Why Join?

All the leading business schools in the UK are long-standing members of ABS.

We also have close links with our global counterparts:

Arab Society of Faculties of Business, Economics and Political Sciences (BEPS)

Association of African Business Schools

Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools

Association of Graduate Recruiters

Baltic Management Development Association

British Council

Canadian Federation of Business School Deans

CEEMAN

Chartered Institute of Public Relations

European Foundation for Management Development

French Foundation for Management Education

A full list of all members can be found *here*

ABS MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA 2012-13

*TO DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION FORM FOR ALL TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP PLEASE CLICK HERE*

There are 4 categories of membership to the ABS, as follows:

(i) Full Membership;
(ii) International Membership;
(iii) Corporate Membership; and
(iv) Affiliate Membership.

Details on eligibility for each of these categories is set out below.

Full Membership

Full Membership is available to Institutions located in the United Kingdom which are universities, colleges, schools or other bodies which satisfy all of the following criteria:

1) Delivery in the UK of HE level qualifications in business and management which are core to the Institution’s mission and with sufficient breadth and depth to meet the national subject benchmark statements for general business and management of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

2) Normally, have gained formal approval from the Privy Council as a Chartered body or body with degree awarding powers and be subject to a UK national external quality assurance system; i.e. have gained formal degree awarding powers from the QAA or in the case of vocational qualifications full approval from the Qualifications & Curriculum Authority (QCA) or Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) or the Department of Education, Northern Ireland (DENI).

3) Provide sufficient commitment to and achieve a critical mass in terms of research or scholarship to underpin the qualifications, as evidenced by for example: the Institutional strategy, policies and practices, the quality and quantity of published outputs as measured for example by the ABS Academic Journal Quality Guide and the nature and level of financial and academic support for the ‘community of scholars’ associated with the qualifications.

Applicants should provide detailed information on all of the criteria above and may be required to facilitate a visit by one or more members of the Executive prior to approval. The costs of such a visit are borne by the applicant.

Applying for membership also require the formal support of two existing ABS members (via their voting representatives) to act as referees for their application.

Institutions that are granted full membership can use the term, ‘Member of the Association of Business Schools’ and ABS logo in their documentation and publicity materials.

Full members have full and equal access to all activities undertaken by the ABS and may send a voting and a non-voting representative to the Annual General Meeting. Full Members are eligible to serve on the ABS Executive and can be co-opted onto ABS Committees.

International Membership

International Membership is available to Institutions located outside of the United Kingdom (and operating no base from within the United Kingdom) which are universities, colleges, schools or other bodies which satisfy all of the following criteria:

1) Delivery of HE level qualifications in business and management which are core to the Institution’s mission and with sufficient breadth and depth to meet the equivalent of national subject benchmark statements for general business and management set down by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).

2) Normally, have gained formal approval for degree awarding powers and be subject to a national external quality assurance system.

3) Provide sufficient commitment to and achieve a critical mass in terms of research or scholarship to underpin the qualifications, as evidenced by for example: the Institutional strategy, policies and practices, the quality and quantity of published outputs as measured for example by the ABS Academic Journal Quality Guide and the nature and level of financial and academic support for the ‘community of scholars’ associated with the qualifications.

Applicants should provide detailed information on all of the criteria above and may be required to facilitate a visit by one or more members of the Executive prior to approval. The costs of such a visit are borne by the applicant.

Institutions applying for membership also require the formal support of two existing ABS members (via their voting representatives) to act as referees for their application.

Institutions that are granted international membership can use the term, ‘International Member of the Association of Business Schools’ and ABS logo in their documentation and publicity materials.

International members have full and equal access to all activities undertaken by the ABS and may send a non-voting representative to the Annual General Meeting. International Members are not eligible to serve on the ABS Executive but can be co-opted onto ABS Committees.

Corporate membership

Corporate members are private companies that have an interest in business and management education and the ABS for networking purposes. Membership is awarded at the discretion of the ABS Executive.

Those granted corporate membership can use the term, ‘Corporate Member of the Association of Business Schools’ and ABS logo in their documentation and publicity materials.

Corporate members are entitled to free sponsorship of one ABS event per annum (including exhibition space and two delegate places) and receive a 50% reduction in the published exhibition fees for all other events.

Corporate members have full and equal access to all activities undertaken by the ABS and may send a non-voting representative to the Annual General Meeting. Corporate Members are not eligible to serve on the ABS Executive but can be co-opted onto ABS Committees.
 

Affiliate membership

Affiliate membership does not have formal criteria. It is discretionary within the ABS Executive. The following examples are illustrative only:

UK Institutions which do not meet all the criteria for membership as outlined above, UK Institutions whose provision is largely franchised from one or more other Institutions, professional associations, charities, HE sector bodies with an interest in Business and Management Education, and International Institutions which do not meet the criteria for membership as outlined above which may have an interest in business and management education and ABS for networking purposes.

Institutions that are granted affiliate membership can use the term, ‘Affiliate Member of the Association of Business Schools’ and ABS logo in their documentation and publicity materials.

Affiliate members have full and equal access to all activities undertaken by the ABS and may send a non-voting representative to the Annual General Meeting. Affiliate Members are not eligible to serve on the ABS Executive but can be co-opted onto ABS Committees.

Membership Fees 2012/13:

Full membership £3,900
International membership £1,500
Corporate membership £5,000
Affiliate membership £3,900

Premium Conference and Development Package

Any member can elect to pay £6,000 in addition to their standard membership fee for a premium conference and development package.

This entitles the member to one delegate place on a single ABS Development Program (excluding the International Development Program) per calendar year, one delegate place at the Annual Conference, one delegate place at the Annual international summit, and one delegate place at each conference and event operated by the ABS within the UK in the calendar year. This offer is for delegate fees only and excludes accommodation.

Members are free to allocate places as they wish as long as delegates are directly employed by the member.
This amounts to a saving on full cost of over 25%.

Reciprocal status

Reciprocal status is not a form of membership and reciprocal organisations do not have a voting representative. It is where an organisation and ABS enter into a separate agreement and define areas of mutual benefit and for example mutual waiving of fees.

Members benefit from sharing issues and best practice as well as developing initiatives and policy through ABS.

These include:

• Development and Training Programmes
• Topical conferences, forums and seminars
• Discounts on memberships and business packages
• Access to ABS research
• Access to reports, briefings, updates, research and publications
• Support for public relations and communications activity
• Biz Ed Directory Listings (online course directory)

Please contact Vicky Robinson, Director of Communications for any further information on membership, communications or sponsorship and advertising.