Because of our recent graduation ceremony at the SOM, I was determined to find something to post that was graduate-related today, and the Aspen Institute didn’t let me down. They recently published a survey, “Where Will They Lead?”, which gages current MBA student’s attitude on the intersection between business and society. You can download the executive summary for free, or purchase the full report. Here’s the executive highlights:
- Business students in 2007 are thinking more broadly about the primary responsibilities of a company. In addition to citing shareholder maximization and satisfying customer needs, more students are also saying “creating value for the communities in which they operate” is a primary business responsibility.
- MBA students are expressing more interest in finding work that offers the potential
of making a contribution to society. (26% of respondents in 2007 say this is an
important factor in their job selection compared with 15% in 2002.)- That said, business schools and companies have not convinced them that
environmental and social responsibility contribute to corporate financial success.- Although more students in 2007 than in 2002 believe it is very likely that they will
face values conflicts on the job, the further they progress through their MBA program
the less confident they feel that their business school training is preparing them to
manage those conflicts.
