However, having established their credentials in the orthodoxy of US research, Asian business schools are now developing their own points of reference, says Prof Thomas. “The US model was dominant but now you see phases of innovation.”

Prof Yip believes the best researchers in Asia need to behave differently from those in the US because of the rapidly growing business opportunities. “The Chinese want more immediately applicable learning . . . US schools have got locked into the theoretical journal orthodoxy. They like theory rather than context. In an emerging market it is all about context.”

This rapid innovation is one reason why Asia is so exciting for top researchers. Questions such as how to manage companies with double-digit growth, or how to market to the base of the pyramid, are central themes of Asian research. For Prof Yip, who will head the Centre on Chinese Innovation, the question is why is innovation now happening in a country that known for imitation? For Prof Schmitt, the issue is about the assumptions made in consumer research. “In the second half of the 20th century the US consumer has been the reference point . . . in the future: the Asian consumer may be the reference point.”