The pandemic has posed significant financial and operational challenges for university-based business schools as they faced dramatic falls in revenue and implemented a rapid transition to remote learning. To cope with these difficulties, business schools accelerated their online learning capabilities by investing in new technology or ramping up existing online capabilities. Faculty members faced increased workloads as they quickly adjusted to new teaching modes and conducted their research in the face of funding reductions and travel restrictions. The closure of international borders placed financial pressure on business schools and their parent universities, especially those most dependent on international students. This resulted in staff redundancies, and faculty restructures due to budget cuts.
The pandemic has left some profound and lasting impacts on the role and importance of business schools globally. While there may be some return to the status quo, the pandemic has offered business schools a glimpse of what was possible in the face of adversity and crisis. As the post-pandemic era provides a chance for critical reflection, business schools might now feel empowered to pursue new or pre-planned transformational opportunities. In a time of global uncertainty and continuous change, there is the opportunity for business schools to enhance their reputation and visibility as thought leaders and agents of change with the prospect of addressing the ongoing criticism of business school legitimacy and relevance. The pandemic has expedited the need for business schools to meet the demands of diverse stakeholders by addressing grand challenges through transdisciplinary education and research and making global sustainability and responsible management more visible in curriculum and research outcomes. Adopting technology offers the freedom of diverse and customised learning options to deliver more flexible and accessible education across diverse student audiences.
In this Article Collection, we invite articles that promote critical analysis of university-based business schools in the post-pandemic era. We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions that explore the transformational opportunities and challenges for business schools across the following themes:
- Enhancing legitimacy, relevance and impact through closer alignment to the needs of government, business and society
- Research leadership, social responsibility, interdisciplinary approaches and impact that address the grand challenges of the 21st century, such as climate change, inequality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Dissemination of research more widely and openly through new platforms and formats to diverse audiences and stakeholders.
- Adoption of new teaching models, business models, and governance structures to meet the demands of stakeholders.
- Leveraging technology and physical infrastructure to deliver more flexible and accessible education.
- Understanding learner preferences, student learning and the student experience in the post-pandemic era
- Responding to national policies and priorities, addressing skill shortages, including bridging the gap between technical knowledge and business acumen for science and engineering professionals
- The changing and dynamic role of academic and professional staff and the impact on individual responsibilities and staff workloads
All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member). Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.
The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 1 May 2024.
Dr. Owen Hogan is a lecturer in strategy, human-centred design, innovation and entrepreneurship at Southern Cross University. He has extensive professional experience across music, agriculture, government and higher education and founded two successful businesses in the creative industries. Owen’s multi-disciplinary research focuses on enabling innovation ecosystems that address grand challenges and co-create new value for society. He has published works in higher education strategy, policy, entrepreneurship, and industry grants in the circular economy and sustainability.
Disclosure Statement: Dr. Hogan has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
