What is wrong with the corporations.

Could there be a problem with the way our corporate leaders are trained?

Here is the core curriculum of Columbia University for a graduate degree for an Executive MBA:

Year 1: A Solid Foundation
The first year of the EMBA Program, like that of the traditional MBA format, focuses on key business skills through the following core courses:

Financial Accounting
Performance Measurement
Corporate Finance
Decision Models
Managerial Economics
Macro Economics
Organizational Change and Leadership
Marketing
Operations Management and Operations Strategy
Managerial Statistics
Strategy
Markets requirement course

Year 2: Developing More Focused Skills
Year 2 adopts an executive education approach that is pragmatic and application-based, with a more flexible format. You are able to choose from a wide array of electives and are also able to participate in elective block weeks, which bring students from Columbia’s two other EMBA programs, Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA and EMBA-Global, together for an intensive, cross-cultural learning experience. In terms 4 or 5, you are also strongly encouraged to participate in an International Seminar.

http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/emba/academics/core

I compare this to a law school curriculum that I am familiar with -- which requires a course in ethics. In fact, I add on edit, in California, every lawyer has to pass an exam which is separate from the Bar Exam on ethics -- just on legal ethics.

I suppose a student might be able to select a course in ethics as an elective at Columbia Business School.

Woops!

Here are the electives offered to Columbia EMBA students:

http://www4.gsb.columbia.edu/emba/academics/electives

The list is too long for me to include here, but I don't see the word "ethics" anywhere.

And I suppose that professors could choose to include discussions about ethics in any one of the courses or maybe even all of them. But there is no core course on business ethics. In fact, I wonder if there is such a thing as business ethics.

So, let's don't be surprised at the anti-social attitudes in the leadership of our corporations. There is no requirement that business leaders think about ethical issues when they get MBAs.

university bus. Setting behind me were two grad students getting their MBA and their discussion made me sick. They were talking about business ethics - greed glorified. Today we see the results of this business philosophy - greed glorified and failing.