05 September 2005
An eminent forum of business people and academics with experience in business is calling for the forthcoming Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) to recognise the value of business-based research, or risk widening the gap between academia and business. The demand for the forthcoming RAE process to reflect the important contribution of business to the academic research process comes from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants' (CIMA) RAE Forum.
The CIMA RAE Forum sounded its warning as the group gathered to inform CIMA's response to the Higher Education Funding Council's (HEFCE), consultation on the RAE Criteria, which closes on 19 September. As part of the RAE, all active researchers in the UK will have their work assessed in 2008 by 900 fellow academics, sitting in 67 subject panels and 15 co-ordinating panels to ensure consistency. The outcome of the process will determine an estimated £10 billion of university research funding over the next six years.
Participants in the CIMA RAE Forum, chaired by former CIMA President Professor Roland Kaye, include Professor Falconer Mitchell (University of Edinburgh) and Brian Peel, a CIMA Member in business (Coors Brewers). They were addressing Chairs of Main Panel I, Professor David Otley (Lancaster University) and Professor Andrew Stark (University of Manchester); and Professor Jane Broadbent (Royal Holloway),
Accounting & Finance and Business & Management Studies sub-panel member.
Commenting on the outcome of the CIMA RAE Panel's discussion, Professor Roland Kaye said:
'One of our key concerns is that the RAE process has the potential for research to become driven by the publishing agenda, which addresses an academic peer group, rather than practitioners, and that in doing so it will lose relevance to practitioners.
'When we look at comparable disciplines, research is clearly about improving practice and the development of the next generation of business managers is vital to both employers and the profession. Our concern is that by primarily rewarding academic research that is divorced from its practical application, we risk having entrants to the profession taught and trained by people who have never qualified or practised it themselves. Applied to other professions, such as medicine, that would clearly be unacceptable.'
- ENDS '
For interviews, photographs and further information please contact:
Lottie Muir, CIMA
020 8849 2407
lottie.muir@cimaglobal.com
Notes to editors
1. CIMA (the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) is a leading professional body that offers an internationally recognised qualification in management accountancy, focussing on accounting in business. It is the fastest growing UK based membership body, in terms of members, in both the UK and worldwide and is the voice of over 150,000 members and students in 156 countries. CIMA is responsible for the education and training of management accountants who work in industry, commerce and not-for-profit and has more members in the public sector than any other UK based body. CIMA prides itself on the commercial relevance of its syllabus, which is in tune with the activities of high performance organisations, and evolves continually reflecting the latest developments in global business. It is committed to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards of members and students, and to maintaining public confidence in management accountancy. For more information about CIMA, please visit www.cimaglobal.com
2. Each academic will submit four 'outputs' ' usually articles in learned journals or books. In addition to the research outputs, each department will be judged on its 'research environment' ' including the number of students, research income and its plans for the next five years. Also added to the mix is 'esteem', gauged by factors such as editing learned journals, delivering keynote speeches at conferences, and international collaborations. For more information about the RAE, please visit the Hefce website at: www.hefce.ac.uk
3. The terms of reference of the CIMA RAE Forum were to focus on a range of topics related to
the RAE including:
- The impact of the RAE on academic outputs
- The RAE assessment criteria
- The value of research output for business /industry in the RAE
- Best methods for the design and conduct of research relevant to business with a high academic quality
- The development of careers that span both academic and business/industry sectors
05 September 2005050905