BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION IN LOGISTICS.

INTRODUCTION A continuing criticism of business education expresses concern that connections between traditional faculty responsibilities of research, teaching, and practice are breaking down (Foggin and Dicer 1992; Mowday 1997; Porter and McKibben 1988). Critics contend that the system is churning out irrelevant academic research and training students to be theoretical managers incapable of taking responsibility for the performance of others (Cheit 1985; La Force and Novelli 1985; Rudolph 1995; Van Auken, Cotton, and Chester 1996). Much of the criticism is directed toward faculty who are depicted as either unable or unwilling to integrate both research and practical teaching. Changing economic forces have pressured business faculty to perform well in research, teaching, and practice rather than excelling in just one area (Witt 1994). Many faculty, however, feel that they have either inadequate preparation or insufficient time and funding to contribute in all areas. Logistics faculty, with a history of close ties to industry as well as a fundamental understanding of cross-functional business activities, are uniquely positioned to lead the way in integrating activities on and off campus in a way that satisfies all constituents of higher business education at the lowest total cost. This paper presents a model inspired by the success of logistics programs that have bridged the gap between academic responsibilities and practical application. It is intended to communicate to practitioners the benefits of interaction with the academic community as well as to present a guideline for academic integration in other business disciplines. Discussion focuses on three case studies that illustrate the implementation of the model. BACKGROUND A 1996 report completed by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) contends that the gap between practice and academic research and teaching has widened in recent years. Business schools, critics suggest, are emphasizing a model that is so quantitative and theoretical that it ignores topics important to practical businesspeople (La Force and Novelli 1985; Rudolph 1995). Further, critics argue that the reigning model produces students capable of fulfilling advisory and consulting roles but not that of the r practical manager, lacking in leadership qualities and the ability to assume responsibility for the performance of others (Cheit 1985). The criticism underscores a perceptual gap between many business academicians and practitioners regarding the purpose and scope of knowledge generation. While logistics academicians share a long history of successfully integrating research, teaching, and practice, academicians in many other business areas generate knowledge in a cumulative manner that is less concerned with immediate, focused applications but rather seeks to influence the long-term conduct of broadly defined business processes. Knowledge generation and dissemination are viewed in terms of theory development and testing, evaluated on the basis of content as well as the rigor of the scientific method used to reach conclusions (Mentzer and Kahn 1995). Practitioners, however, generate knowledge to find the answers to specific, applied problems. The results of applied research are usually seen only by those immediately involved with the problem and are evaluated based on the degree to which they influence decision-making as well as on the success or failure of the resulting decision. Academics, therefore, usually produce work that is relatively abstract and not directly concerned with immediate application while practitioners produce research that provides actionable data at the least possible cost (Brinberg and Hirschman 1986; Kover 1976). Business schools can be depicted as possessing varying degrees of these two primary orientations of knowledge generation. At research-oriented schools, business is regarded as a science and knowledge is pursued to enhance understanding and theory development. …