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cano
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MBA ethics pledge 21 May 2010, 01:13
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Interesting read. I didn't know about this oath until today.

https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... lZrOzMxnMM
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coaks
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MBA ethics pledge 21 May 2010, 10:55
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article
‘Cosmetic’ Change

The problem with the oath “is that it is essentially cosmetic,” Krishna Mahesh, a 2005 Harvard Business School graduate, wrote in a February e-mail. “The danger of cosmetic change is that it masks the need for real, structural change. And making that structural change is what businesses (and regulators) should be concentrating on.”
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This.

Also, "swear they won’t put personal ambitions before the interests of their employers or society"?

I couldn't find the text of this oath but it should definitely be MBA students swearing not to put the "interests of their employers" before "personal ambitions or the interests of society."

Interesting link, though, cano. Thanks for posting it.
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MBA ethics pledge 21 May 2010, 17:55
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Philosophical question: what if you believe that it's the best interest of society for each person to pursue their own personal ambitions/interests?

I personally agree with the HBS graduate that this is a cosmetic change and a knee-jerk reaction. I find it hard to believe that someone who is knowingly about to do something unethical would choose not to do so because of an oath they took at bschool. And if they don't realize what they're doing is wrong the oath won't matter either. I fully support the movement in bschools to incorporate more social responsibility concepts into the curriculum, but this oath seems more like a publicity stunt.
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MBA ethics pledge 26 May 2010, 10:24
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Jerz
Philosophical question: what if you believe that it's the best interest of society for each person to pursue their own personal ambitions/interests?

I personally agree with the HBS graduate that this is a cosmetic change and a knee-jerk reaction. I find it hard to believe that someone who is knowingly about to do something unethical would choose not to do so because of an oath they took at bschool. And if they don't realize what they're doing is wrong the oath won't matter either. I fully support the movement in bschools to incorporate more social responsibility concepts into the curriculum, but this oath seems more like a publicity stunt.
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Right. It may be true that HBS just wants to gain on the publicity. I still didn't find the full text and wouldn't take an oath without knowing it, understanding it and believing in it.
Just a couple of questions:
1. How people of other professions mentioned in the article (doctors, engineers) react before the unethical deed? Does the oath influence at all in their actions?
Think about these situations:
Your boss/owner of the company wants you to do something you believe is unethical. Both of you will profit from it, but if the deal goes to the media your name gets affected not his. You actually estimate the risk/profit situation, but if you refuse, you fall in favor of your boss. You decide to decline the offer, but you don't know how to justify it.
2. Do you think the oath will act as a good excuse for you not to go along?

Now, let's suppose that several years from now, most best schools implement the oath, plus the profession changes and the media advertises who are the good and bad (ethical/unethical) managers (not in terms of 'took the oath' vs 'didn't take it', but rather taking in consideration the performance of the managers), and it's pretty clear which schools produce more ethical professionals.
3. Now you go for the oath because it means prestige or better changes of getting employed at bigger companies?
4. Now do you think twice before the unethical deed because of peer pressure?

Like you, I fully support the inclusion of ethics in the education process, because it will help people realize what is wrong, hence giving them the opportunity to choose.

About the philosophical question: I agree to some extent that it's best for each person to pursue their personal ambitions. If you are successful, you can't carry the load of a lazy society. But the approach is a little extreme. The more ambitious you are, the less you think about others, and that may create situations where the society will not exist, there will be just individuals trying to survive. There should be some kind of balance between pursuing your ambitions and help society, at least not to destroy it. If you destroy the ship you're on, you die with everyone else.