Companies Ask Business Schools: Make Us Look Good

On the heels of the Aspen Institute announcing its Global 100 business schools, today comes a story courtesy The Wall Street Journal pointing out that companies are increasingly turning to business schools for advice and guidance on incorporating good practices in their business structure.

Executive directors of these programs offered by several business schools for companies say most of this interest is recent. Gil McWilliam, the executive director of Duke's Corporate Program is quoted saying, "Since Duke began its custom executive-education offerings in 2000, about 40% of corporate clients have either discussed or taken on social initiatives, with a big chunk of those doing so for the first time this year." The article also underlines the fact that corporate social responsibility is increasingly becoming important for companies from a reputation point of view.

An excerpt: "At Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, a module that simulates a corporate crisis component with a corporate social responsibility angle has become a popular add-on. For example, managers will spend class time re-enacting a scenario in which they react to environmental groups that have attacked their firm's reputation. Participants learn that "you have to integrate these moral quandaries with respect to the social issues fairly quickly," says Daniel Diermeier, a professor of management at Kellogg."

To read the complete article, click here.