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Why Business Schools Do So Much Research: A Signaling Explanation

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Abstract

Criticism is mounting on business schools for their excessive focus on research and for neglecting teaching. We show that if students have imperfect information about a school’s overall capabilities and if business schools differ in their research productivity, the least productive schools may do as much research as the top-tier ones only to manipulate student’s expectations. In turn, the most productive schools might resort to excess research in order to signal their type in the eyes of future students. This signalling equilibrium is characterized by a relative neglect of teaching by the top-tier schools. Such a situation is socially inefficient as compared to the perfect information case.

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  • Besancenot, Damien & Faria, Joao Ricardo & Vranceanu, Radu, 2008. "Why Business Schools Do So Much Research: A Signaling Explanation," ESSEC Working Papers DR 08002, ESSEC Research Center, ESSEC Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:essewp:dr-08002
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    1. Besancenot, Damien & Vranceanu, Radu, 2008. "Can incentives for research harm research? A business schools' tale," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 1248-1265, June.
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    13. Damien Besancenot & Kim Huynh & Radu Vranceanu, 2009. "The ‘Read or Write’ Dilemma in Academic Production: A Transatlantic Perspective," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 53(1), pages 75-84, March.
    14. Vickers, John, 1986. "Signalling in a Model of Monetary Policy with Incomplete Information," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 443-455, November.
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    16. Besancenot, Damien & Huynh, Kim & Vranceanu, Radu, 2006. "The "Read or Write" Dilemma in Academic Production: A European Perspective," ESSEC Working Papers DR 06021, ESSEC Research Center, ESSEC Business School.
    17. Besancenot, Damien & Faria, João Ricardo, 2010. "Good research and bad teaching? A business school tale," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 67-72, June.
    18. Michael Spence, 1973. "Job Market Signaling," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 87(3), pages 355-374.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jellal, Mohamed & Faria, Joao & Elaoufi, Noureddine, 2012. "Endogenous dynamic academic research culture," MPRA Paper 38711, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. El Ouardighi, Fouad & Kogan, Konstantin & Vranceanu, Radu, 2013. "Publish or teach? Analysis of the professor's optimal career path," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1995-2009.
    3. repec:jes:wpaper:y:2012:v:4:p:636-647 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Naiditch, Claire & Vranceanu, Radu, 2011. "Remittances as a social status signaling device," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(4), pages 305-318, December.
    5. Stremersch, S. & Winer, R.S., 2018. "Academic Research in Marketing and Business School Health: Limiters and Improvement Opportunities," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2019-007-MKT, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    6. Stefano Bianchini & Francesco Lissoni & Michele Pezzoni & Lorenzo Zirulia, 2016. "The economics of research, consulting, and teaching quality: theory and evidence from a technical university," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(7), pages 668-691, October.
    7. João Ricardo Faria & Peter F. Wanke & João J. Ferreira & Franklin G. Mixon, 2018. "Research and innovation in higher education: empirical evidence from research and patenting in Brazil," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 116(1), pages 487-504, July.
    8. Timothy Perri, 2018. "Economics of evaluation (with special reference to promotion and tenure committees)," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 1-19, February.
    9. João Ricardo Faria & Rajeev K. Goel, 2016. "Academic Publication Uncertainty and Publishing Behavior: A Game-Theoretic Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 6176, CESifo.
    10. João Ricardo Faria & Franklin G. Mixon, 2020. "The Peter and Dilbert Principles applied to academe," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 115-132, June.
    11. Ryazanova, Olga & McNamara, Peter & Aguinis, Herman, 2017. "Research performance as a quality signal in international labor markets: Visibility of business schools worldwide through a global research performance system," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(6), pages 831-841.
    12. Yushan Hu & Ben G. Li, 2021. "The production economics of economics production," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 228-255, February.
    13. João Ricardo Faria & Franklin G. Mixon, 2021. "The Marginal Impact of a Publication on Citations, and Its Effect on Academic Pay," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 126(9), pages 8217-8226, September.
    14. Richard Startz, 2020. "How Research Goes Astray: Paths And Equilibria," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(4), pages 1845-1854, October.
    15. Bonaccorsi, Andrea & Belingheri, Paola & Secondi, Luca, 2021. "The research productivity of universities. A multilevel and multidisciplinary analysis on European institutions," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2).
    16. Carmen Anton & Nelu Florea & Silviu-Mihail Tiþã, 2012. "Comparison Of Scientific Socio-Economic Research Performances In Eastern European Universities," CES Working Papers, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 4(4), pages 636-647, December.
    17. Stremersch, S. & Winer, R.S., 2018. "Academic Research in Marketing and Business School Health," ERIM Report Series Research in Management 116485, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    18. repec:hal:journl:hal-00823514 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Fouad El Ouardighi & Konstantin Kogan & Radu Vranceanu, 2013. "Publish or Teach ? : Analysis of the Professor's Optimal Career Plan," Working Papers hal-00823514, HAL.
    20. Besancenot, Damien & Faria, João Ricardo, 2010. "Good research and bad teaching? A business school tale," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 67-72, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business Schools; Research management; Research policy; Research vs. teaching; Signalling; Imperfect information;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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