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Business Schools Continue to Focus on Ethics
By Chris Hassan
Posted November 16, 2011 05:15 PM
In the past, individuals may have enrolled in MBA degree programs and expected to learn only how to land a great job and earn a high salary. But this is no longer the case at many business schools. In a world where Lehman Brothers and Bernie Madoff are household names and many people struggle to stay afloat in a troubled economy, ethics are taking center stage at several institutions, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports.
Recent research from the Aspen Institute's Beyond Grey Pinstripes survey found that the number of business schools that require a course in ethics or a similar topic went from 34% in 2001 to 79% in 2011, according to BusinessWeek. While some think that business programs are merely offering such courses to appease critics, there are those who have more faith in these institutions' greater focus on ethics. John Hasnas, professor of ethics and law at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, is one of these individuals, and told BusinessWeek that some schools are reacting to recent business scandals in a "more thoughtful manner."
According
Business students continue to learn about ethics. to BusinessWeek, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Haas School of Business at the University of California-Berkeley and Harvard Business School are among the institutions that have revised their curricula to incorporate a greater emphasis on ethics.
At Harvard, the recent change to the school's curriculum was made in part to reestablish trust in the business industry and diffuse the belief that a money-hungry culture exists at business schools, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"It's not clear what the purpose of business education is," Nitin Nohria, dean of the Harvard Business School, told the Journal. "It's got to be more than high-paying jobs and more than a place to build elite social networks."
Long before the recent economic downturn, ethics played an important role in the business education provided by the Wharton School, according to the institution's website. The school's ethics program is designed to prepare students to tackle the ethical problems that are sure to arise in their professional careers.
Additionally, students who pursue a bachelor's degree at Babson College have an opportunity to select a concentration in ethics, philosophy, and culture, according to the school's website. This specialization provides undergraduates with a chance to learn how people find meaning in their surroundings and how ethical structures enhance the human experience.
