Executive summary. The purpose of the FNEGE Observatory on French Research in Management Science and Business Administration is to provide a quantitative and qualitative overview of research in management science and business administration in French higher education institutions, in order to highlight the extent of knowledge production by the academic community in this discipline, and its impacts and contributions for all of its stakeholders, whether they are researchers, students, managers, territories, or society as a whole.

Key takeaways

• The impact of French research in management science and business administration on the national and international academic community is revealed by a substantial volume of various intellectual contributions produced over the last five years (academic articles published in prestigious journals, books, book chapters, communications in academic conferences, etc).
• Its impact on students is exerted primarily through the publication of case studies and textbooks, the development of digitalised teaching materials based on research results, and the creation of new curricular frameworks inspired by the latest knowledge created by researchers.
• Its impact on practitioners and territories is facilitated by knowledge dissemination and funded collaborative research activities.
• French Research in management science and business administration is also marked by a significant commitment by laboratories to carrying out work devoted to the environmental and societal transition and in line with some United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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The FNEGE Observatory on French Research in Management Science and Business Administration

The FNEGE (French National Foundation for Business Management Education) decided in 2022 to launch an observatory on research in management science and business administration with the sponsorship of the Conference of Directors of French Business Schools (CDEFM) and the IAE France Network. The aim of this observatory is to provide a quantitative and qualitative overview of research in management science and business administration in French higher education institutions, in order to highlight the extent of knowledge production by the academic community in this discipline, and its impacts and contributions for all of its stakeholders. In the fall of 2023, an online questionnaire was administered to the directors of 66 French laboratories in management science and business administration to collect data on the laboratory’s workforce, its scientific output, its national and international impact on the academic community, and its impacts on students, practitioners, territories, and society. The response rate was over 86%, thanks to the 57 laboratory directors who took the time to gather the necessary data and respond to the survey. We will summarise below our main results considering four categories of research impact: academic impact, pedagogical impact, impact on practitioners and territories, and impact on society.

Academic Impact

French research in management science and business administration has first a significant impact on the entire ecosystem of scientific knowledge production. Its substantial volume of production of various intellectual contributions can be estimated for a period of five years, according to our survey, at approximately 20,000 articles published in French and English language academic journals by members of French laboratories (nearly 15,000 articles published in journals ranked by the FNEGE), 1,800 books and 4,500 book chapters, to which have to be added about 16,000 communications in academic conferences in France and around the world. The resulting impact goes far beyond the national framework since, for example, three-quarters of the articles published in FNEGE-ranked journals are in the English language (that is almost 11,000 articles), and two-thirds of the academic communications are presented in English at academic events most frequently organised by English-speaking associations.

It is also worth noting that the quantitative and qualitative importance of this intellectual output is ensured thanks to the major role played by researchers in the entire ecosystem of scientific knowledge production. Fellows of the French research centres have a significant impact on the quality of publications by academic journals and publishing houses. The same conclusion can be drawn when it comes to the organisation of academic events under the aegis of national and international scientific disciplinary associations, events and associations that are so fundamental to the dynamism of the entire academic ecosystem.

Pedagogical Impact

Since research and teaching constitute the two founding pillars of higher education, the contribution of French research in management science and business administration to the numerous educational and training programmes offered in this major field is essential. Indeed, as very explicitly shown by the FNEGE Observatory on Management and Business Education (Dubois, 2022), the education and training programmes for which management is the main discipline benefit more than 530 000 students, i.e. nearly 20% of students of all disciplines combined (Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees), in French universities and business schools for the 2019-2020 academic year. And this very high proportion does not take into account the many employees and executives in continuing education courses!

The strong impact of French research in management science and business administration on education is thus reflected by a variety of initiatives and contributions such as the publication of case studies (estimated at 1,200 over the last five years) and textbooks (estimated at more than 250 over the last five years), the development of other digitalised teaching materials based on research results and which can be used in courses (including, for example, more than 2,000 videos and podcasts produced to date via FNEGE Médias), or the creation of new curricular frameworks inspired by the latest knowledge produced in the different disciplines of management science and business administration. Finally, in the field of education, we must mention the decisive contribution of the members of French research centres to ‘producing’ new doctors and beyond to their further training after graduation.

A few indicators suffice to measure this impact: the supervision of the theses of around 1,800 doctoral candidates enrolled in management science and business administration programmes as of the end of 2022; the many seminars offered to these doctoral students by doctoral schools; the involvement of professors as thesis examiners for more than 300 defenses per year according to the FNEGE Observatory on Doctoral Theses in Management Science and Business Administration (Des Garets, 2024); as well as the supervision of 80 Doctors per year this time to obtain the French academic system’s highest degree (called “Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches”, HDR) in order to be allowed to supervise doctoral candidates.

Impact on Practitioners and Territories

French research in management science and business administration can be characterised as relevant for practitioners. Indeed, our survey revealed the existence of a large number of research works anchored in contemporary challenges that organisations, private or public, have to face. The impact of research on practitioners is particularly driven by the efforts dedicated by researchers to knowledge dissemination and funded collaborative research activities, which have generated the following results over the last five years:

• 10,000 articles aimed at the general public
• 4,000 interviews given to the media
• 3,500 popular videos and podcasts aimed at the general public
• Participation in research programmes funded by regional, national, or international funds for more than four out of five laboratories
• Conclusion of research contracts funded directly by private or public organisations for more than two-thirds of the laboratories
• Creation of research chairs for more than half of French laboratories

The impact of research on the business community is also manifested through close ties maintained with the region(s) where the laboratories are located. The results of our survey show a very wide variety of contributions, such as:

• Launching research projects aligned with the region’s sectoral needs in areas such as agri-food, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, tourism, e-health, silver economy, ecological transition, entrepreneurship, etc.
• Creating research chairs financed by public or private funds in the region
• Publishing articles in the local professional press
• Participating in working groups initiated by local authorities or local professional organisations
• Creating master’s specialisations in collaboration with local companies or public institutions

Impact on Society

French research in management science and business administration is also marked by a significant commitment by laboratories to carrying out work devoted to the environmental and societal transition, for example, in the fields of sustainable agriculture, e-health, green and sustainable logistics, renewable energy, societal reporting, responsible entrepreneurship, etc. This societal impact of research activities is further reinforced by the following practices:

• The establishment of interdisciplinary research teams, within the management sciences themselves or with the so-called ‘hard sciences’, in order to address complex research issues related to the environmental and societal transition; however, interdisciplinary dialogue must remain compatible with the requirements of research excellence based primarily on expertise in a given discipline and evaluated as such by various national and international evaluation or accreditation bodies.
• The integration of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the laboratory’s research strategy.
• The formation of research teams dedicated to the environmental and societal transition (research areas, theme-based research groups, institutes, centres of excellence…).
• The development of collaborative research dedicated to environmental and societal transition issues, thus facilitating access to a greater number of external funding sources.
• The organisation of international conferences dedicated to the environmental and societal transition.

Furthermore, it is worth highlighting the priority given by French research in management science and business administration to five SDGs (in order of importance and for French laboratories that have conducted an analysis of their intellectual output with respect to the SDGs and have reported it in our survey):

• SDG12 (responsible consumption and production)
• SDG9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure)
• on the same level of importance: SDG8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG13 (climate action)

Conclusion

This first edition of the FNEGE Observatory on French Research in Management Science and Business Administration demonstrates the undeniable performance of French laboratories both in terms of research excellence, revealed by the quantity and quality of publications in prestigious journals, and in terms of its influence and impact beyond the academic community, i.e. on students, the business community and the local region, thanks in particular to funded collaborative research and knowledge dissemination activities. We also clearly see the importance of the efforts made by researchers in French laboratories to tackle issues related to the environmental and societal transition, thus strengthening the societal impact of their research work.

Full study available at the following link: https://www.calameo.com/read/0019301717233ad1f8a74