Brand values This year marks the tercentenary of the birth of eminent Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith. Professor John Finch , head of the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow, examines what the Smith name signifies in the context of legacy, as well as in terms of tackling the challenges of standing out as an institution both now and in the future in a competitive global market setting W hile the University of Glasgow is renowned as an ancient and research-intensive university, its business school was only formed in 2010. The school includes Accounting & Finance and Economics & Management, having been at its outset a merger of what were originally individual departments. In 2012 it adopted Adam Smith Business School as its name, due to Smith’s celebrated legacy at the university. The study of economics at Glasgow is, of course, synonymous with Smith; he published The Theory
collection of essays, published in 1975; it is a book that is well worth reading as it helps to understand what is involved in developing a legacy. I joined the Adam Smith Business School in autumn 2012 as professor of marketing. I must admit to being intrigued by the prospect of a recently formed business school taking this rather audacious step in its naming. While by no means a scholar of Smith, I had previously taught about his work on a history of economics course. I had reflected on his explanation of economic development through markets enabling and limiting the division of labour, as well as addressing the attendant questions of co-ordination of specialist knowledge, practices and investments in my own research and teaching, especially in business-to-business research and market studies.
of Moral Sentiments in 1759 while professor of logic, with The Wealth of Nations following in 1776. The university has reflected upon Smith’s legacy before, with a special edition of his collected work compiled to mark the bicentenary of the publication of The Wealth of Nations . As part of this, Andrew Skinner and Thomas Wilson edited a
14 | Ambition | MAY 2023
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