These courses and programs of study are designed to help emerging leaders make sound decisions that take into account their impact on the organizations, employees, key stakeholders, as well as their communities and society at large.
The Aspen Institute produces a listing of these types of programs in “The Aspen Institute Guide to Socially Responsible MBA Programs.” The guide showcases over 115 MBA programs internationally that support sustainable business practices that consider the social impact of the decisions of their graduates.
Many of the unique course offerings link ethics with decision making abilities as well as global corporate social responsibility and sustainability programs and institutes. Social entrepreneurship is also highlighted in a number of the schools. In addition, many schools offer courses in ethical managerial accounting courses and programs of study to counter many of the recent corporate accounting scandals.
Programs at Boston University and Case Western Reserve University also provide courses of study in the non-profit arena under an MBA program. As the processes and practices in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors begin to blur, we are finding more offerings that blend the needs of non-profits with MBA best-practices while emphasizing the concept of social impact.
Nearly all of the U.S. based MBA programs offer a chapter of Net Impact, which defines itself as a global network of business leaders who are changing the world through business.
From all indications, traditional MBA programs appear to be at a cross-roads as they rethink their curriculum to move away from short-term returns to examining the real-time impact of their decisions and initiatives on their employees, communities, society and planet. Harvard University has been leading the charge recently with a host of other well-established MBA programs to question, examine and redefine the MBA curricula.
Notable programs that are recognized for their socially-responsible initiatives include: Babson College, Boston University, Baruch College CUNY, Brandeis University, Case Western Reserve University, Duquesne University, Georgetown University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University, New York University, Portland State University, Rice University, St. Joseph’s University, San Francisco State University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Colorado Boulder, University of Michigan, University of New Mexico, UNC, Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, and University of Virginia. These programs all have a course requirement in Social Impact Management as well as a course dedicated to social, environmental or ethical issues in addition to a campus chapter of Net Impact.
© Copyright, 2009, Sean Harvey. Used with permission.
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Sean Harvey, MSOD, MSEd, is the Vice President of the Talent Consulting at Partners in Human Resources International.
