Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58916
shift in what they emphasize, believes Tellis of Fairfield University. For instance, he says, most schools groom students to think that a desk in a corner office is the top goal. "We should probably encourage our students to go to a service experience before they go into the real world," he says. "Even if only 10 percent of the students gained anything from the experience, the world would be a little better place." But there's danger in that approach, too, warns Room- kin of Case Western's Weatherhead School. By producing a generation of business graduates who passionately believe in sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and the infallibility of peace through commerce, schools might be preparing those graduates for a frustrating working life. "The incentive systems aren't well aligned." Roomkin says. "If we take in students who want to change the world, they may have to pay an atrocious price financially or per- sonally to have jobs that allow them to do that. Unless organizations find ways to integrate social responsibility into the job descriptions of every worker, this idea isn't going to go anywhere." That being said, Roomkin still feels hope, especially if business schools promote the agenda of social responsibil- ity. "If we address people's underlying causes of conflict— hunger, disenfranchisement, health—we have a chance at playing a role in commerce and leading the peace," he says. "But if business schools don't fuel the fire, then organizations will have even less reason to change. And unless organizations change, peace through commerce is not going to work." While business must be involved in the solutions to the world's problems, says Rodgers of Case Western, "you can't talk about business without talking about the educa- tion of business leaders." And if today's business students are taught how to change the world, surely peace will be more than just a concept they learn in class. ■ z BizEd MAY/JUNE 2006 31