Research: The academic results of Montpellier Business School continue to grow and have an excellent track record.

In line with the strong performance of 2017, the academic results of the Montpellier Business School faculty in 2018 confirm a sustained increase in the number and rank of scientific publications. Associate Dean for Faculty and Research, Doctor David Roubaud draws up and analyses this assessment.

2017 was already rich in publications for teachers-researchers of Montpellier Business School, what assessment can you draw from the academic results obtained in 2018?

We continue to experience a great improvement in the academic results and we are as much in quantity as in quality with many rank 1 publications. We have also continued the recruitment of international professors of very high level and coming from great institutions and today 60% of the Montpellier Business School faculty is international, which corresponds to our desire for internationalization.

In terms of numbers, on average we have 1.5 published articles per researcher this year. It’s very productive and powerful in the sense of quality according to the EducPro ranking. The latter has also ranked Montpellier Business School 4th for research in France (Productivity and Power).

From the qualitative point of view, it is also a great collective success: the last 12 months we had 15 rank 1 publications that are the work of 12 different teachers. These publications concern all disciplines and have been published in the most selective reviews of the “FT50”.

Over the last 2 years, we have more than 25 “ranks 1” which involve about twenty permanent professors, recent recruits but also the historical members of the faculty, some having even joined Montpellier Business School 10 years after their doctorate. This is important for us because the academic is above all men and women. And in the end, these are great results that must be maintained.

What are the main research topics of researchers at the Montpellier Business School faculty?

In all of these publications, we find different domains that resonate with the values ​​of Montpellier Business School: we have published on the diversity and overall performance, especially in the “Journal of business ethics” which is FT50, as well as on the Green supply chain, the circular economy, innovation in finance especially around cryptocurrencies or Big Data and Data Science.  And of course, entrepreneurship is still a zone of historical strength on which Montpellier Business School researchers produce regularly.

Does this strong evolution of research relate to the arrival of new programs at Montpellier Business School?

Thanks to the power of our research, we get a certain recognition that made foreign universities ask us for the development of DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) that combine research and continuing professional development. With this legitimacy, we opened a DBA in 3 universities in China.

These strengths in research are also valuable when creating programs, as for the launch of new high-level specialties within our Masters of Science on the campus of Montpellier, which are supported by excellent teachers-researchers also passionate about pedagogy.

How do these academic results and these evolutions translate concretely for the students of the Montpellier Business School initial training programs?

This allows for evolutions in terms of course curriculum with more options and enriched common core. In the end, it is a better professionalization that is offered to students in specialized sectors with a strong international dimension. The scientific results of the faculty also make it possible to bring innovations including in pedagogical approaches. To conclude, it is the student experience at Montpellier Business School that benefits from these results.

What future do you imagine for Montpellier Business School?

Montpellier Business School is increasingly intended to shine internationally. This development is built through the work of faculty and field teams in key markets on all continents. At Montpellier Business School, in keeping with our institutional vision, internationalization is inseparable from the pursuit of academic excellence and the defence of values ​​of openness of equal opportunities.