Business Schools from a Neo-Institutional Perspective

Abstract

At first sight, business schools are the major success story of 20th century higher education (Pfeffer/Fong 2002: 78). Business schools have spread throughout the world since the end of the 19th century. Particularly since the Second World War, there has been a considerable growth in provision for management education in Europe (e.g. Friga 2003, Engwall 2000, Kieser and Küpper 2002). In 1996–1997, more than a quarter million undergraduate degrees in business were awarded by U.S. higher education institutions (AACSB Newsline 1999, cited in Pfeffer and Fong 2002: 78). Business education has also spread throughout Asia. Today, academic business studies represent a significant part of the higher educational system in many countries (Engwall 1998), and business schools have become key institutions for the selection of top managers and the dissemination of managerial concepts (Sahlin-Andersson and Engwall 2002, Crainer and Dearlove 1998, Thrift 1999).