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Societal Impact and the Future of Business Education

Supervisory Team

Supervisors: Professor Edward Wray-Bliss and Professor Gabriel Eweje

Abstract

Business education is a major element of modern university offerings. Since its early adoption in a handful of North American institutions in the mid twentieth century, most universities now have a dedicated Business School to host their degree, MBA, and higher degree offerings and business research portfolios. And the market for university level business education and research is strong and growing. However, the societal reputation of business education and research has tended to follow the fortunes of the business community. At times of notable corporate crisis, systemic corporate malfeasance, or the wider questioning of corporate effects on the climate, the contribution of Business Schools to the cultures and practices of the business community has been subject to significant external and self-critique.  Business educators and institutions have sought to reassert the relevance and responsible nature of their contributions in a variety of ways. A strongly-emerging, though as yet academically under-examined, response is for Business Schools to frame and measure their contribution around a progressive, sustainability focussed, ‘societal impact’ of their operations. This PhD project is an examination of the origins and natures of the emerging societal impact discourse and its prospects for maintaining and developing the wider societal legitimation of business education.

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