Purpose – In recent years, the role and value of management research is being increasingly challenged because of the perceived imbalance between its rigour and relevance. The purpose of this paper is to review the progress of management research in the UK and focuses particularly on the need...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper examines some of the controversies facing business schools in their future evolution and pays particular attention to their competitive positioning as centres of management research. Design/methodology/approach – The paper combines and builds on current...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss, among alternative European currents, a “foundationalist perspective for management research” (FPM) which redefines the identity, rigor and relevance of management research. Design/methodology/approach – The management...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically review the relationship between management research and practice particularly in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of an historical survey of initiatives and different conceptual approaches. Findings – The...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of the “theory/practice” gap in business and management research as it has been developed in relation to US and European business and management schools. Design/methodology/approach – The paper combines...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the forces which militate against building capacity for research in business and management that satisfies the double‐hurdle criteria of academic rigour and relevance to practice, despite strong pressures in favour of it....

Purpose – The purpose of this paper takes an overview of the history of both the funding and the assessment of research within Business Schools in the wider context of social science research which examines the practice of management. Design/methodology/approach – Historical archives and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine some challenges facing business schools and their continued legitimacy. Particular attention is paid to the problems of accreditation, regulation and rankings and how these constrain strategic choice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper...