Harmony at Work

Often we may, perhaps unconsciously, associate the word “business” with “making money”, “self-interest”, and even “greed.” This belief may seem justified by the plethora of evidence streaming in from financial crimes around the world, perpetrated by top executives. The New York Times itself recently asked the question, “Is it time to retrain business schools?”

In response to the many scandals on Wall Street, Harvard students pursuing an M.B.A. (Master’s of Business Administration) are pledging to be honest in business, reports The New York Times.

“Fingers are now pointed at M.B.A.’s and we, as a class, have a real opportunity to come together and set a standard as business leaders,” says Harvard graduate Teal Carlock.

Carlock’s fellow students have created “The M.B.A. Oath” to “serve the greater good” and refrain from advancing their “own narrow ambitions.”

Columbia Business School too has an honor code in place, one which students are required to sign in order to graduate:

“As a lifelong member of the Columbia Business School community, I adhere to the principles of truth, integrity, and respect. I will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do.”

The top business school in the world, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, used to offer a single ethics class. Now the school offers many courses and has established a business ethics research center.

“It’s been a dramatic change,” says Wharton professor Diana Robertson. “This generation was raised learning about the environment and raised with the idea of a social conscience. That does not apply to every student. But this year’s financial crisis and the downturn have brought about a greater emphasis on social ethics and responsibility.”

These appears to be an exciting new movement. But of course, to bring about true positive change in this world, we must first pursue it within ourselves.

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Primary source: “A Promise to Be Ethical in an Era of Immorality”, Leslie Wayne, NYTimes.com, 29 May 2009.

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Tags: business ethics, mba

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 1:58 am and is filed under business ethics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.