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Prestige-Seeking by Business Schools

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Abstract

The nature of prestige-seeking is that it is competitive. A business school must move ahead of competitors if it is to increase its prestige. Therefore, although academics have general disdain for rankings published by BusinessWeek and many others, the needs of prestige-seeking are such a perfect match to competitive rankings that business schools are co-opted into participating in the ratings game.

In addition to program rankings, professors and programs seek prestige within the academy. Unfortunately, business school deans are in a dilemma. They must hire research faculty. However, business schools have multiple stakeholders with multiple expectations. A faculty hired based on the single criterion of research ability is not configured ideally for helping the dean satisfy the full scope of those multiple stakeholders.

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Miles, E.W. (2016). Prestige-Seeking by Business Schools. In: The Past, Present, and Future of the Business School. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33639-8_9

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