Colorado at Boulder, University of Leeds School of Business

Every MBA student at Leeds becomes part of a comprehensive program that gives our graduates a solid grounding in social and environmental stewardship. It begins with a core course in Business and Society that is a graduation requirement. Beyond this core course, the Leeds� commitment to social and environmental impact management includes elective courses, an active program of extracurricular activities, competitions, and internship opportunities.

The required Business and Society course considers the function of commerce in modern society, the virtues and defects of competing economic systems, practical problems in business ethics, and the effect of business conduct and practice on the quality of the natural environment. Beyond lectures and readings, this course employs projects, written assignments, student class presentations, and competitions to enliven the discussion and to dramatize the pressing issues of business ethics and the environment. Virtually all Leeds MBA classes address social and environmental issues to a significant degree. For example, the elective course �Sustainable Venturing� combines two passions of many students at Leeds�entrepreneurship and a sustainable environment.

Leeds MBA students organize and host the annual Leeds/Net Impact International Case Competition, which brings MBA student teams from approximately twenty of the world�s other top MBA programs to Boulder for an intensive analysis of a practical business situation involving social and environmental impact management. Leeds MBA students also research and write cases in these areas to compete for an annual cash prize. Winning cases are published on the Leeds� website.

The Center for Business and Society at Leeds conducts our annual Summit Awards program to recognize outstanding corporate efforts that combine the profit motive with a contribution to social and environmental impact management. For example, a winning program might go beyond recycling to create a new reusable produce container that has become an industry standard. Leeds MBA students play key roles in the Summit Awards program by nominating programs and researching corporate performance.

The Center for Business and Society also conducts two symposia each year on topics, such as �The Ethics of Executive Compensation� and �Corporate Retirement Security.� All symposia events are open to MBA students, and MBA students may compete for a cash prize by writing an essay on the topic of each symposium. Each semester also brings an active suite of speakers and panels to campus to address issues of social and environmental impact management. Recent topics have included the ethical issues arising from the mutual fund scandals, sustainable technologies, and whistle-blowing.