Recently, visitors checking out MBA programs on GradSchools.com were asked about ethics in business. Eighty eight percent of those surveyed by the online graduate school Web site (http://www.gradschools.com) said business ethics should play a larger part in curriculums than they currently do.
Which means that roughly 12% are going to be eagerly sought by corporate recruiters after they graduate.
I suspect in practice ethics will take more of a backseat in business school education than the original 88% profess to want. A business school education differs from other types, in that classes tend to be led by practitioners.
"The advantage is that there’s a reality check," Mark Shay, founder and CEO of GradSchools.com says. "Theorists may be so disconnected that students may not get a practical view of the subject."
Wait. Aren’t these practitioner/educators the same folks we see being led away in handcuffs on the nightly news? Are they really the best people to lead business ethics discussions?
"I think what makes a lot of MBA programs so intriguing is that they are teaching students that have had a flavor of the field," Shay says.
"Even if a professor was a little off the mark, you are not looking at a group of naïve 22-year-olds. These are reasonably seasoned middle managers. Large variations [in ethics] would be nailed by the student body."
One might hope that. But GradSchool.com also found that 23% of those surveyed were more likely to seek a job in corporate America after the recent scandals. Which says to me that they see one executive’s arrest as another student’s opportunity for promotion.
According to GradSchool.com’s tracking measures, interest in humanities graduate programs, such as creative writing, social work and international relations has been growing even faster than b-school applications. Even philosophy, the traditional home of ethics studies, is seeing an increase.
"There are certainly a number of wealthy individuals who now have time to be philosophical," Shay says, tongue-in-cheekly noting the recent arrests of ethically challenged executives.
A good question for business school ethicists to start with might be: Who will guard us from the guards?
To respond to the opinions in this column, please contact rlevey@primediabusiness.com
