Legitimising the Business School through Responsible Management Education: An Integrated Theoretical Framework

Events such as the credit and banking crisis alongside general global corporate social responsibility and sustainability concerns, have led to renewed debate as to the legitimacy and purpose of business in society. Some are calling for a new approach, one that eschews the profit orientated exploitative business practices of the past for a new model of ‘responsible management’. Indeed, many business organisations are already moving beyond social and environmental compliance and fundamentally rethinking the role their business should play in light of broader societal changes. In response to this some business schools are seeking to realign their curriculum, research and engagement activities around the core concept of responsible management. There is a need however to better understand the drivers and enablers of responsible management education and related practices within the business school and wider university environment. This paper seeks to construct a theoretical framework for interpreting the implementation of responsible management in business schools. Three relevant theories are suggested; institutional theory, stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory. The intention is to develop a theoretical framework though which to establish the key motivators for business schools to develop responsible management activities.