A New "MBA in Socially Responsible Business"

Addressing Pressing Global Questions...
This new concentration builds on IBS strengths in international business and economics and targets a growing demand among business-school students who want to address questions such as the following:

• How can managers achieve success with a "triple bottom line"?
• How can entrepreneurs create new businesses that help the environment?
• How can business address the "bottom of the pyramid" in developing countries?
• How do social and environmental regulations and policies shape business decisions?
• How does a business create a sustainable community of stakeholders?
• How do international trade and economic integration affect local societies?

Beyond the Environment...
The crux of these questions is that they aim to address the tradeoffs between social goals, private economic goals, and environmental goals. The Green MBA at Brandeis takes a broad perspective on these issues - it is not just about what corporations do to or for society, but also about how their businesses can be managed to address a broader purpose. "Green" for us will mean more than "environmental," as indeed it has come to mean for many - it also means the social impact, sustainability, and stake-holder relations of a business. Students will learn the workings of business, develop analytical skills in economics and finance, and gain exposure and experience in one or more aspects of the emerging "green" economy. Finally, this new concentration will be closely linked to the international core of IBS - social responsibility, which crosses borders and means different things in different countries. This "global green" feature sets our concentration apart.

In the Brandeis Tradition...
In introducing this new concentration, IBS adopts principles outlined by Louis Brandeis, who defined a professional business as: (1) an occupation for which the preliminary training is intellectual; (2) which is pursued largely for others; and (3) in which the amount of financial return is not the accepted measure of success. Brandeis University has long attracted students who aim to make a difference in society, whether in science, civic affairs, the arts, or the professions. The new IBS concentration aims to give students the rigorous training required to advance these values.

For more information about the Requirements for the Green MBA at Brandeis IBS, click here.