ADAM SMITH 300
has taken time and the response has been diffuse. The school nowadays, and in its previous form as a coalition of departments, has been recognised by AMBA and AACSB for some time, as well as having EQUIS accreditation since 2015. If Adam Smith has afforded it some distinctiveness, it is by connecting the name to a legacy involving notable contributions at the University of Glasgow. As 2023 is the tercentenary of Smith’s birth, this has led the university and the school to reflect further on legacy, as well as – with a lightness of touch – on the concept of a brand. While hosting many events in Glasgow this year, one additional feature has been a series of collaborative ventures with partners, for instance the Smith Around the World lecture series, where experts at some of the world’s most prestigious universities celebrate and discuss his legacy. This emphasis on reflection and connecting legacy with current questions and challenges has led to the design of public lectures, seminars and workshops about various aspects of Smith’s life and work. It has been wonderful to gain further insights from the understanding of his remarkable legacy alongside valued partners and friends.
Our challenge is to connect Adam Smith’s legacy to current debates and practices By way of example, our student societies asked a panel of industry speakers to consider what Adam Smith would have made of crypto currencies and the role of regulation; we have also developed a new degree programme in behavioural science with our colleagues in psychology and are contributing applied research and policy recommendations concerning productivity. A final comment on the school and its development and growth is that Smith offers much to its constituent disciplines of Accounting & Finance and Economics & Management. Disciplines are important of course, yet Smith’s questions and frameworks are inherently interdisciplinary. In some ways this captures the spirit of the intellectual environment of the Scottish Enlightenment, long featured in the structure of many of our undergraduate degree programmes, as well as of the broad influence of Smith across social sciences and arts subjects. Again, legacy and brand can shape an organisation internally, as much as they can communicate in terms of initial engagements and encounters. Smith around the world In bringing our story up to date, one area that can be predictably challenging is the perennial question of accreditation and review: “What makes your school distinctive?” Adam Smith has helped here. Our experience has been that addressing the question
The University of Glasgow is renowned as an ancient and research-intensive institution
BIOGRAPHY John Finch is head of the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School and professor of marketing. As head of school since 2016, Finch has led it through sustained growth and development, with multiple accreditations from AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS. His PhD is from Lancaster University and he has also held posts at the universities of Aberdeen and Strathclyde. He teaches and researches in business-to-business marketing, currently with a focus on the development of fintech
Ambition | MAY 2023 | 17
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