Charles J. Fornaciari

Identifying Research Topic Development in Business and Management Education Research Using Legitimation Code Theory

Although the volume of business and management education (BME) research has expanded substantially, concerns remain about the field’s legitimacy and its ability to attract new and dedicated scholars. An obstacle that may impede field development is lack of knowledge about influential works and authors to frame topical areas of inquiry and future research questions. We used citation analysis to track the development of BME research by uncovering 100 highly cited articles that revolve primarily around four research topical areas: (a) Entrepreneurship Education, (b) Distance Education/Online Teaching and Learning, (c) Business Student Ethics, and (d) Characteristics/Critiques of Business Schools. We then used legitimation code theory to categorize these articles on the basis of richness of knowledge ideas (Knowledge Code), the reputation of scholars (Knower Code), the combination of knowledge and reputation (Elite Code), or some other qualities (Relativist Code). Both Entrepreneurship Education and Online Teaching and Learning had articles in Relativist Code, Elite Code, and Knowledge Code categories, with other topical areas primarily populating the Knower Code and Relativist Code categories. We conclude by discussing potential implications for the development of BME research topics, BME scholars, and future applications of legitimation code theory.

Key institutions in business and management education research

ABSTRACT The authors investigate institutional productivity in business and management education (BME) research based on the analysis of 4,464 articles published by 7,210 authors across 17 BME journals over a 10-year period, involving approximately 1,900 schools worldwide. Departing from traditional disciplinary silos, they examine the BME research field as a whole by including all traditional business disciplinary areas and producing two top 100 rankings, one based on raw number of author publications and the other based on weighted scores reflecting journal quality and coauthorship.

Defining and Achieving Student Success at Non-Elite Schools

ABSTRACT Ensuring student success has become an increasingly loud conversation for business schools. Unfortunately, most of the solutions offered within the literature tend to be proffered by those at elite institutions, and their advice unconsciously reflects that worldview. However, the vast majority of us do not work at elite institutions, even those residing in the, by definition, limited and prestigious universe of Assocation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB)-accredited schools. Subsequently, the elites’ problems do not match our non-elite realities and, even worse, often push our issues into the background. This article seeks to explore three student success concerns that are more relevant, yet typically undiscussed, to those of us at non-elite AACSB-accredited institutions. These are the ways we collect and use data, an overemphasis on process without a firm outcomes perspective, and the increased emphasis on efficiency-based measures of performance. By identifying and exploring these themes, this article seeks to help reframe and broaden the conversation to include non-elite institutional issues about how best to ensure student success.

Development Patterns in Business and Management Education Research: Knowledge-based or Knower-based?

Although bibliometric approaches have been used to measure and monitor the development of research streams in several management disciplines, to date they have been used sparingly to assess busines...

A cluster analysis of highly productive business and management education scholars

Abstract The authors examined the publications and impact of highly productive business and management education (BME) scholars across the business disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, information systems, management, marketing, and operations management. Results from a hierarchical cluster analysis revealed five clusters of scholars: leading BME Scholars, leading discipline-focused BME scholars, high-profile BME scholars, focused BME scholars, and recognized BME scholars. The article includes a discussion of findings and their implications for BME scholarship, future BME scholars, and business schools.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Changing the Dominant Narrative About (and In) Research Institutions

Despite calls for and advances in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) over the years, research-intensive institutions have a persistent reputation as preferring and demanding Boyer’s “scholarship of discovery” at the expense of SOTL work. In this article, we challenge the dominant narrative that research-focused institutions—the Carnegie “R1”and “R2”—do not engage in or value SOTL research in business and management education (BME). In a previous empirical study, we found evidence that a surprising proportion of R1 and R2 schools are already creating and disseminating innovative and impactful BME work. Using diffusion of innovations theory, we argue that those institutions can provide leadership due to their BME work, and examine what this might mean in terms of the prospects for diffusion of BME research among all research-intensive institutions. Due to external stakeholder pressures for excellent, evidence-based instruction, we assert that institutions that do subordinate SOTL to discipline-based scholarship will be forced to reframe their research portfolios. We end the article with solutions for how faculty could include BME work within their overall research efforts and challenge institutions to reconsider how BME scholarship may help them craft a more inclusive research narrative.

Author Productivity In Business and Management Education (BME) Scholarship (2008-2017)

This study examines productivity in Business and Management Education (BME) scholarship, identifying the “top 99” authors in the most recent ten-year period (January 2008– December 2017). In additi...