Accreditation Benefits and Pitfalls

Abstract

A major global trend facing higher education today are pressures for accreditation. Business schools around the world seek recognition and acknowledgement for the effort they place into improving their administration, curricula, faculty and students to establish their overall standing among competitors. One aspect of this recognition is achieving accreditation which is a rigorous procedure that takes an enormous amount of time, effort and budget. Accreditation has the aim of conforming a school to certain quality education and academic management standards. It is seen by institutions as enriching the value of their brand and acting as a useful marketing tool that attracts future students and helps in contacts for job placement. However, in conforming to standards and becoming like other accredited institutions, schools might find themselves diverging from their mission and focusing on many things other than their main function. Eventually, these schools may become isomorphic in that they merely mimic what dominant business schools are doing.