B-School’s Role in Global World
Globalization changes the way businesses operate, and, according to a piece in the latest INSEAD Knowledge newsletter, that means business educators must evaluate the insights they’re imparting to MBA students and executives. Shellie Karabell‘s article on the changing role of business school in a global world points out that the global recession has raised several new issues that need to be addressed.
Here are excerpts from some of the professors interviewed in the article:
Johanna Mair, Associate Professor in the Strategic Management Department at IESE in Barcelona
The crisis brought out certain issues that were never before addressed: the increase in immigrants, unemployment. These are issues that the World Bank and NGOs cannot address, so we are looking at what kind of company effects change. We’re not interested in organizational change per se, but in organizations that actually become levers or engines for broader change on the social, economic and environmental front.
Marc Le Menestrel, Associate Professor at Universitat of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and a visiting Professor of Ethics at INSEAD
I am interested in ethical values, in whether a company makes ethical decisions. We have taken polls of students recently about why and how companies are ethical; we look at the unethical side of business, and this becomes rather emotional. We look at the trade-offs between making money and ethical issues.
Gabriel Szulanski, Professor of Strategy at INSEAD
The theory is that paying attention to the process will help you make better decisions. Managers may not be able to do right, but they can do a lot of wrong. Understanding the process can help you make better decisions.
Bart Bronnenberg, Professor of Marketing at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and a former UCLA professor
The success of the student is directly tied to the number of good ideas he or she is associated with. You need good researchers ”“ people you can work with and co-author papers with; if you’re lucky you’ll form a group that might be remembered for creating a particular paradigm. Be as ambitious as possible. If that means going somewhere else, go: reach as high as possible.
(globe image courtesy of Flickr user stevecadman, CC 2.0)
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