The Brazilian management graduate program network: analysis of academic relationships and the attributes of programs

Abstract

This article investigates the influence exerted by relationships between academic institutions and attributes of graduate management programs in shaping the structure of the Brazilian Graduate Management Program network. The research was designed according to a social network approach and the data collection was undertaken between February and July of 2007 and included the coordinators of the 58 programs that were operating at that time, to whom a link to an electronic questionnaire was e-mailed. Thirty two (55%) of these coordinators completed the questionnaire, providing information on the relationships between their programs and the other 57 programs in the following activities: joint research, shared scientific production, promotion of scientific events, shared courses, academic staff exchanges, graduate student exchanges and participation in examination boards for dissertations and theses. The programs' attributes were obtained from the websites of each program and CAPES. The main results showed: (1) a low density network with mostly weak relationships between programs, (2) a network structure defined by geographical location and research area, with the better connected networks in the areas of Organization and Organizational Behaviour and Strategy; and (3) a network in which UFRGS is the most central program and the FGV/SP, USP/SP, UFRGS and FGV/RJ are the most prestigious.

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