The Curious Case of Construction of Quality in Nordic Business Schools – The Symbolic Role of Branding

Tomi J. Kallio; Kirsi-Mari Kallio; Kati Suomi; Elin K. Funck

doi:10.58235/sjpa.32092

Authors

Tomi J. Kallio University of Vaasa, Finland. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7032-9632
Kirsi-Mari Kallio University of Turku, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8305-6699
Kati Suomi University of Turku, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2502-2885
Elin K. Funck Lund University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6307-9834

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.32092

Keywords:

quality, business schools, legitimacy, accreditations, branding

Abstract

Universities worldwide have increased their competition for the best students and employees. Consequently, business schools are pressured to demonstrate excellence and differentiate themselves through brand building. One essential part of branding is the quality narratives that universities present to the public. We study the presentation of quality in Nordic business schools. Data concerning the presentation and manifestation of quality by the Nordic business schools was collected from 41 business schools’ public web pages. We used content analysis to gather 12 quality narratives and interpret them. We identify 12 items applied in the quality narratives by the studied business schools. Our results show homogeneity in communication stemming from the pursuit of legitimacy and conformity to expectations. We demonstrate that the visible manifest content of the quality manifestos of Nordic universities functions as artifacts similar to tangible and visual representations, heavily laden with market-oriented neoliberal values. We highlight how Nordic business schools have predominantly adopted a uniform approach to branding in higher education, as the universities align with their institutional settings.

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Author Biographies

Tomi J. Kallio, University of Vaasa, Finland.

Tomi J. Kallio is a Professor of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behaviour at the University of Vaasa, Finland. He holds PhDs both in Administrative Science and in Business Economics, and he possesses extensive interdisciplinary work experience. Kallio has received several awards for his contributions to education and research. His primary research interest lies in the management of knowledge-intensive organizations and knowledge workers. His other research interests include organizational theory, organizational creativity, and unnecessary work tasks. His work has been published in journals such as the International Journal of Management Reviews, Human Relations, Studies in Higher Education, and Journal of Business Ethics.

Kirsi-Mari Kallio, University of Turku, Finland

Kirsi-Mari Kallio is a professor in Accounting and Finance at Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku (Pori Unit), Finland. Her research interests include performance management in knowledge-intensive organizations, and especially the themes of accounting and control in the context of public organizations. She has published in interdisciplinary journals, such as Human Relations, Studies in Higher Education, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, and Public Money & Management.

Kati Suomi, University of Turku, Finland

Kati Suomi is an Associate Professor (tenure track) of Marketing at the Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku (Pori Unit). She holds a title of docent (adjunct professorship) of reputation management at the Faculty of Management and Business at the Tampere University. Kati's current research interest include topics such as (extreme) consumer-brand relationships, as well as entrepreneurial marketing and branding of SMEs. Kati has published a number of articles in peer reviewed journals, including Journal of Business Research, Tourism Management, European Journal of Marketing, International Journal of Public Sector Management, among others.

Elin K. Funck, Lund University, Sweden

Elin K. Funck is a Senior lecturer and Associate professor in Accounting and Corporate Finance at Lund University, Sweden. Her research interests are within management accounting and control, especially with focus on public sector organizations. More specifically, her research focuses performance management, behavioral aspects of management accounting, public sector reforms and professions. She has published in interdisciplinary journals such as Financial Accountability and Management, Journal of Cleaner Production, Professions and Professionalism, and Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change.

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The Curious Case of Construction of Quality in Nordic Business Schools – The Symbolic Role of Branding

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