August 2003
The Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree is often regarded as the degree of preference for those who wish to make their mark in corporate America. But it is also the case that many MBA degree holders ply their trade in the world of government ala George W. Bush, our first ever MBA President. What kind of attitudes do MBAs take with them to the workplace? This question motivated the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Program to survey students enrolled in 12 highly regarded international business schools in 2002. Some 1,700 students in all responded. Here are a few of the results. When asked: “what do you believe are the primary responsibilities of a company?” more than 70 percent cited two items—satisfy customer needs and maximize value for shareholders. Less than 2 percent cited “ensure confidentiality and control the use or transfer of information.” One wonders if MPA (Master’s of Public Administration) students would cite the same items as the primary responsibilities of government?
A second question asked: “how important are the following factors in contributing to the recent corporate scandals in the U.S.?” Again, more than 70 percent cited “the personality/character of the individual involved as “very important” with two out of three students pointing the finger at management’s lack of commitment to values and ethics.
A third question asked: “To what extent is your business education preparing you to manage values conflicts?” While one in five said “a lot” about the same number said “not at all.” The same question with some minor wordsmithing might be asked of MPA students. To what extent is an MPA education preparing men and women to manage values conflicts? The answer–we don’t really know!
The survey results are online at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/index.asp