Research@MGSM
MGSM has a global reputation for the quality of the professional education that it provides for managers. Less well known is the range and quality of relevant research that informs this educational experience, as well as the depth of research expertise in the school. MGSM has initiated a major program to develop and promote this expertise. Details of the research activities of Faculty and Doctoral Students will shortly be provided on the web.
The forthcoming areas of priority are listed out in the draft MGSM Strategic Directions 2009-11. These research priorities are listed below. Communication of any interest in these plans or desire to participate is encouraged, and should be directed in the first instance to the Associate Dean (Research), Professor Richard Badham.
MGSM will develop and promote itself as a centre for excellence in research that contributes to improving professional managerial practice. MGSM research will be a leading example of innovative, high impact, collaborative research within Macquarie University. MGSM will establish research as a profit centre that embodies a strategic commitment to reflective practice and action research. MGSM will use the profits generated by this activity to produce additional high quality research outputs recognised in international business school rankings.
KEY OBJECTIVES
Executive Programs
Executive Education and consultancy initiatives will be based on leading edge research, and will trial the customisation and use of this research to improve the knowledge and capabilities of practicing managers and their organisations.
Measures of Success
• Two thirds of executive education programs will be undertaken as part of action research.
• MGSM will publish the leading edge research that informs these programs.
• Rigorous evaluation of program outcomes will be reported and published.
Research Student Program
The research student program is a cornerstone of MGSM’s program contribution to increasing knowledge of managerial practice. The program combines and interlinks basic and applied research at the level of Ph.D, DBA, Internships and MBA research projects. The program is committed to developing and applying cutting edge academic research to support critical reflection, innovation and sustainability.
Measures of Success
• The research student base within PhD’s, DBA’s, Internships and MBA research reports will integrate and grow.
• MGSM student research projects will be used as the cornerstone of more collaborative research within industry partners.
• MGSM student output will increase through enhanced recognition, documentation and publication of research outputs.
MBA Research
MGSM will develop, document and publish the use of leading edge management research on educational content and delivery in the education of MBA students.
Measures of Success
• Increased collaboration with industry will be reported in MBA research reports that are promoted, documented and published.
• Introduction of a learning experience which integrates previous studies and acts as a capstone program.
High Quality Research Clusters
MGSM will build on the research excellence and reputation of its faculty, students and visitors to create high quality clusters of focussed research. This will involve the dynamic and creative forming and reforming of research teams, programs and centres.
Measures of Success
• Increased high quality publications and competitive research funding.
• Reputation for focussed areas of research activity, including and developing on existing centres.
• Use of this reputation to attract high quality students, faculty and funding from within and outside Macquarie University.
Distinguished Scholars Program
MGSM will attract and retain distinguished full time international scholars who publish in top tier journals recognised by business school rankings agencies, and attract significant competitive and industry research funding and are recognised internationally for their significant contributions to a specialised management field.
Measures of Success
• MGSM becomes a sought after employer of top quality academics who wish to join MGSM because of its significant reputation.
• Research student numbers at maximum level because they want to research and collaborate with quality faculty.
• Industry wishing to collaborate with MGSM regularly because of the quality and reputation of its faculty.
• Part time scholars are attracted to join MGSM as research adjuncts or collaborators.
• MGSM rankings in business school rankings is improved by the top tier journal contributions of its international scholars.
Research Culture
MGSM will have every student and faculty member enthusiastically committed to their research, focussing on, discussing and celebrating their research outputs. Each MGSM faculty member will be supported and encouraged to develop and document their personal research agenda, turn this into excellent research outputs that contribute to their reputation and careers, and which enable them to attract research funding and excellent students and collaborators.
Measures of Success
• Faculty who are energised and empowered to support the research plan.
• Research management structure which is transformed into a support mechanism giving faculty detailed and relevant information about the value of different types of research and more clearly defining and monitoring performance.
• Research will be seen as fun, intrinsically interesting and one of the main attractions to an academic career.
• A variety of forums exist for communication and stimulating the interest in research (PhD and DBA workshops, Research Dinner evenings, Research café events, seminar series etc)
• Open dialogue is encouraged on research content rather than research management “matrices” and performance measures, and email communication is replaced with face to face discussions wherever possible.