AACSB and Scholarly Societies Release Framework to Advance Research Impact in Business Education
Business schools are under growing pressure to demonstrate that their research matters beyond academia, yet most lack a clear framework for doing so. Today, a coalition of 10 global academic organizations is offering a path forward through the release of A Framework for Research Impact: Insights, Pathways, and Calls to Action.
The report coincides with AACSB’s inaugural Research Impact Conference, offered in partnership with the Academy of Management, and provides business schools with an actionable approach and resources to help broaden how they define, assess, and communicate research impact.
Developed by AACSB’s Global Research Impact Task Force, the framework presents an expanded understanding of the research impact ecosystem, one that connects scholarship to business practice, public policy, teaching, and society.
Global Research Impact Task Force
- AACSB International
- Academy of International Business
- Academy of Management
- American Accounting Association
- American Marketing Association
- Asia Academy of Management
- Association for Information Systems
- European Accounting Association
- Journal of Operations Management
- Production and Operations Management Society
The framework reflects months of work by the task force and includes extensive input from across the business education ecosystem through global surveys, roundtables, focus groups, advisory discussions, and feedback on an exposure draft released in October 2025. It encourages institutions to adopt more intentional and mission-aligned approaches to supporting, evaluating, and communicating research impact.
“For too long, research impact has been defined too narrowly,” said Lily Bi, president and chief executive officer of AACSB. “I am excited to share the work of the task force from over the last year. This framework helps institutions move from measuring outputs to understanding and a outcomes and impact.”
The report, which is just phase one of an ongoing effort to drive systemwide change, emphasizes that impactful research often emerges through ongoing engagement among researchers, practitioners, policymakers, learners, and communities. It also highlights the importance of aligning institutional strategy, incentives, culture, and infrastructure to support multiple forms of research impact.
Among its recommendations, the framework encourages business schools to:
- Develop mission-aligned research impact strategies
- Strengthen connections among research, teaching, and external engagement
- Adopt more balanced approaches to evaluating research impact
- Recognize both quantitative and qualitative evidence of impact
- Create institutional environments that support diverse forms of impactful scholarship
To support business schools in implementation, the framework includes practical resources such as a Research Impact Assessment Tool and a Research Impact Ecosystem Guide. Together, these resources help schools evaluate current practices, identify opportunities for improvement, and strengthen institutional alignment around research impact.
The framework also aligns with AACSB’s 2026 Global Standards for Business Education™ and associated Pathways to Impact model, which call for a broader understanding of impact by business schools.
The report concludes with a series of strategic imperatives for stakeholder groups across the research ecosystem—including scholarly associations, publishers, journals, media, ranking bodies, and others—calling for a more collective and coordinated approach to advancing research impact and building on the momentum generated by the task force.
For more information and to access the full report, visit aacsb.edu/research-impact-framework.