Focusing on the global diffusion of the “A” list consisting of predominantly U.S.-based journals, we argue that such diffusion represents an important form of professionalization in the management of business schools. The diffusion can also be viewed as an intellectual movement in the age of global competition characterized by a flat world. How can we explain the recent diffusion of the “A” list? More important, how does such diffusion impact the future of business and management scholarship? Addressing these important but underexplored questions, we identify the multilevel factors that explain the diffusion, and predict its likely trajectory and its impact on future scholarship.

着眼于主要由美国期刊组成的“A”名单的全球传播，我们认为这种传播代表了商学院管理专业化的一种重要形式。这种传播也可以被视为以平坦世界为特征的全球竞争时代的一场智力运动。我们如何解释最近“A”名单的扩散？更重要的是，这种传播如何影响商业和管理学术的未来？为了解决这些重要但尚未充分探索的问题，我们确定了解释扩散的多层次因素，并预测其可能的轨迹及其对未来学术的影响。