Harvard Business School [ HBS ] is unique in many respect. Founded in 1908, HBS is currently ranked number one among American business schools by the U.S News. The school offers a two-year full time MBA program, which consists of one year of mandatory courses [ Required Curriculum ] and one year of unrestricted course selection [ Elective Curriculum ].
HBS has a mission: ''to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.'' HBS is committed to shaping business leaders with the integrity and capabilities to build world class organizations and also remain at the forefront of leadership research and development for the 21st century and beyond.
While the global financial crunch has left many economies in shambles, the blame game continues as to who and what is responsible for the turmoil. Leadership of corporations as well as leadership of regulatory bodies are repeatedly blamed for the crises. The global financial crises has been defined in some quarters as the crises of leadership--- a crises of ethics, a crises of confidence, a crises of honesty.
Well, a team of second-year students from HBS are proffering solutions to the leadership crises by making sure that future business leaders turned out by the HBS sign in to a new MBA Oath. According to them, ''We...want our degree to mean something more than it currently does. This Oath is our way of laying out the principles of what we think an MBA ought to stand for.''
The MBA Ooath is a voluntary pledge ''to create value responsibly and ethically.'' According to these students, ''our goal is to begin a widespread movement for MBAs who aim to lead in the interest of the greater good and who have committed to living out the principles articulated in the Oath.''
The MBA Oath reads in part:
''As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater good by bringing people and resources together to create value that no single individual can create alone. Therefore I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term. I recognize my decisions can have far-reaching consequences that affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and in the future. As I reconcile the interests of different constituencies, I will face choices that are not easy for me and others. Therefore I promise I will act with utmost integrity and pursue my work in an ethical manner..........''
Fascinated by the move of these students, I contacted them to know their plans beyond the U.S, and Teal Carlock, one of the students had this to say: ''Dear Adedayo.....we appreciate your support of the movement and hope this one step helps start a broader conversation amongst people around the world......this is just the first step and we are hoping to grow this into a wider movement among MBA students....''
Max Anderson, one of the students said, ''My hope is that......our class will not be known for how much money we made or how much money we gave back to the school, but for how the world was a better place as a result of our leadership.......''
MBA students graduating in 2009 and MBA alumni [ from HBS ] are expected to sign the MBA Oath.
Well, what more can I say? I wish these students the very best as they seek to positively influence the field of management.
Adedayo Adetoye
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