IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i13p10718-d1189046.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Societal Impacts of Higher Education Research: From ‘Publish or Perish’ to ‘Publish and Prosper’ in Business School Scholarship

Author

Listed:
  • David Steingard

    (Haub School of Business, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA)

  • Kathleen Rodenburg

    (Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada)

Abstract

This paper introduces a transformative systems-level framework for understanding the interplay of institutional, cultural, and systemic dynamics influencing the societal impacts of academic research. We introduce and apply the Societal Impacts of Research Institutional Ecosystem (SIRIE) framework to business school scholarship and academic research in higher education. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as SIRIE’s normative ethical framework to benchmark: institutional mission; accreditation bodies’ compliance requirements; faculty tenure and promotion research expectations; the influence of rankings and ratings; and journal quality metrics. Our framework acknowledges the role the Anthropocene Epoch plays in contributing to contemporary social and environmental problems. We argue that recalcitrant institutional forces in academia neutralize the promise of academic scholarship to galvanize meaningful societal impacts. We assert that the contemporary state of higher education research is unfortunately dominated by a “publish or perish” mentality. This narrative produces academic research that is decontextualized from today’s exigent “grand challenges” related to poverty, climate, equity, health, peace, environment, etc., as well as transformative solutions for a sustainable future. By exploring an alternative paradigm for academic research through SIRIE and the SDGs—“publish and prosper”—we detail how academic research can meaningfully contribute to change the world for the better.

Suggested Citation

  • David Steingard & Kathleen Rodenburg, 2023. "Societal Impacts of Higher Education Research: From ‘Publish or Perish’ to ‘Publish and Prosper’ in Business School Scholarship," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:10718-:d:1189046
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10718/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10718/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rafols, Ismael & Noyons, Ed & Confraria, Hugo & Ciarli, Tommaso, 2021. "Visualising plural mappings of science for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," SocArXiv yfqbd, Center for Open Science.
    2. Jonathan P. Doh & Lorraine Eden & Anne S. Tsui & Srilata Zaheer, 2023. "Developing international business scholarship for global societal impact," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(5), pages 757-767, July.
    3. Kathleen Rodenburg & Taimoor Rizwan & Ruifeng Liu & Julia Christensen Hughes, 2021. "Enhancing the Positive Impact Rating: A New Business School Rating in Support of a Sustainable Future," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-26, June.
    4. Kathleen Rodenburg & Vinuli De Silva & Julia Christensen Hughes, 2021. "SDGs: A Responsible Research Assessment Tool toward Impactful Business Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-23, December.
    5. Azmat, Fara & Jain, Ameeta & Sridharan, Bhavani, 2023. "Responsible management education in business schools: Are we there yet?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    6. Richard L. Daft & Arie Y. Lewin, 2008. "Perspective---Rigor and Relevance in Organization Studies: Idea Migration and Academic Journal Evolution," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 177-183, February.
    7. Anete Veidemane, 2022. "Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education Rankings: Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Internationally Comparable Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-20, April.
    8. Robson, Keith & Ezzamel, Mahmoud, 2023. "The cultural fields of accounting practices: Institutionalization and accounting changes beyond the organization," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    9. Unerman, Jeffrey, 2020. "Risks from self-referential peer review echo chambers developing in research fields," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(5).
    10. Kathleen Rodenburg & Michael Rowan & Andrew Nixon & Julia Christensen Hughes, 2022. "The Misalignment of the FT50 with the Achievement of the UN’s SDGs: A Call for Responsible Research Assessment by Business Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-33, August.
    11. Compagnucci, Lorenzo & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2020. "The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    12. Philip Hallinger & Chatchai Chatpinyakoop, 2019. "A Bibliometric Review of Research on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, 1998–2018," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kathleen Rodenburg & Michael Rowan & Andrew Nixon & Julia Christensen Hughes, 2022. "The Misalignment of the FT50 with the Achievement of the UN’s SDGs: A Call for Responsible Research Assessment by Business Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-33, August.
    2. Daniel A. Salas & Paulina Criollo & Angel D. Ramirez, 2021. "The Role of Higher Education Institutions in the Implementation of Circular Economy in Latin America," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-27, August.
    3. Mohammad Daradkeh, 2023. "Exploring the Curvilinear Relationship between Academic-Industry Collaboration Environment and Innovation Performance: A Multilevel Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    4. Kuckertz, Andreas & Scheu, Maximilian, 2024. "From chalkboard to boardroom: Unveiling the role of entrepreneurship in bolstering academic achievement among professors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    5. Arman Canatay & Leonel Prieto & Muhammad Ruhul Amin, 2025. "Navigating the Convergence of Global Competitiveness and Sustainable Development: A Multi-Level Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-39, June.
    6. Shatha Hussein Al Rawashdeh & Shatha Aser Aldala’in & Esra’a Alaeed & Zubeida Aladwan & Teh Sabariah Binti Abd Manan, 2025. "GIS-Driven Approach for Selecting Optimal University Locations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-22, June.
    7. Mike W. Peng, 2019. "Global competition and diffusion of the “A” list," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-23, December.
    8. Nafisat Olabisi & Yingqi Wei, 2025. "Designing effective policy to achieve sustainable development impact of FDI: the case of Sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 33-52, March.
    9. Sungbin Youk & Hee Sun Park, 2019. "Where and what do they publish? Editors’ and editorial board members’ affiliated institutions and the citation counts of their endogenous publications in the field of communication," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 120(3), pages 1237-1260, September.
    10. Kajikawa, Yuya & Mejia, Cristian & Wu, Mengjia & Zhang, Yi, 2022. "Academic landscape of Technological Forecasting and Social Change through citation network and topic analyses," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    11. de Oliveira, Renan Peres & Lohmann, Gui & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2022. "A systematic review of the literature on air transport networks (1973-2021)," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    12. Anna Palla & Michele Pezzagno & Ilenia Spadaro & Ruggero Ermini, 2024. "Participatory Approach to Planning Urban Resilience to Climate Change: Brescia, Genoa, and Matera—Three Case Studies from Italy Compared," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-25, March.
    13. Zsolt Kohus & Márton Demeter & László Kun & Eszter Lukács & Katalin Czakó & Gyula Péter Szigeti, 2022. "A Study of the Relation between Byline Positions of Affiliated/Non-Affiliated Authors and the Scientific Impact of European Universities in Times Higher Education World University Rankings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-14, October.
    14. Chang Liu & Lorraine Eden & Dan Li, 2024. "Violent conflict and multinational enterprises: identifying key frontiers in international business policy research," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(3), pages 260-275, September.
    15. Walter Leal Filho & João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio & Lucas Veiga Ávila & Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis & Paula M. Hernandez‐Diaz & Karina Batista & Bruno Borsari & Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, 2025. "Enhancing the contribution of higher education institutions to sustainable development research: A focus on post‐2015 SDGs," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 1745-1757, April.
    16. Xianbo Li, 2022. "Sequence Model and Prediction for Sustainable Enrollments in Chinese Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, December.
    17. Jiyu Zhao & Ning Zhang, 2023. "Environmental regulation and labor market: a bibliometric analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 6095-6116, July.
    18. Cristina Bianca Pocol & Liana Stanca & Dan-Cristian Dabija & Veronica Câmpian & Sergiu Mișcoiu & Ioana Delia Pop, 2023. "A QCA Analysis of Knowledge Co-Creation Based on University–Industry Relationships," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-19, January.
    19. Prokop, Daniel, 2021. "University entrepreneurial ecosystems and spinoff companies: Configurations, developments and outcomes," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    20. Riccardo Boiocchi & Marco Ragazzi & Vincenzo Torretta & Elena Cristina Rada, 2023. "Critical Analysis of the GreenMetric World University Ranking System: The Issue of Comparability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:10718-:d:1189046. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.