| This dissertation explores empirically strategy content questions in higher education. For the purpose of the study the population under investigation is defined as full-time U.S. MBA programs, which were accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) by 1979/80, and are still in existence and AACSB accredited in the year 2000.;To date the literature on strategy in higher education has focused more heavily on questions related to strategy process than to strategy content, the latter being the focus of this study.;This study is built upon the classic strategic model Strategy → Structure → Performance (Chandler, 1962) with insights from the more recent literatures on stakeholders (Griffin, 2000; Donaldson, 1999; Donaldson and Preston, 1995; Freeman, 1994), in particular instrumental stakeholder theory (Jones, 1995), and on reputation (Fombrun, 1996; Thompson, 1967).;These three theoretical approaches to strategy are integrated into a model with particular relevance to higher education institutions. The research questions explore specific linkages within the synthetic model.;Findings. The findings of the study include strong support for the theoretical linkages between reputation and performance, and between institutional research level and performance. With regards to the empirical testing of stakeholder theory, the findings suggest that key external stakeholders strongly influenced the strategy of graduate business schools in the 1990s, but that this "strategic alignment" with stakeholder claims was not conducive to higher performance. Further, the findings support the concept of "institutional isomorphism" developed by DiMaggio and Powell (1983). |
