MBA&BusinessEducationGuide:Spring2010-BusinessschoolsareokayMonday,01March2010Eversincethecrash,businessacademicshavebeenaccusedofturningoutagenerationofimmoralMBAsmoreinterestedinmakingafastbuckthaninnurturingtheirorganisations.Butsucheasyfinger-pointingisbothdistractingandwrong,saysProfessorNigelPiercy.It'stimetoputtherecordstraightaboutthename-callingandcensureofdifferentpartiesforthecreditcrunchandeconomicdownturn.Recession-relatedblame-stormingpointedaccusingfingersatmanyinstitutions,particularlybusinessschoolsandtheirMBAgraduates.It'sonlyfairtonotethatmanyofthekeyparticipantsinthebankingcrisiswereMBAs.Soarethetechniquesandtheoriesthatbusinessschoolsteachusefulorharmful-perhapsproducingMBAswhoarewhattheEconomisthastermed'economicvandals'?Accusedofprescribingtheuseofflawedanalyticaltoolsandproducinggenerationsofshort-sightedgraduateswholackmoralityorasenseofsocialresponsibility,someschoolspleadguiltyandtakethesackcloth-and-ashesroute.Butwemustmakeclearwhatbusinessschoolsactuallydo-andwhytherecessionwasnotourfault.Torebutthreeoftheaccusations...Businessschoolsteachstudentsnosenseofmoralvaluesorsocialresponsibility.Asethicalquestionsandtheresponsibilityofcompaniesinthesocialenvironmenthavebecomeheadlinenews,businessschoolsareaccusedofignoringtheseissues.Actually,thisisnewstofaculty,whohavelongtaughtcoursesinethicsandsocialresponsibility.Theseareasaregettingmoreemphasisrightnow-butmainlyasaresponsetothedemandsandinterestsofincomingcohortsofmanagementstudents.Buttherearelimits.Universitiesarenotinthebrainwashingbusiness.ThepersonalitiesandvaluesofourMBAgraduatesareprobablybestpredictedbytheonestheyhadwhentheyenteredtheprogrammes.Weprovidecontent,challenges,intellectualstimulationandanalyticalframeworkstoaddressbusinesssituations-rarelypsychoanalysis.Astherequirementsanddemandsofstudentschange(andtherearemanysignsthattheyare),sowillthemoralstanceofMBAgraduates.Asthemoralintensityofmanagerialsituationsbecomesmoreprominent,MBAstudieswillcapturetheseideas.Butit'sunli...
