Better Research for Better Business

Summary

Building leadership and management capacity in Canadian business is essential to ensuring that the country has the talent to sustain productivity and a high standard of living. These societal benefits rest not only on the development of the talent to lead business enterprises, but also on the advancement of research in business, and hence the development of research leaders.

Key Findings

The Government of Canada’s 2007 Budget acknowledged the important role of research in developing business and managerial proficiency, capability and aptitude through funding to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for this purpose. SSHRC in turn, consulted widely with the research community and stakeholders to develop a long-term strategy in this area. As part of this larger effort, SSHRC asked the CCA to conduct an independent assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of management, business, and finance research in Canada.

The panel found that the most significant identified weakness in Canadian management, business, and finance research is its lack of explicit relevance and usefulness to potential end users. Insufficient communication between Canadian researchers and business practitioners may reflect this perceived lack of relevance. The panel noted that this absence of contact reduces the likelihood that researchers will be motivated to take up research that is relevant to potential users.