Kuala lumpur: AACSB International (AACSB) and the Academy of Management (AOM), in partnership with eight prominent organisations from the business academic and scholarly community, have unveiled the Global Research Impact Framework: Exposure Draft. This initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing the reach, relevance, and rigour of business school research on a global scale.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Lily Bi, president and CEO of AACSB, expressed that advancing research impact requires a collective effort involving the academic community, practitioners, and policymakers. She highlighted that the framework aims to evolve the assessment and recognition of impact in business academia while maintaining the rigour and quality that define exemplary research.
The Global Research Impact Task Force showcases an unprecedented collaboration across various disciplines, regions, and academic societies, aiming to redefine research impact in business education. While the existing system has long upheld academic excellence, shifting societal expectations and increasing demands for relevance have presented a crucial moment for the research ecosystem.
This coalition acknowledges the necessity for bold, coordinated actions to lead a transformation across the system, ensuring that research continues to influence business, policy, and society in meaningful and measurable ways.
The framework is guided by four key objectives: expanding the definition of research impact beyond traditional scholarly metrics; identifying assessment principles that reflect meaningful, empirical, and practical contributions; and providing business schools with the flexibility to determine incentives that encourage and reward evidence-based impact.
Furthermore, the exposure draft encourages business schools to adopt a multidimensional assessment approach. This approach integrates both qualitative and quantitative indicators to capture impact across academic, business, policy, societal, and educational domains, aligning with AACSB’s Standards Refresh project.