, lack of peer learning and infrastructure issues were some of the barriers/challenges faced by the students.Practical implicationsThe study discusses various managerial and administrative implications. The findings help educationists design effective pedagogy by drawing insights from constructivist learning theory, where students' active role during virtual internships must be given primary attention. Corrective measures in the pedagogy can be taken while designing a virtual internship, considering the barriers found in this study.Originality/valueThe themes identified in the study are a novel contribution to the growing body of knowledge on virtual experiential learning. The study empirically captures student experience regarding a relatively new phenomenon of virtual internships, which is the uniqueness of this paper.

Managerial taboos: How the ideal of a manager may harm people and organizations

This conceptual paper explores the seldom-discussed "unspoken rules" or managerial taboos that are often part of a manager's career but are rarely acknowledged openly. These sensitive issues can trigger feelings of guilt, shame, or self-doubt, creating tension between a manager's real identity and the idealized image of an "ideal manager." We propose a conceptual model that links this identity conflict to adverse outcomes, such as decreased productivity and compromised mental and physical health. We argue that the idealized identity is facilitated by several processes in broader management education and learning processes: idealized management skills taught in business schools, popular literature that defines what a "good manager" should be, and high expectations from stakeholders, colleagues, and employees. We recommend transforming management education and training because confronting these managerial taboo topics head-on is necessary to help managers become more resilient and effective and improve their overall well-being.

Nostalgia increases punitiveness by intensifying moral concern

We addressed the relation between nostalgia and moral judgment or behavior. We hypothesized that nostalgia, a social emotion, increases moral concern (H1), nostalgia intensifies punitiveness against moral transgressors (H2), and that the nostalgia—punitiveness link is mediated by moral concern (H3). We conducted three cross-sectional (Studies 1, 2, 4) and one experimental (Study 3) investigations (N = 1145). The investigations, involving distinct operationalizations of the relevant constructs (nostalgia, moral concern, punitiveness) and diverse samples (U.S., Canadian, and European Prolific workers, French business school students, Dutch community members), yielded results consistent with the hypotheses. Nostalgia keeps one’s moral compass in check. The findings enrich the emotions and morality literatures.

Training, comfort, and perceived effectiveness: Lessons from the pandemic

AbstractThis empirical study evaluates the impact of faculty training in online teaching on perceived comfort, perceived effectiveness, and stress during the Emergency Transition to Online Learning (ETOL) caused by COVID‐19. Survey data revealed a positive relationship between training in online teaching and perceived effectiveness during the ETOL. However, this relationship is fully mediated by perceived comfort in teaching online, meaning training in online teaching significantly increased faculty perceived comfort, which in turn increased perceived effectiveness. Relative to their counterparts, faculty who agreed that the ETOL was stressful were significantly more likely to cite working from home distractions and a lack of physical resources as the greatest challenges. Going forward, our results suggest faculty should be trained in best practices in online teaching as a regular part of their development. Doing so would not only benefit online courses, but the tools used in online courses can also benefit faculty teaching in‐person courses. The emerging tools used in online courses can also serve to enhance teaching in emerging, technology‐based disciplines in business, such as digital marketing or business analytics. In addition to ongoing training, another best practice to prepare for a future ETOL would be to allow business school faculty to share what they have learned with other business faculty.

The Gender Pay Gap in Academia: Evidence from the Beedie School of Business

We analyzed gender pay gap in academia using detailed performance data of all faculty members at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, during 2012–2022. Although we initially observed a small average pay gap in favor of male academics, we found that female academics received higher remuneration compared to their male counterparts, once we controlled for research and teaching productivity, prior education and work experience, ethnicity, and various academic appointments. Our results provide an insight into possible sources of gender bias and highlight the need to control for teaching and research performance when investigating gender pay gaps.

Artificial Intelligence and Business School Students’ Performance

This study is intended to find a relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Business School Students’ Performance. Data was collected from 150 Business School students at KIMEP University using questionnaires in Spring semester of 2024. Questionnaires were distributed two times: at the early beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. During the semester, students thoroughly studied Artificial Intelligence and its functions and capacity. Additional classes on Artificial Intelligence tools were offered to students. Based on findings, the study proposes to address some positive implications of Artificial Intelligence integration in university teaching and learning globally. Artificial Intelligence has positive impact on students’ learning process. However, special ethical rules and standards must be developed and introduced due to the fact that there are increasing concerns over the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence usage and how it might affect human being further.

РАЗВИТИЕ ВЗГЛЯДОВ НА СТРАТЕГИЧЕСКОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ЧЕЛОВЕЧЕСКИМИ РЕСУРСАМИ В ДРЕВНЕКИТАЙСКОЙ ИДЕОЛОГИИ КОНФУЦИАНСТВА

Based on the research of two Confucian scholars of the ancient Chinese school of management thought, Confucius and Meng-tzu, this work provides an academic analysis and a general description of their work, discusses the differences between different types of management thought in order to clarify the principles of management described in it, and finally, the causes and factors leading to the development of and the change of managerial thought, which can be used as a reference material for research by students studying management, and it has a certain reference value for the development of a strategic view of human resource management of the ancient Chinese school of management thought.

Leading transformations – a holistic approach to leadership development

So, what was Woodside’s challenge? How does an organisation lead through a business transformation, an industry transformation and a global energy transformation simultaneously? And what was Woodside’s answer? To redefine a whole of business approach to leadership and uplift leadership capabilities. The first step was to create a framework to revolutionise the concept of leadership and uplift leadership capability. Woodside wanted every employee to identify as a leader and lead, no matter what their role. In 2021, Woodside partnered and co-created a leadership development program with the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at UNSW. The program was designed for employees to uplift their leadership capability while empowering Woodsiders to be more deliberate in developing themselves and the organisation into the future. The commitment to date has seen thousands of employees undertake residential immersions and other learning experiences. Leadership and inclusive leadership capability have been uplifted and the framework has been leveraged as Woodside has successfully transformed operating models and completed a large merger. What was originally a stick drawing drafted on a napkin between two Woodside colleagues is now a conclusive framework known as Navigator. Since its inception in 2021 more than 2600 employees across all five countries have attended a Navigator immersion and more than 2500 Apply Learning experiences have been completed globally. Navigator has expanded its global reach across Woodside’s operations in Australia, China, the USA, Trinidad, and most recently in Dakar, Senegal.

Troops are Business Schools: Military Service and Entrepreneurial Behaviors in China

Although research has examined the benefits of military service and the impact of military executives on business operations, the relationship between military service and entrepreneurial behavior remains poorly understood. Using the instrumental variable approach and a nationally representative male sample from the China Labor-forces Dynamic Survey, we discovered that military service significantly increased the probability of entrepreneurship in China, even after a series of robustness checks. Mechanism tests indicated that this positive effect could be explained by human and political capital accumulation, military-related social capital formation, and risk appetite traits. Our supplemental analyses demonstrated that exogenous shocks from the special military-in-business policy strengthened the positive entrepreneurial effect, whereas the higher education expansion policy and China’s accession to the World Trade Organization weakened this effect. Additionally, military entrepreneurs had better business performance and more resilient, persistent, and confident traits. We found no evidence that Chinese veterans were forced to become entrepreneurs. This study enriches research on the styles and traits of military entrepreneurs and managers and provides important insights for assessing and improving veteran welfare policies in China and other developing countries.

Navigating AACSB accreditation with strategic leadership and change management: a systematic literature review

Purpose This study aims to identify the strategic leadership and change management used to obtain the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditations as well as the research development on AACSB in the past decade. Design/methodology/approach This study used a systematic literature review following Petticrew and Roberts’ study. The articles were limited to empirical studies published from 2013 to 2022, taken from the Dimensions AI database. Findings The findings suggested that two leadership styles were used to obtain AACSB accreditation: dominance-oriented transformational and financial leadership, alongside three traits of academic leaders: commitment, engagement and encouragement. Additionally, three change management models/processes were found in the articles: teaching evaluation framework, temporary isomorphism and authenticity. Finally, they discovered that the object of the studies on AACSB accreditation had been narrowed down from the organizational level to smaller objects consisting of schools’ identity, teaching, learning and business schools’ key players. Research limitations/implications As this study only used Dimensions AI, potential articles related to the topic outside the database could not be obtained. Thus, it limits the scope of the findings of this paper. Practical implications This study informs academic leaders in business schools about the role of strategic leadership and change management in obtaining AACSB accreditation. Originality/value Through a systematic scoping review, this study presented a decade of research development on AACSB in addition to the strategic leadership and change management needed to obtain it.

Measurement of sustainable attitudes: a scale for business students

Purpose This study aims to present the development and validation of a scale to measure the attitudes of Latin American business students toward sustainable management practices in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. Design/methodology/approach Using a nonprobabilistic sample, the appreciation for sustainable practices in students (ASP-S) scale was administered to a total of 653 undergraduate and graduate business students in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. A range of psychometric validity (construct, convergent and discriminant) and reliability criteria were applied. Findings Construct, convergent and discriminant validity was obtained from the ASP-S scale across all samples. During the internal validation process, two factors were found: systemic consciousness (ten items) and sustainable business leadership (nine items), both of which obtained acceptable reliability indices. The resulting structure is equivalent in all four countries. Originality/value The instrument can be applied by educators and learning assurance areas to diagnose and measure the effectiveness of pedagogical strategies used in sustainability courses taught at Latin American business schools. As a result, it has applications for curriculum design. As a valid and reliable instrument set in the context of regional business praxis, it can promote an understanding of sustainable behaviors and practices in future Latin American leaders.

Target Firm Advertising and Firm Value

Consistent with hypotheses underlying firm advertising, we find that targets with pretakeover advertising obtain higher premiums, whereas their acquirers earn lower announcement returns. These economically significant effects suggest that through advertising, targets increase their profile and negotiating power. Further, targets that advertise are more likely to initiate their takeovers, attract multiple bidders, receive enhanced bids, capture more merger rents, and even in failed acquisitions, experience a 1% permanent revaluation. The latter result differentiates between information asymmetry and behavioral explanations for the target advertising. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that management advertises to transmit information to investors and potential acquirers. This paper was accepted by Victoria Ivashina, finance. Funding: A. L. Tran acknowledges financial support from the Mergers and Acquisitions Research Centre at Bayes Business School. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.01534 .