Bridging the gap between academic knowledge and business practitioners in the Arab region through constructive journalism

Abstract

The ongoing debate concerning the relevance of academic research to society in the Arab region centres on a significant gap between scholarly work and its application by real-world practitioners. This gap stems from several factors, such as the lack of research addressing urgent real-world issues, the complexity and inaccessibility of academic writing, and the limited outreach of academic journals to the general public. This study aims to bridge this gap by connecting actionable business academic research with business practitioners through the lens of constructive journalism. A crucial part of this research involved in-depth interviews with sixteen academic researchers, whose work aligns with the principles of the Constructive Research Approach (CRA) and has been adapted for practitioners using the constructive journalism approach (CJA). Despite most researchers interviewed not necessarily being familiar with the specific terms CRA or CJA, their practices naturally adhered to the principles and ethical standards of these approaches, as revealed in our detailed interviews. These researchers adeptly utilized CJA to reformat their research into a journalistic style, ensuring compliance with constructive criteria. This restructured research was then published in mainstream media, thus reaching a wider audience, including the public and practitioners. Based on the experiences and insights of these researchers, the study presents a comprehensive guide aimed at aiding other academic researchers in effectively using CJA to bridge the gap between academic knowledge, typically confined to academic journals, and a broader audience through journalistic mediums. The goal is to make academic research more accessible, relevant and useful to practitioners and the general public, thereby amplifying its societal impact and practical value.