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WRI: Students Grade "B" Schools' Social and Environmental Programs
Wednesday, October 31, 2001
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| Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001, WRI |
New Survey Reveals Increasing Number of MBA Programs Recognize Relevance of Social and Environmental Stewardship
But Faster Pace, Greater Integration Needed to Meet Urgent Global Demands
NEW YORK, October 31, 2001 - Results of Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001, a survey of graduate business schools in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, reveal a growing dedication to including social and environmental issues in MBA programs. Although 82 MBA programs worldwide report include social and environmental topics, the survey also finds that far greater integration of these issues into required MBA curricula is urgently needed to meet the business challenges of a global marketplace.
Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001 is the only business school survey evaluating how well MBA programs integrate social, environmental and sustainability topics into business training. This survey, the third since 1998, is a joint project of The Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business (Aspen ISIB) and World Resources Institute (WRI). Copies of Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001 may be obtained at www.beyondgreypinstripes.org.
"Since industry leaders become world leaders, business schools have a pivotal role to play in training them for an increasingly economically interdependent world," said Judith Samuelson, Executive Director of Aspen ISIB. "The events of the past weeks have underlined the urgent need for business and academic institutions to engage in a real dialogue about the role of social and environmental issues in academic research and in the education of future business leaders."
Today, the organizations honor nine business schools and five faculty pioneers at an awards ceremony hosted by Citigroup at their headquarters in New York. These winning schools and individuals demonstrate exceptional dedication, leadership, and risk-taking in preparing future business leaders to manage complex social and environmental challenges.
"Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001 is a call to action for business schools and businesses alike. Together we can close the gap between the skills taught today and the skills needed by tomorrow's business leaders," said Jonathan Lash, President, WRI. "We applaud those schools leading the way, and recognize that the efforts of a few pioneers can create tremendous change."
The nine schools honored today for their leadership (in alphabetical order) are: the Asian Institute of Management (The Philippines); Harvard Business School; Loyola Marymount University's College of Business Administration; University of Michigan Business School; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School; York University's Schulich School of Business (Canada); George Washington University's School of Business and Public Management; University of JyvŠskylŠ's School of Business and Economics (Finland); and Yale University's School of Management.
Five Faculty Pioneer awards are being given to: Arthur P. Brief, A. B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University; R. Edward Freeman, the Darden School, University of Virginia; R. Bruce Hutton, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver; Andrew King, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University; and Marilyn L. Taylor, Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Beyond Grey Pinstripes 2001 key findings:
- There remains a distinct "disconnect" between the kind of sustainability training (i.e., in social and environmental issues) that business leaders are asking for, and what MBA programs are actually delivering.
- Since the 1999 Pinstripes survey, many schools have supported new research, established new chairs in stewardship issues, and made significant institutional commitments by launching or expanding centers dedicated to sustainable enterprise.
- In spite of new institutional commitments, stewardship progress remains largely in the hands of dedicated faculty, who are "going it alone."
- While MBA faculty who teach social and environmental issues rate them as 'A-' in importance, they report that their school's offerings fall far short of this grade.
- Students who seek this coursework give MBA programs 'D+' on how often social and environmental issues are raised by faculty in required courses.
- There remains a lack of integration of social and environmental issues into the core MBA curriculum: ethics classes, volunteer and philanthropic activities remain the predominant vehicles for teaching social stewardship skills in most business schools. Environmental topics are generally taught in stand-alone electives rather than linked to core business strategy.
- Surveyed for the first time, international schools show significant commitment to integrating social and environmental curriculum into core programs
Following the awards ceremony corporate executives and business educators participating in the first Beyond Grey Pinstripes symposium, "A Changing World: Do Tomorrow's Business Leaders Have Yesterday's Skills?," will discuss how global social and environmental sustainability issues impact business strategy and success.
The mission of The Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business is to increase the supply of business leaders who understand, and seek to balance, the complex relationship between business success and social and environmental progress. Aspen ISIB envisions business leaders with the skills, values and long-term view to tackle complex global problems, and who employ social innovation as a key element of business strategy. Aspen ISIB works with educators to integrate social impact management into research and teaching. It convenes business faculty and leaders, invests in innovation in MBA programs, and conducts research to understand and track changes in business education and student attitudes.
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The World Resource Institute (www.wri.org) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the Earth and improve people's lives. For more than a decade, WRI's Sustainable Enterprise Program has harnessed the power of business to create profitable solutions to environmental challenges. WRI is the only organization that brings together four influential forces to accelerate change in business practice - corporations, entrepreneurs, investors, and business schools.
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Bibliography:
World Resources Institute
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