About Time - Big Business Schools Big on Ethics
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About Time
Big Business Schools Big on Ethics
A recent study of the world’s top 50 business schools shows a fivefold boost in the number of ethics courses offered over the past two decades. Half of these schools now require ethics study for graduation. Student interest is one driver. Competition among schools is another, according to study sponsors the Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College in Massachusetts and the Ethics Resource Center in Washington.
"Ethics in business schools was formerly addressed as ‘don’t lie, don’t cheat and don’t steal,’" observes Steve Jones, dean of the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina. But the definition of ethics is evolving, he says, because "what we are solving for in business is changing." Deans are broadening the definition of ethics beyond individual decision-making to include a corporation’s social, economic and environmental responsibilities.
The challenge now is to make the shift seriously real and not just lip service. Ethics Resource Center’s 2005 survey of 3,000 employees notes that about 70 percent of U.S. employers have ethics training. But policy alone won’t cut it. Ethics awareness and enforcement must permeate corporate culture. Integrity must translate to daily practice.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
