Agents of American hegemony in management education: Evidence from Malaysia

•The study investigates the hegemony of American management education.•The study focuses on three public university business schools in Malaysia.•The American influence on Malaysian management education practices is substantial.•Three key agents were found to be responsible for sustaining the hegemonic status.•Excessive American reference may result ill-fitting solutions to local countries.

The present study investigates how and why American management education (ME) ideas proliferate. It also examines their contributions to sustaining the hegemonic status of the United States. To achieve these objectives, a study in Malaysia was conducted that involved interviews with management educators from three public university business schools as well as analysis of their websites and program prospectuses. The findings suggest that the American influence on local ME practices is substantial. Three key American agents were determined to be responsible for spreading and sustaining the observed hegemony. The author associates the phenomenon with post-war American imperialism and discusses its implications on local ME and business practice.