Minnesota, University of Carlson School of Management

The Carlson School at the University of Minnesota prepares MBAs for social and environmental stewardship by integrating ethics into every aspect of business education including in the classroom, experiential learning, international opportunities, research, and outreach.

The Carlson School was among the first to require the study of business ethics in its MBA curricula. The Carlson School teaches MBA candidates skills to make ethical decisions in difficult, real-life situations. Coursework focuses on practicing this decision making process.

MBA candidates in the Legacy Fund learn to consider environmental sustainability as a component of business strategy. In their semester-long involvement in the Legacy Fund, MBA candidates research, discuss, and analyze companies that have made positive contributions to human health or the environment while outperforming financial benchmarks.

A strong international ethics program includes a trip to Alajuela, Costa Rica, when students study how business can use wise environmental management to maintain and increase profits. MBA candidates can travel to London, England, and Brussels, Belgium to study the dynamics and challenges of globalization and explore its effect on ethics, culture, and business from a European perspective. Students meet with leaders of multinational firms, government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations to examine business ethics and corporate responsibility.

Nationally known ethicists are on the Carlson School�s faculty. To name only a few, Professor Ian Maitland is an international ethics and corporate governance expert. Recently named to the Business Roundtable Institute for Business Ethics, Professor Norman Bowie holds the Elmer L. Andersen Chair in Corporate Responsibility. An ethicist, philosopher, and prolific author, Bowie researches the justifications for ethical stances and explores ways to support ethical conduct. Professor Bowie is among the most-cited professors in ethics in international business, accounting, and financial services. And Professor Alfred Marcus studies energy efficiency and renewable energy, corporate environmentalism in the grocery business, regulatory negotiations, pollution prevention, and global warming approaches. Professor Marcus not only teaches international business ethics, but brings groups of students overseas to study the issues firsthand.