According to a recent analysis of
Essential Science Indicatorsdata from
Thomson
Reuters, the University of Leeds has entered the
top 1% in the field of Economics & Business.
The University's citation record in this field includes
366 papers cited a total of 1,675 times between January
1, 1998 and August 31, 2008.
In the interview below,
ScienceWatch.com talks with Professor Peter Buckley,
who is a Professor of International Business, the Director
of the Centre for International Business, as well as the
former Research Director of the Business School at Leeds,
for his take on the University's citation achievements in
this field.
How do you account for the University of Leeds's
increase in the number of citations in the field of Economics &
Business in recent years? Are there specific areas of research within
the realm of Economics & Business on which the University
particularly focuses?
There has been a concerted attempt to move researchers in the Business
School towards publishing in high-quality journals and to engage with
real-world issues. In addition, the research capacity of the School has
been expanded following our high gradings in successive research-assessment
exercises. Research has been a major strategic focus for the School and a
number of significant research concentrations have arisen.
"This is a highly competitive field
internationally and in order to move up the
rankings, the University of Leeds will have
to be increasingly focused and to invest
larger resources in achieving research
results."
Particular strengths are International Business, Finance, Human Resource
Management and Organisational Analysis, and Transport Economics, with
emerging research clusters in marketing and some areas of management. All
of these are reflected in the citation pattern in the Essential Science
Indicators database.
Does this reflect a deliberate plan to enhance the
University's research effort in this field, or was this an unexpected
or serendipitous development?
There has been a deliberate plan at the University level to move up the
international rankings, and research has been a major focus of this effort.
At the level of the Business School, initiatives have been taken to
continue to provide a good research environment, to ensure adequate study
leave, and to reward researchers in terms of workload provision. Again,
concentration in certain areas of outstanding research capability is
significant.
What factors or circumstances led the University to its
work in this field?
A strategic view was taken in the mid-1990s for the University of Leeds to
have an internationally competitive Business School. The then-Vice
Chancellor invested resources in staff, buildings, and support facilities
to achieve this goal. The current Vice Chancellor has maintained this
stance.
What is your prediction for the state of our knowledge
about this particular field 10 years from now?
A best guess would be that knowledge of management would be increasingly
globalized and best practice in both academic research and in management
practices themselves will diffuse more rapidly.
What research fields or capabilities do you see as
critical for the future of the University?
Business-relevant research of the highest academic standard.
What are the implications of the University's work for
the future of this particular field or neighboring fields?
This is a highly competitive field internationally and in order to move up
the rankings, the University of Leeds will have to be increasingly focused
and to invest larger resources in achieving research results. Retention of
key staff and recruitment of capable younger staff is critical in what is,
after all, a people-centered activity.
Professor Peter J. Buckley
Centre for International Business
University of Leeds
Leeds, UK
Roberts J, McNulty T, Stiles P, "Beyond agency conceptions
of the work of the non-executive director: creating
accountability in the boardroom," Brit. J. Manage.
16: S5-S26, Sp. Iss., March 2005. Source:
Essential Science Indicators from
Thomson
Reuters.
Keywords: international business, finance, marketing,
transport economics, organisational analysis, human resource
management, business school, academic research, management
practices.