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A new report released in
October by The Aspen Institute and the World Resources Institute
challenges business schools to better arm graduate business students
with skills critical for effective leadership in a changing world.
The report, Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003: Preparing MBAs for Social
and Environmental Stewardship, highlights six cutting-edge schools
preparing future executives with a solid training in environmental
and social impact management. The report also recognizes nine schools
with significant activity and 21 schools with moderate activity.
The report includes data reported from 100 business schools in 20
countries.
“We’ve seen positive change this year and a lot of innovation
taking place in selected schools,” said Judith Samuelson, executive
director of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program
(Aspen BSP). “But the reality is too many MBA students still
graduate without an understanding of social impact and environmental
management.”
Recognized in Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003 as schools with cutting-edge
MBA programs are:
* George Washington University’s School of Business and
Public Management, Washington, DC
* University of Michigan Business School, Ann Arbor, MI
* University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School,
Chapel Hill, NC
* Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA
* Yale School of Management, New Haven, CT
* York University’s Schulich School of Business, Toronto,
Canada
These schools were recognized for setting a high standard and are
among the few schools that focus on the relationship of social,
environmental and financial factors, often referred to as sustainability
or the triple bottom line.
On average, these six schools offer four times as many courses with
this type of content as other schools that participated in the survey.
In addition, they report an extensive array of extracurricular activities
and have faculty who conduct research on social and environmental
topics. Each of the six schools reports a wide range of innovative
programs and courses. The programs and courses in these MBA programs
are exceptions to otherwise peripheral coverage of these and other
related issues by the majority of business schools. Only half of
the schools report more than one required course with social and
environmental content. Moreover, faculty at only one in seven schools
has conducted a substantial amount of the research on issues of
environmental and social impact management.
Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003 also cited seven outstanding professors
for their contributions to scholarship and outreach in the business
sector. The Faculty Pioneer Award recipients are: Thomas N. Gladwin,
University of Michigan Business School for Lifetime Achievement;
James E. Austin, Harvard Business School, for Institutional Leadership;
Chi Anyansi-Archibong, School of Business and Economics at North
Carolina A&T State University, for External Impact; S. Prakash
Sethi, Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, for External
Impact; Andrew J. Hoffman, Boston University School of Management,
Rising Star; Timothy L. Fort, University of Michigan Business School,
for Academic Leadership; and Alyson C. Warhurst, Warwick Business
School, for Academic Leadership/European Faculty Pioneer.
Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2003: Preparing MBAs for Social and Environmental
Stewardship is the fourth in a series started in 1998. Its companion
Web site, www.BeyondGreyPinstripes.org
is the only source for prospective MBA students to access a global
database of more than 1,000 courses and 800 extracurricular activities
at 100 business schools.
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