A comparative examination of the use of academic sabbaticals

This paper uses survey data on the strategic usage of sabbaticals in British business schools and history departments to shed light on how far it varies between different types of subject areas and universities. The findings obtained show that sabbaticals are less likely to be available in post-1992 universities. They further suggest that, whether located in pre- or post-1992 universities, business schools accord less strategic importance to the provision of sabbaticals than do history departments. Against this backcloth, the paper ends by considering the implications of the survey findings for current debates about the future role of business schools.