IBS introduces "global green" MBA track
by Anya Bergman
News | 9/9/08
Posted online at 3:59 AM EST on 9/9/08
Students in the M.B.A. program of the Brandeis International Business School have a new opportunity to study the economic, environmental and social impact of businesses through a new Socially Responsible Business concentration, IBS administrators said.
This "is an area of business that is hot now," IBS M.B.A. Program Director Prof. Ben Gomes-Casseres said. Companies are interested in hiring people to think through areas of socially responsible business, he said.
The Socially Responsible Business concentration, one of four concentrations students can choose when completing the M.B.A. program, consists of four semester-equivalent courses in addition to the M.B.A. core requirements. Students entering IBS this fall and second-year students can complete the concentration.
Two new courses created specifically for this concentration include "Business and the Environment," a class taught by Prof. Preeta Banerjee (IBS), and "What is Green Business?," a class that will be offered in the spring.
Students who choose to complete this concentration are also required to complete a project course in which they will consult on or complete a field project on a topic concerning the social impact, sustainability, stakeholder relations and environmental impact of a business.
Students will also take one elective through IBS or another school or department at Brandeis, according to the IBS Web site.
"We want our students to be able to really explore the trade-offs between economic, social and environmental goals in the study of business," said Matthew Parillo, IBS senior associate director of communications.
Gomes-Casseres explained that businesses are now focusing on the concept of the "triple bottom line," in which businesses focus on three things: their profit, their environmental impact and their social impact. A company's social impact includes issues related to labor and consumers.
He said that the term "green" now encompasses the global and international responsibilities of businesses in addition to their entrepreneurial motives.
This "is an area of business that is hot now," IBS M.B.A. Program Director Prof. Ben Gomes-Casseres said. Companies are interested in hiring people to think through areas of socially responsible business, he said.
The Socially Responsible Business concentration, one of four concentrations students can choose when completing the M.B.A. program, consists of four semester-equivalent courses in addition to the M.B.A. core requirements. Students entering IBS this fall and second-year students can complete the concentration.
Two new courses created specifically for this concentration include "Business and the Environment," a class taught by Prof. Preeta Banerjee (IBS), and "What is Green Business?," a class that will be offered in the spring.
Students who choose to complete this concentration are also required to complete a project course in which they will consult on or complete a field project on a topic concerning the social impact, sustainability, stakeholder relations and environmental impact of a business.
Students will also take one elective through IBS or another school or department at Brandeis, according to the IBS Web site.
"We want our students to be able to really explore the trade-offs between economic, social and environmental goals in the study of business," said Matthew Parillo, IBS senior associate director of communications.
Gomes-Casseres explained that businesses are now focusing on the concept of the "triple bottom line," in which businesses focus on three things: their profit, their environmental impact and their social impact. A company's social impact includes issues related to labor and consumers.
He said that the term "green" now encompasses the global and international responsibilities of businesses in addition to their entrepreneurial motives.
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