Title: The value of theorising… from a student-stakeholder perspective

Authors: Richard J. Arend

Addresses: Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 303 Bloch School - 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499, USA

Abstract: We apply data from two related surveys to an exploratory study centred on 'what is the value' that academic theory creates for its main stakeholders. We begin to address questions of whether and how and to whom we, as strategy researchers, add new value through our published theoretical propositions. Our preliminary results reveal that the majority of our top-tier theoretical published causal relationships are obvious to business school students. That said, we provide several paths for increasing our added and appropriable value, including an identification of the audiences that need it most.

Keywords: student perspectives; theoretical hypotheses; added value; appropriable value; non-obviousness; entrepreneurship; practicality; survey; theorising; academic theory; causal relationships; business schools; business education.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2016.079360

International Journal of Management in Education, 2016 Vol.10 No.4, pp.370 - 389

Accepted: 28 Jan 2016
Published online: 27 Sep 2016 *

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