Burgess, TF; Shaw, NE. 2010. Editorial Board Membership of Management and Business Journals: A Social Network Analysis Study of the Financial Times 40. BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT 21 (3): 627-648

[Eugene Garfield]

Burgess, TF; Shaw, NE. 2010. Editorial Board Membership of Management and 
Business Journals: A Social Network Analysis Study of the Financial Times 40. 
BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT 21 (3): 627-648, Sp. Iss. SI..

Author Full Name(s): Burgess, Thomas F.; Shaw, Nicola E.
Language: English
Document Type: Article
KeyWords Plus: RANKINGS; SCIENCE; ORGANIZATION; DISCIPLINES; 
AUTHORSHIP; KNOWLEDGE; QUALITY; SCHOOLS; SENSE; FIELD

Abstract: We apply social network analysis to editorial board membership data 
for 36 of the 40 high-ranking journals forming the Financial Times list for grading 
business schools. Data are presented by individuals, journals, organizations and 
countries. Using cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling, journals are 
allocated to academic fields. Distributions of journals, editorial board members 
and business school staff by field are compared. Academics affiliated to US 
organizations predominate and highly ranked US organizations occupy the top 
positions for number of board memberships. Academics with high multiple board 
memberships come from a more diverse set of organizations but are still 
predominantly North American and male. We suggest that the domination of the 
sampled journal production system by special interest groups could permit 
academic patronage to prosper. We characterize the academic area of 
management (and business) as a loosely connected grouping of mono-
disciplinary fields. Organization behaviour, strategy and enterprise/small 
business fields are over-represented in the Financial Times list while 
accounting, finance, marketing and operations research/management 
information systems are under-represented. We argue that domination by an 
elite and its fragmented mono-disciplinarity is not healthy for the management 
academic area.

Addresses: [Burgess, Thomas F.; Shaw, Nicola E.] Univ Leeds, Sch Business, 
Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England

Reprint Address: Burgess, TF, Univ Leeds, Sch Business, Maurice Keyworth 
Bldg, Leeds LS2 9JT, W Yorkshire, England.

E-mail Address: tfb at lubs.leeds.ac.uk
ISSN: 1045-3172
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2010.00701.x
fulltext: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-
8551.2010.00701.x/abstract