Green MBA

As I have been browsing through materials for our new group project on organic farming (can you imagine a switch from a tea shop to digitally controlled farm production???), I came across some interesting facts on the LOHAS website about the "green" tendencies in business education:

The good news and the bad news about green MBA growth is embedded in the results of the most recent Aspen Institute survey of graduate business schools. Here are some illuminating findings from "Beyond Grey Pinstripes, 2007-2008."

• Between 2005 and 2007, elective courses per school featuring some social/environmental content increased by 50%.

• Between 2005 and 2007, elective courses per school that were largely dedicated to social/environmental issues increased by 20%.

• Between 2001 and 2007, the percentage of schools that require students to take a course dedicated to business and society issues increased from 34% to 63%.

• 35 schools currently offer a special concentration or major that allows students to focus on the social and environmental issues inherent in mainstream, for-profit business.

• 5% of business school faculty have published academic research on social or environmental topics in leading journals.

While it is difficult to argue with the facts, I have doubts whether the turn towards sustainable development is a fad or whether the faculty and management of the leading educational institutions have genuinely bought into the idea of going green. So far, I am getting conflicting messages from those who are running the MBA programs and the professor body. The selling point is about sustainability and social responsibility. However, the moment you go to class, it's about cost efficiency and process optimization. At the same time, I don't want to remove the onus from the students themselves. The same article suggests that "only about 20 percent of the students care deeply about social and environmental issues".

Thus, thinking out of the barrel is fashionable and cool, but far from reality, alas...