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  • 1.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-23-2007 08:21
    Hello,

    I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    socially responsible than when they enter. I'd appreciate hearing from
    anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.

    Cheers,

    Pratima (Tima) Bansal
    Richard Ivey School of Business
    University of Western Ontario

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  • 2.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-23-2007 16:23
    Dear Tima,

    This may be the case with some MBA students. However, we are running an MBA
    programme on Carbon Management and I am pretty confident that our cohort
    will be more socially responsible when they graduate as this is the central
    concern of the programme. Therefore, it would be hard to make a
    generalisation regarding MBA as a homogenous and monolithic form of
    education.

    Best wishes,

    Mustafa
    ---
    Professor Mustafa F. Ozbilgin
    Editor, Equal Opportunities International
    Chair in Human Resource Management
    Norwich Business School
    University of East Anglia
    Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
    Room: NBS 2.08
    Telephone: 01603 593340

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Tima Bansal" <tbansal@IVEY.UWO.CA>
    To: <SIM@AOMLISTS.pace.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 1:21 PM
    Subject: [SIM] Social responsibility and the MBA


    > Hello,
    >
    > I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    > socially responsible than when they enter. I'd appreciate hearing from
    > anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.
    >
    > Cheers,
    >
    > Pratima (Tima) Bansal
    > Richard Ivey School of Business
    > University of Western Ontario
    >
    > _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > To send a message to the list, send your email to SIM@aomlists.pace.edu
    >
    > _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > Visit the SIM Division website at: http://sim.aomonline.org
    > _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > If you wish to unsubscribe from this list or change your delivery
    > options, you can do so online at:
    > http://aomlists.pace.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=sim&A=1
    > _______________________________________________________________________

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  • 3.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-23-2007 16:53
    Tima -

    You may be thinking of some studies that the Aspen Institute did a few
    years ago, that seemed to indicate that incoming MBA students had a
    somewhat broader conception of the "purpose of business" whereas
    departing MBA students tended to have a narrower conception that focused
    much more on maximizing profits.

    While, as Mustafa points out, there may be notable cases of the
    opposite, my recollection is that the Aspen data indicated a general
    trend, although I can't remember how big/broad their survey was and for
    what years it covered.

    Jared Harris
    Darden School of Business
    University of Virginia
    100 Darden Boulevard
    Charlottesville, VA 22903
    434-243-5022
    434-243-7678 fax
    http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/harrisj


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Social Issues in Management Listserv
    [mailto:SIM@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On Behalf Of Mustafa Ozbilgin
    Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 4:23 PM
    To: SIM@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Re: [SIM] Social responsibility and the MBA

    Dear Tima,

    This may be the case with some MBA students. However, we are running an
    MBA
    programme on Carbon Management and I am pretty confident that our cohort

    will be more socially responsible when they graduate as this is the
    central
    concern of the programme. Therefore, it would be hard to make a
    generalisation regarding MBA as a homogenous and monolithic form of
    education.

    Best wishes,

    Mustafa
    ---
    Professor Mustafa F. Ozbilgin
    Editor, Equal Opportunities International
    Chair in Human Resource Management
    Norwich Business School
    University of East Anglia
    Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
    Room: NBS 2.08
    Telephone: 01603 593340

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Tima Bansal" <tbansal@IVEY.UWO.CA>
    To: <SIM@AOMLISTS.pace.edu>
    Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 1:21 PM
    Subject: [SIM] Social responsibility and the MBA


    > Hello,
    >
    > I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    > socially responsible than when they enter. I'd appreciate hearing from
    > anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.
    >
    > Cheers,
    >
    > Pratima (Tima) Bansal
    > Richard Ivey School of Business
    > University of Western Ontario
    >
    >
    _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > To send a message to the list, send your email to
    SIM@aomlists.pace.edu
    >
    >
    _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > Visit the SIM Division website at: http://sim.aomonline.org
    >
    _______________________________________________________________________
    >
    > If you wish to unsubscribe from this list or change your delivery
    > options, you can do so online at:
    > http://aomlists.pace.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=sim&A=1
    >
    _______________________________________________________________________

    _______________________________________________________________________

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  • 4.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-23-2007 17:43
    Hi all,

    You can go to the Aspen website to see their 2001 survey report. I am not sure if this screenshot of the table will makes it way to everyone but here is the Aspen data that purports to show an increase in concern for shareholder value over the two years in an MBA program (and a decrease in concern for producing high quality goods and services). When asked about the primary reposnsibilities of a company, the percentages seem to move from 67% at entry to 75% at graduation for shareholder value and from 43% to 33% for producing high quality goods and services.

    Jim

     
    James P. Walsh
    Carey Professor of Management
    Stephen M. Ross School of Business
    University of Michigan
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234
    Phone: 734-936-2768
    Fax: 734-936-0282
     
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  • 5.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-23-2007 18:34
    Tima,
    I do think it was the Aspen studies that came out with this observation. However, I would question the basic premise of the question; that is, the question of evidence. How could one possibly say that MBAs leave less socially responsible than when they entered? Maybe a "survey" of MBAs suggests it is true. And, I believe that it is probably true, given the emphasis on economic-short-term-thinking prevalent in MBA programs, but when you ask for "evidence" let's be sure we understand that surveys don't constitute evidence.
    Best wishes,
    Archie Carroll
    Univ. of Georgia

    On 8/23/07, Tima Bansal <tbansal@ivey.uwo.ca> wrote:
    Hello,

    I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    socially responsible than when they enter. I'd appreciate hearing from
    anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.

    Cheers,

    Pratima (Tima) Bansal
    Richard Ivey School of Business
    University of Western Ontario







    --
    Archie B. Carroll
    Terry College of Business
    University of Georgia
    Athens, GA 30606  USA

    http://www.terry.uga.edu/profiles/?person_id=443
    http://www.terry.uga.edu/management/non_profit/
    http://carroll.swlearning.com
    http://www.onlineathens.com/staff/carroll.shtml _______________________________________________________________________

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  • 6.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-24-2007 00:37
    Tima Bansal wrote 2007-08-23 17:51:
    > I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    > socially responsible than when they enter. I'd appreciate hearing from
    > anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.

    I did a study, reported in:

    "Do business schools change students' values along desirable lines? A
    longitudinal study." In S. M. Natale and A. F. Libertella, (2003),
    Business education and training: A value-laden process, Volume 8
    (Immortal Longings), pp. 26-39. University Press of America, Lanham,
    Maryland, and Oxford University Centre for the Study of Values in
    Education and Business.

    Abstract. The impact of a two-year residential full time MBA program
    on students' value systems was studied using a longitudinal design and
    data collected over five years. Value systems were measured when
    students entered the program, and again as soon as they graduated.
    Sample consisted of 229 students from three consecutive graduating
    classes of a business school in India. Results of matched sample
    t-tests show that self-oriented values like a comfortable life and
    pleasure become more important and others-oriented values like being
    helpful and polite become less important over two years. The
    moderating role of sex and functional specialization are also
    analyzed. The Indian Weltanschauung's yardstick of oneness is used to
    discuss whether the changes in value systems are along desirable lines.

    Full text of the paper can be downloaded from
    http://www.rkvenkat.org/articles.html


    --

    Venkat R. Krishnan
    Professor (Organizational Behavior)
    Great Lakes Institute of Management
    Chennai, India
    http://www.rkvenkat.org

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  • 7.  Social responsibility and the MBA

    Posted 08-24-2007 10:32

    Hi Tima:

     

    In 1999 (AMR), Diane Swanson explored 2 ideal-type models of CSR.  In the low-CSR model, she explicated the construct of normative myopia.  In follow-up research, Diane and I found that the more business education our (Australian) subjects had, the greater the probability that they were myopic (= oblivious to social values) and endorsed high pay inequality (arguably, an indicator of greed). 

    We first described our expectations (based on theory) in the following article:

     

    Orlitzky, M., & Swanson, D. L.  (2002). Value attunement: Toward a theory of socially responsible executive decision making. Australian Journal of Management, 27 (Special Issue), 119-128. 

    ·         Catalogued at the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton Business School , University of Pennsylvania .

     

    Then summarized our empirical findings in the following 2 publications (arguably, survey research provides evidence of an inverse relationship btw business education and social responsibility because "social responsibility" *can* (also) be considered an individual value or motive, not only a behavioral outcome--lots of OB research tries to tap ind. values through surveys):

     

    Swanson, D. L., & Orlitzky , M. (2006).  Executive preference for compensation structure and normative myopia: A business and society research project.  In R. W. Kolb (Ed.), The ethics of executive compensation (pp. 13-31).   Malden , MA : Blackwell. 

    Thanks,

     

    Marc

     

    Marc Orlitzky, Ph.D.
    (909) 708-7618


    ----- Original Message ----
    From: Tima Bansal <tbansal@IVEY.UWO.CA>
    To: SIM@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 5:21:13 AM
    Subject: [SIM] Social responsibility and the MBA

    Hello,

    I've heard several times that MBA students leave their programs less
    socially responsible than when they enter.. I'd appreciate hearing from
    anyone who knows of evidence that supports this claim.

    Cheers,

    Pratima (Tima) Bansal
    Richard Ivey School of Business
    University of Western Ontario

    _______________________________________________________________________

    To send a message to the list, send your email to SIM@aomlists.pace.edu

    _______________________________________________________________________

    Visit the SIM Division website at: http://sim.aomonline.org
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