M.B.A. Courses for Students With Social Concerns
Competitive Environmental Strategy
University of Michigan Erb Institute
Prof. Andrew Hoffman
Straight up: "This course deals with environmental issues from a strategic perspective. It focuses on how environmental pressures (e.g., sustainable development) and environmental problems (e.g., global warming, air pollution, waste disposal) impact corporate mission, competitive strategy, technology choices, product development decisions, and production processes. Basic concepts of ecology and environmental science are discussed and contrasted to those associated with the traditional economic paradigm."
The down-low: At its heart, this first half of a two-part course is about business strategy. By focusing on market penetration, yield improvement, employee retention, and other traditional business topics while keeping global sustainability in mind, says Hoffman, "it will become easier and easier to connect environmental issues to the bottom line." Hoffman is also planning a course overhaul for next year, in which he plans to address the burgeoning interest in forming Earth-conscious start-ups and small businesses.
Green Development
University of Michigan Erb Institute
Prof. Andrew Hoffman
Straight up: "The built environment is a major source of society's environmental impact and is a major opportunity to find solutions. This course explores green development from a variety of perspectives: energy, heating, water use, construction processes, architectural design, site planning, brownfield development, and others."
The down-low: The class filled up with 50 students in its first time out the gate, even with its 8 a.m. start time. It centers on work from the [the http://www.usgbc.org/]U.S. Green Building Council, a building-industry coalition charged with finding and implementing Earth-friendly alternatives. The course discusses ways to improve energy and water use in individual buildings and how major corporations can get involved in green construction. Hoffman notes one roadblock for the brand-new course: "There just aren't very many textbooks."
Strategic Management of Nonprofit Organizations
Prof. Sharon Oster
Straight up: "The purpose of this course is to study, discuss, and debate many issues of concern to managers of nonprofit organizations. Broadly speaking, these issues involve mission definition, competing internal and external demands, resource scarcity and uncertainty, governance systems, and managing strategic change. While the principal thrust of the course is on nonprofit organizations, there will be opportunities to examine areas where public, for-profit, and nonprofit organizations interact."
The down-low: Oster teaches the "nuts and bolts" of how to run a nonprofit and recognizing that managing nonprofits is often the same as for-profits. Examining the differences–for example, that nonprofits usually derive only part of their funds from earned income–is where the class diverges from a typical management course. "The way nonprofits think of competing for [grants and government funds] is different from competing for customers," she says.
Microfinance and the Role of Financial Institutions in Development
Northwestern University Social Enterprise at Kellogg program
Adjunct Prof. Paul Christensen
Straight up: "This short course is designed to provide an introductory understanding of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and their role in providing financial services to hundreds of millions of poor people. The course will examine the commercial, operational, and developmental aspects of microfinance, including in-depth reviews of some of the largest, most successful MFIs in the world. In addition, students will learn about ways that other types of financial institutions, including traditional commercial banks, can contribute to the economic and social well-being of the communities they serve."
The down-low: On the heels of Muhammad Yunus's 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his microfinancing projects in Bangladesh, Northwestern's business school saw a flurry of demand for courses on the topic. Christensen, whose day job involves running a microfinance investment company, ShoreCap International, teaches case studies from Uganda, Kenya, and Cambodia. He has his class analyze the business sense in investing in the industry while also evaluating whether lending money to individuals in very poor areas has a significant developmental impact on their communities. Whether the course will be offered again next year is still in question, says Christensen, but its popularity bodes well for its survival.
Environmental Entrepreneurship
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Prof. Erica Plambeck
Straight up: "This course examines how market forces can be harnessed to encourage private solutions to environmental concerns. It uses case studies to show how innovative contracting must be combined with entrepreneurial visions if environmental entrepreneurship is to be successful. The course draws on economic theories of principal-agent problems and contracting and on case studies of "enviro-capitalists." Students learn how for-profit and not-for-profit organizations are using market forces by developing innovative contracts that specify the environmental products that are desired, the mechanisms for payment, and the contributions from input suppliers. ... The course also considers cases dealing with land, water, and wildlife resources and cases dealing with the tougher problems of air and water quality."
The down-low: One of the case studies Plambeck's class examines is Wal-Mart's sustainability strategy–how the company has formed a network among itself, nonprofits, academics, and its critics. The class is both for students who are idealistic about saving the environment and for those who recognize the role of environmental and social responsibility in the traditional metric of financial success. Next year, the business school is planning a new team-taught class that will be heavily grounded in studying ecology, Earth systems, and climate change. "Students will have a deeper understanding of the environmental science," she says, not just the ins and outs of business.