Why we should support Business School research

Short summary of my white paper: In defence of the Business School

Anne-Wil Harzing - Wed 14 May 2025 07:22 (updated Sun 7 Sep 2025 11:02)

Throughout my 35+ year academic career I have interacted with academics from a wide range of disciplines, largely because of my free Publish or Perish software, my blog which celebrated its ninth anniversary this year, and my research programme on the Quality and Impact of Academic Research. In these interactions, I have often encountered an implicit, or even explicit, assumption that Business & Management (B&M) research is inferior to research in other disciplines, and that Business Schools are merely serving as cash-cows for the rest of the university.

Based on empirical data drawn from the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF), I demonstrate that, in fact, our research contribution in B&M is very strong indeed. In my latest white paper In defence of the Business School: One myth and four truths, I use the REF data to demonstrate that B&M research makes the second largest research contribution in the UK, that B&M publication quality compares favourably with that of other disciplines, and that the non-academic impact of our B&M research is widespread.

In addition, I use REF research funding data across disciplines, the Guardian’s University Guide 2021 data on student/staff ratio and student entry tariffs across disciplines, and the UK’s HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) data on the number of (international) students across disciplines to make the case that Business School academics achieve these excellent outcomes with minimal funding and very little research time. As Business Schools, we thus provide more “value for money” than most other disciplines.

Is your interest piqued? Then read the full story, lavishly illustrated with eight evidence tables, in my latest white paper: In defence of the Business School: One myth and four truths. If you prefer, you can skip directly to relevant sections of the white paper by using the links in the Table of contents.

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Anne-Wil Harzing is Emerita Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, a select group of distinguished AIB members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the scholarly development of the field of international business. In addition to her academic duties, she also maintains the Journal Quality List and is the driving force behind the popular Publish or Perish software program.

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