Doing Social Good As An MBA

How Business Schools Are Teaching Corporate Social Responsibility

A growing number of MBA programs are implementing opportunities for business students to learn about corporate social responsibility.

Peter Moizer is executive dean of Leeds University Business School. In a Financial Times article, Moizer discusses how Leeds is approaching teaching CSR to its students.

“After recognizing that graduates needed a more thorough understanding of CSR, Leeds University Business School has refined its approach to teaching the subject,” Moizer writes. “And it is one of a number of business schools — including Warwick, Cass and EDHEC — which signed up to the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Management Education.”

Principles for Responsible Management Education

The Principles for Responsible Management Education is a UN supported initiative that, according to its website, serves as a “platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, and to equip today’s business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.”

According to Moizer, Leeds students can participate in research where they work with local organizations and charities. The research projects, Moizer writes, are intended to help students discuss ethical issues and understand charitable giving.

At Leeds, an annual seminar by the CSR Research Group provides Leeds students and faculty with an overview of the latest research in CSR. This year, Dr. Ioannis Ioannou discussed his work in CSR and an overview of his paper, “The Dog That Didn’t Bark – Long-Term Strategies in Times of Recession” – an argument for how “strategic resources such as innovation capability and stakeholder relations are instrumental in sustaining a competitive advantage during (and beyond) times of crisis,” according to Leeds.

Leadership and Corporate Accountability

At Harvard Business School, Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA) is a required course for MBAs. The course is intended to teach students the complex responsibilities business leaders face.

“Through cases about difficult managerial decisions, the course examines the legal, ethical, and economic responsibilities of corporate leaders,” Harvard’s website reads. “It also teaches students about management and governance systems leaders can use to promote responsible conduct by companies and their employees, and shows how personal values can play a critical role in effective leadership.”

Joseph Badaracco is the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School and established the semester-long LCA course.

Badaracco tells The Economist that MBA programs should create good managers who can exercise good judgment. This is exactly what courses like LCA are trying to teach.

Badaracco adds that globalization means global firms must understand and comply with countless international rules. Social media also now puts companies on the spotlight, which means they’re expected to do and say the right thing.

“Things that were kept private in the past can and do get out, and you’ve got this transparency, whether you like it or not,” Badaracco tells The Economist.

Sources: Financial Times, Leeds University, UN PRME, The Economist