Research That Matters

What role are business schools and business playing in creating positive societal impact?

Explore the three overarching components that can be influential in creating societal impact: research that is cross-disciplinary, at the intersection of academia and practice, and that creates real change.

As part of AACSB's 2020 business accreditation standards, societal impact is a main driver for business schools to engage in innovative research efforts that are cross-disciplinary, intersectional, and actionable.

Key takeaways include:

• The role that business schools and businesses play in creating positive societal impact is an important part of AACSB’s 2020 business accreditation standards, expanding into the business school’s scholarly work and how their intellectual contributions help to solve real-world challenges.
• Although many factors contribute to impactful research, three overarching components can be particularly influential in creating societal impact: research that is cross-disciplinary, research that is at the intersection of academia and practice, and research that creates real change.
• AACSB-accredited business schools are engaging in innovative research efforts that are cross-disciplinary, intersectional, and actionable, and beyond.
• Effective leadership and strategy are necessary for business schools to accomplish their societal impact goals through their research efforts. AACSB presents a roadmap to guide schools through this process, which they can use to develop an action plan for cultivating research with positive societal impact.

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