Author
Üsdiken, Behlül, Kipping, M., Engwall, L.
Publication Date
2021-09
Publication Place
-
George Washington University
Type
Periodical
Language
English
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Özyeğin University
Library Asset ID
1537-260X
Record ID
a1d48272-735a-42a2-ac09-ac41ffabd59a
Library Location
Business Administration
Date
2021-09
Sample Text
Over the past two decades, prompted in part by a series of corporate scandals, different views have been voiced about whyU.S. business schools have purportedly lost their originalambitiontobecomeprofessional schoolsand, thus, tomakemanagementa"true" profession, and how this ambition could be restored. This paper puts these debates into a longer-termperspectivebyshowingthatsuchclaimshavebeenpresentformorethanacentury. Thepaperexaminestheevolvingrhetoricoftheprotagonistsandtheircriticsoverfive periods, eachmarkedbydifferentcontexts,whichshapedtheambitions of schools ofbusiness to be recognized as professional schools. These claims, the paper shows, had a common thread for over 100 years, which was the recurring reference to other professional schools-namely those ofmedicine and law, and at times engineering,which had already achieved the coveted status when U.S. business schools first originated. We ultimately argue that, given the rhetorical nature of these claims, suggestions that business schools lost theirwayoroughttoreturntosomeidealizedpastarelargelyfutile.Futurediscussions should therefore focus on purpose and power rather than profession.
DOI
10.5465/amle.2020.0109
Cilt
20
