Book Description

Within 100 years of its existence, BUSINESS, for better or worse, has become the most popular subject in higher education, sending a larger number of graduates into the economy than any other. Ironically, the most popular discipline is also now the most condemned. Undoubtedly, business schools are at a crossroads and under the scanner. In How to Reform a Business School, Ashish Jaiswal meticulously demonstrates the problems plaguing the world of business schools and brings together the key contextual debates and concepts of foundational theory on the subject of reforms in MBAs. Jaiswal makes a major methodological contribution to this little-explored field by presenting a novel exploratory framework - which employs a fresh combination of the social constructionist and implementation perspectives - to research the implementation of business school reform. Jaiswal conducts a rigorous in-depth case study of one of the most substantial curricular and pedagogical reforms in business school history: recently undertaken by Yale School of Management. The Yale case study illustrates the forces influencing the development of a unique integrated MBA curriculum at an Ivy League business school and presents the factors that can help business schools around the world in implementing a successful reform. Jaiswal establishes how the perceived identity of a particular business school impacts upon the way in which MBA curricula are evolving. Ashish Jaiswal presents a strong argument against the monolithic treatment of higher education in the reform literature and urges scholars to focus on departmental idiosyncrasies and the territorial characteristics of subjects, particularly in the MBA where context, market and accreditation dynamics play a vital role. How to Reform a Business School is a must read for business schools wanting to break the shackles of the ordinary and to successfully implement an MBA curriculum relevant in the 21st century. ADVANCE PRAISE "There is little doubt that business schools are at a crossroads and looking for answers. Jaiswal's superbly captured Yale School of Management's case study is a must read for business school deans and anyone remotely connected with or interested in reforming business education. Jaiswal meticulously lifts the dark fog surrounding the world of curricular reforms in MBA. The business schools can definitely use How to Reform a Business School as a manual to implement successful reforms. A very important and timely book for business schools. - Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford "MBAs have proved extraordinarily resilient in the last decade - despite having played a role in the education of those often held responsible for the global financial collapse. This book examines the way Yale succeeded in breaking the mould and developing an integrated curriculum that transcended the functional silos which still bedevil the vast majority of MBAs. If you want to know what the future MBA looks like - read this. - Keith Grint, Professor of Public Leadership & Management, Warwick Business School "With calls for accountability in Higher Ed increasing, this is a timely look at a curriculum reform at Yale's School of Management. Ashish Jaiswal's duel focus on process and implementation of the MBA curriculum at Yale advances the study of curriculum reform and provides a road map for practitioners. Dr. Jaiswal pulls back the curtain and lets us see what's behind the wizardry at Yale School of Management. Given Yale's resources, prestige and brand, their choices provide a good perspective for MBA programs around the globe. - William J. Swinton, Director, International Business Studies, Temple University, Japan Campus