Opinions are divided about research in the management field. What is it? What purpose does it serve? Is it difficult? Is it relevant? Drawing on my experience as a researcher, my aim in this article is to offer a few pointers, which may not provide a complete answer to all the issues raised by these questions, but which will at least offer a clearer understanding of research’s role in a business school.

Executive Summary

Quality research is one of the main differentiating factors that separate top-flight business schools like IESE from good ones. Relevant research creates the content used in class and is also what encourages donors to support the school’s centers and chairs. But for research to have validity, it must be prepared via scrupulously rigorous checks and standards. Professor Tony Dávila, winner of the IESE Alumni Association’s 2007 Research Excellence award, along with Professors África Ariño, Johanna Mair and Christian Seelos, explains the process.