Comments on: Are B-Schools to Blame? (Part 1) http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/archives/143 The Mason School of Business at The College of William & Mary Sat, 31 Jul 2010 19:58:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Nancy (Bushy) Miller http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/archives/143/comment-page-1#comment-119 Nancy (Bushy) Miller Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:23:10 +0000 http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/?p=143#comment-119 To imagine b-schools are to blame is preposterous. One of the greatest facets of W&M is the fact that students are not treated as automatons. Area/Sequence requirements alone are testimony to an understanding of the complexity of humans, and the need to cultivate more than just a single area of development. After attaining my B.BA. in '92, I spent about 5-6 years in the business world, and then became a vocational youth pastor for 6 years. Does anyone "blame" b-school for my continuing education in seminary? Is W&M at fault for me pouring a spiritual and ethical foundation into my students? B-school is designed to hone specific skills, which it does admirably. It is our responsibility as alumni to build on our foundations. What you build, and how you build it, is ultimately your decision and yours alone. Nice to see some stuff from Dean Olver! Wow. I can say I remember when he was just a regular prof.! Hope you're well! To imagine b-schools are to blame is preposterous. One of the greatest facets of W&M is the fact that students are not treated as automatons. Area/Sequence requirements alone are testimony to an understanding of the complexity of humans, and the need to cultivate more than just a single area of development.

After attaining my B.BA. in ‘92, I spent about 5-6 years in the business world, and then became a vocational youth pastor for 6 years. Does anyone “blame” b-school for my continuing education in seminary? Is W&M at fault for me pouring a spiritual and ethical foundation into my students?

B-school is designed to hone specific skills, which it does admirably. It is our responsibility as alumni to build on our foundations. What you build, and how you build it, is ultimately your decision and yours alone.

Nice to see some stuff from Dean Olver! Wow. I can say I remember when he was just a regular prof.! Hope you’re well!

]]> By: Matt Russell http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/archives/143/comment-page-1#comment-114 Matt Russell Tue, 19 May 2009 18:06:56 +0000 http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/?p=143#comment-114 I think that the answer to the question of "Are B-Schools to blame?" is almost certainly no. While I find the psychology of socially affirming actions interesting as insight into how people ultimately justify actions that are clearly wrong, I don’t think a couple of hours of business school ethics training, or lack thereof is going to be the deciding factor in a person’s decision to participate in questionable behavior or not. What I feel is lacking from that discussion is the degradation of personal responsibility resulting from our current culture of victimization. If we as individuals accept the argument that “social acceptance” in some way explains, or can be used as an excuse for my joking around about ripping off “Grandma Millie”, than we in fact encourage others to behave in a similar fashion. We have in effect, divested the individual of full responsibility for the action in question. We have made the excuse more accessible, and therefore the justification easier for the individual who actually made the decision to rip off “Grandma Millie” in the first place. After World War II, the courts at Nuremburg specifically repudiated the defense that “I was ordered to do it” was justification for mass murder…which I feel is the ultimate manifestation of “social acceptance” for a morally reprehensible act. Individuals who chose to participate were tried based on their own actions, because they as individuals should have known what was wrong, without justifying their own actions with the actions of others. B-Schools are not to blame for individuals bragging about ripping off “Grandma Millie”. Nor are corporations (morality and legality being separate matters obviously). That individual knows that stealing from someone else is wrong, even if that theft took place in the context of a legal business transaction. If they are proved guilty of that action, it is their action, and they themselves are the sole owners of guilt or innocence. I think that the answer to the question of “Are B-Schools to blame?” is almost certainly no. While I find the psychology of socially affirming actions interesting as insight into how people ultimately justify actions that are clearly wrong, I don’t think a couple of hours of business school ethics training, or lack thereof is going to be the deciding factor in a person’s decision to participate in questionable behavior or not.

What I feel is lacking from that discussion is the degradation of personal responsibility resulting from our current culture of victimization. If we as individuals accept the argument that “social acceptance” in some way explains, or can be used as an excuse for my joking around about ripping off “Grandma Millie”, than we in fact encourage others to behave in a similar fashion. We have in effect, divested the individual of full responsibility for the action in question. We have made the excuse more accessible, and therefore the justification easier for the individual who actually made the decision to rip off “Grandma Millie” in the first place.

After World War II, the courts at Nuremburg specifically repudiated the defense that “I was ordered to do it” was justification for mass murder…which I feel is the ultimate manifestation of “social acceptance” for a morally reprehensible act. Individuals who chose to participate were tried based on their own actions, because they as individuals should have known what was wrong, without justifying their own actions with the actions of others.

B-Schools are not to blame for individuals bragging about ripping off “Grandma Millie”. Nor are corporations (morality and legality being separate matters obviously). That individual knows that stealing from someone else is wrong, even if that theft took place in the context of a legal business transaction. If they are proved guilty of that action, it is their action, and they themselves are the sole owners of guilt or innocence.

]]> By: JSElliott http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/archives/143/comment-page-1#comment-112 JSElliott Wed, 13 May 2009 18:36:49 +0000 http://deansblog.wmschoolofbusiness.com/?p=143#comment-112 I believe the same article, written by a UNC professor was in the Wallstreet Journal not too long ago. The interesting commentary in that article was B-schools sweeping pass at teaching social responsibility and ethics through required, usually pass/fail, first year courses. It raised a very interesting point to think what emphasis are our B-schools really putting on ethics if it is just a pass/fail course. Now I don't necessarily agree with that person's commentary and believe the role of the b-school is not to teach us that shredding legal documents and obstruction of justice are wrong; but rather to provide an outlet to solidify students own value system. The "what would you do if you were put into this situation?" approach. It isn't the B-schools job to define one's value system, but rather to offer the means for student to explore and better understand their own. Because to your point Jim, I don't think any of these people believed they would be federally indited when they were getting their MBA's. Blaming the B-schools isn't the answer, and to one W&M professor's cry, where is the personal accountability in blaming the education system? I believe the same article, written by a UNC professor was in the Wallstreet Journal not too long ago. The interesting commentary in that article was B-schools sweeping pass at teaching social responsibility and ethics through required, usually pass/fail, first year courses.

It raised a very interesting point to think what emphasis are our B-schools really putting on ethics if it is just a pass/fail course. Now I don’t necessarily agree with that person’s commentary and believe the role of the b-school is not to teach us that shredding legal documents and obstruction of justice are wrong; but rather to provide an outlet to solidify students own value system. The “what would you do if you were put into this situation?” approach. It isn’t the B-schools job to define one’s value system, but rather to offer the means for student to explore and better understand their own. Because to your point Jim, I don’t think any of these people believed they would be federally indited when they were getting their MBA’s.

Blaming the B-schools isn’t the answer, and to one W&M professor’s cry, where is the personal accountability in blaming the education system?

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