Curriculum Change at Merage

While many core classes address ethical issues, there is always room for more social responsibility in the MBA classroom.  The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine is working on changing its curriculum.  Two classes that are being offered in the 2008 – 2009 school year:

Social Responsibilities with Prof. Brad Killaly is offered in Winter Quarter:

Course description: The term "Social Responsibility" is a loosely defined but critical dimension of today's dynamic business environment. Exactly to whom are manager's responsible; clearly shareholders, and more broadly stakeholders. But are manager's responsible for the greater public good? Examples abound (i.e. environmental and ecological impacts, labor and hiring practices in foreign markets, participation in global warfare, safety of food and drugs), and we need not look further afield than our own backyard to see well-meaning companies (Mattel) struggle with challenges of globalization (product safety).

“For me, the most valuable aspect of the course was that it gave an excellent introduction to what CSR really is, beyond being the "new thing" to do.  Many people will have an idea of what it is, but they do not know much about the details.  The course really gets students thinking about the issues involved with implementing CSR into the corporate strategy and also the implications of CSR as strategy. “

– Karntipa Pisalyaput, MBA ‘09

“Impactful – This course shows you how companies can be responsible and profitable at the same time.” – James Lin, MBA ‘09

“CSR was one of the highlights of my first year class experience at Merage.  Prof. Killaly is such a dynamic and engaging teacher who is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about CSR.  But the class also provides excellent examples through the cases and our discussions about companies that are leading the CSR movement.  As future business leaders who will have to tackle some of the same issues that impact stakeholders on all levels, this class was invaluable at developing another analytical lens through which to look at business challenges."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                - Karl Ring, MBA ‘09

Managing Non-profits with Prof. Judy Rosener is offered in Spring Quarter: