Business Schools and Their Contribution to Society

Business schools are arguably some of the most influential institutions in contemporary society, heavily influencing the way much socioeconomic activity is conducted. The education they provide is an important theme to be considered in its own right – and perhaps even challenged.

This exciting book explores the role of business schools in contemporary global society through 3 key dimensions:

• How business school legitimacy has been challenged by the recent economic crisis and corporate scandals;
• How business schools contribute to shaping and transforming business conduct; and
• How business schools, past and present, develop their identities to face the challenges presented by the ongoing globalization process.

Combing perspectives from business school Deans from around the world, as well as scholars and business leaders, this book presents a unique discussion of the current and future challenges facing business schools today.

Alfons Sauquet has served as Director of the Combined Undergraduate and Master in Business Administration at ESADE. He has been a lecturer at HEC Paris, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam and Wharton School of Business, in addition to being Visiting Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics and the Copenhagen Business School. He is a lecturer at the Summer School organized by the European Doctoral Association for Management in Business Administration (EDAMBA). He has been CEMS Chairman of the Interfaculty Group in Organizational Behaviour. He has directed research projects funded by the European Commission on Learning in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in four European countries. The ESADE partners in this project are Università Luigi Bocconi (Milan), Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (Vienna) and the Norwegian School of Economics (Bergen). He is the principal researcher on the Learning and Knowledge in Organizations Research Group (GRACO). Ministry of Education and Science Adviser on Educational Quality programmes and for the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien. He has been a consultant to various national and international organizations on learning, organizational culture and change. At present, he is a member of the Academic Council of the Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations (AHRMIO). He has been invited by UNESCO and is a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme.