Reputational challenges for business schools: a contextual perspective

Purpose - The dominant variance theory approaches to researching business school reputations are based on a positivistic hypothetico-deductive research methodology and do not adequately take into account either the different levels and types of contexts in which business schools operate or the diversity of stakeholder interests. In this paper we propose a more relevant contextualised framework for analysing the reputation of business schools that takes cognisance of the national business systems, industry/sector, university and relational contexts of the different stakeholders involved in socially constructing and enacting business school reputations.<p></p> Design/methodology/approach - The paper develops a framework for understanding and analysing the reputation of business schools, that takes cognisance of the importance of different levels of context, actors’ interests, and processes of social construction of business school reputation.<p></p> Findings - The paper argues reputation is a socially constructed phenomenon, offering an alternative to the dominant universalistic positivism in understanding business school reputations. The model offered is based on four levels of context: national, industry, university and relational, and acknowledges that different stakeholders might have influence at each of those levels.<p></p> Research limitations/implications - The implication is a need to get closer to the reality and emphasise the local as well as the more global contexts in reputation construction.<p></p> Practical implications - Insights on the analysis of business school’s reputation recognising the diverse interests of key stakeholders.<p></p> Originality/value - The paper attempt to fill a gap in the existing literature on business school reputations, and make a contribution to theory of reputation management.<p></p&gt