SIMMONS
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Sharing Information on Progress
Principles for Responsible Management
2012
Letter from the Dean
Simmons School of Management (SOM) is an AACSB-accredited management school that is
part of Simmons College, a 5000 student university located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. The
SOM is a leader in innovative teaching, research and discourse on issues related to gender,
leadership and management. With roughly 220 full-time and part-time MBA students, 100
Master of Communications Management students, and 200 undergraduate management students,
the SOM offers a demanding education to highly talented and motivated students. The SOM is
also a leading-edge provider of executive education, consulting services, and applied research to
senior management in business, government, and the nonprofit sector.
The vision of the SOM is to be a center of excellence in leadership and management education
for women. The SOM offers premier management education designed for women of diverse
backgrounds in all stages of their professional lives. The school is a recognized authority on
women, leadership and management, and serves as a valued resource for organizations
committed to the leadership success of women.
Our mission is to educate women for power and principled leadership. We are committed to the
advancement of knowledge and practice in management through excellence in education and
research. Our academic programs offer rigorous, applied, management education designed for
women. We focus on leadership, and our programs integrate the strategic, functional, and
behavioral aspects of management. SOM students gain the knowledge, analytical skills, and
confidence that they need to manage successfully in dynamic global environments. We are
invested in our students' success and support them as they launch, advance, and change their
careers.
We believe that business is the most powerful platform for addressing issues of sustainability and
equity, and strive to teach our students that socially and fiscally responsible
management are mutually reinforcing.
Cathy Minehan, Dean
School of Management
Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
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Table of Contents
Principle 1 .....................................................................................................................
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Principle 2 .....................................................................................................................
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Principle 3.......................................................................................................................
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Principle 4.......................................................................................................................
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Principle 5........................................................................................................................
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Principle 6........................................................................................................................
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Moving Forward.............................................................................................................
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Principle 1 | Purpose: We will develop the capabilities of students to be future
generators of sustainable value for business and society at large and to work for
an inclusive and sustainable global economy.
Principled Leadership is at the heart of the Simmons School of Management’s vision, mission
and culture and drives classroom discussion, curriculum development, and student activities.
Simmons students demonstrate principled leadership by holding themselves accountable for:
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Ensuring ethical decision-making throughout their organizations.
Engaging and addressing the interests of multiple stakeholder groups.
Building diverse and inclusive organizations that create equity in opportunity.
Evaluating strategic decisions in terms of short-term results and long-term impact on the
sustainability of their organizations, the societies in which they operate, and the
environmental resources bestowed upon future generations.
The School of Management's dedication to social responsibility and sustainability is reflected by
its recognition from The Aspen Institute's Business and Society Program's rigorous Beyond Grey
Pinstripes Initiative. Consistently listed by Beyond Grey Pinstripes as one of the top 100 MBA
programs in the world for its focus on social and environmental responsibility, the SOM was
ranked #18 in 2012. The SOM’s MBA program received a #2 ranking in the Student Exposure
category which measures “the extent to which students are actually exposed to courses that
contain social, environmental or ethical content.” In the Small Full-Time Enrollment category,
the MBA program was ranked #4. The School of Management was also listed by the The
Princeton Review in 2012 as one of the best 294 Business Schools, as the #5 Green MBA, and as
the #1 MBA in Opportunities for Women.
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One of the most active student groups on campus is the Simmons Net Impact Club. Net Impact
is a national organization omitted to integrating social and environmental responsibility and
values into the business arena. The Simmons School of Management Chapter has repeatedly
earned "Gold Status" as one of a handful of extraordinarily active chapters among the 100+ in
the US and around the world. Other student initiatives include non-profit management, social
entrepreneurship and LGBT clubs. The LGBT club started in fall 2012 and is an alliance of
LGBT students, their partners, and straight allies at the Simmons College School of
Management. The club provides formal and informal support for members to build awareness
about LGBT issues in the workplace, at the Simmons SOM, and in the local community.
The Simmons School of Management supports one MBA student per year through a Principled
Leadership Graduate Assistantship. The Principled Leadership Graduate assistant is involved
with research topics that include sustainable business trends, responsible businesses and
academic institutions, and new techniques supporting the continuous pursuit of sustainable and
responsible practices and initiatives within the School of Management. Opportunities include a
75% cost reduction to attend the Annual National Net Impact conference along with other Net
Impact members through a scholarship sponsored by Simmons SOM partner, the Eileen Fisher
company, a business whose focus on social consciousness mirrors that of the SOM.
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Principle 2 | Values: We will incorporate into our academic activities and
curricula the values of global social responsibility as portrayed in international
initiatives such as the United Nations Global Compact.
The Simmons Net Impact club planned and executed over 22 different events held for both
members and non-members that directly incorporated the importance of social responsibility. A
highlight was the co-sponsored research colloquium, Too Good To Fail: Lessons for Social
Enterprises from the Closing of Shorebank, at Boston University. Drs. Jim Post and Fiona
Wilson discussed the closing of ShoreBank by the FDIC in 2010 as well as the bank’s history as
a social innovator and path-setting social enterprise.
Another opportunity for students and alumni/ae of Simmons to engage in international initiatives
is the Silverman Business Plan Competition, sponsored by the SOM’s entrepreneurship program.
The competition is designed to support women in launching innovative and successful ventures
with impact. Participants build competence and confidence as they compete for $10,000 in cash
as well as additional in-kind prizes. Finalists receive one-on-one coaching from seasoned
entrepreneurs and executives as well as access to the Simmons’ network of venture capitalists,
angel investors, bankers and lawyers. Last year's winner, Obiageli Ukadike, runs the Wa Wa
Project, a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization, that was created to provide educational opportunities
through boarding and vocational schools for children with physical disabilities in Suhum, Ghana.
The Principled Leader Oath was recently adopted by Simmons MBA students. This oath is a
version of The MBA Oath, initiated by Harvard Business school alumni/ae who wanted to
demonstrate their commitment to responsible business. Over 95% of our May 2012 MBA
graduates took the oath.
Our undergraduate and MBA curricula, both required and elective, continue to incorporate the
tenets of principled leadership as formulated by former dean Deborah Merrill-Sands in her
treatise entitled "Principled Leadership: A Model for the 'Reset' Economy". According to this
framework, principled leaders focus on:
 ethics. They foster a work culture where they and every one of their employees examine
every decision that they make and action that they take against a code of ethics and
guiding values, and where integrity in decision-making is an explicit measure of success.
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 stakeholders. They hold themselves accountable to all stakeholder groups – employees,
customers, suppliers and the communities in which they operate – not only to owners or
shareholders of for-profit companies, or to board members of not-for-profit organizations.
 diversity and inclusion. They build inclusive organizations where equity is a core value
and the power of diversity is harnessed to create greater social and economic value.
 sustainability. They hold themselves accountable for the long-term impact of their
organizations on the societies that give them license to operate and the environment from
which they draw critical resources.
The Aspen Institute’s “Giving Voice to Values” ethics framework has been fully integrated into
both the undergraduate and MBA curricula. In addition, the SOM’s annual assurance of learning
processes for both the UG and MBA programs incorporate outcomes assessment of student
learning against explicit programmatic goals that incorporate all dimensions of principled
leadership.
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Principle 3 | Method: We will create educational frameworks, materials,
processes and environments that enable effective learning experiences for
responsible leadership.
Simmons was recognized by the Princeton Review as the #1 school for
Opportunities for Women. This ranking reflects the dedication Simmons
has to creating strong women leaders who are well-equipped to manage
successful organizations.
Beginning in 2011, an MBA concentration in Corporate Social Responsibility and Business
Strategies was introduced. As part of the electives in this concentration, several new courses
were developed to supplement existing offerings in CSR and Sustainability Analysis.
Sustainable Business in Emerging Markets is a travel course to China that will take place in
Spring 2013. Goals include recognizing how the economics, politics, and culture of China
intersect with its emergence as a global economic power. The new Perspectives and Practices:
Principled Leadership course was designed to convey the importance of the socially responsible
business practices that Simmons upholds and to explicitly tie these practices to successful
leadership. Designed to be highly experiential, Perspectives and Practices includes organization
visits, speakers and project work as well as traditional case discussions. The course explores
contemporary leadership models and concepts, particularly positive leadership and appreciative
inquiry, in an effort to help students identify their own leadership values and analyze best
practices in principled leadership. The Sustainable Supply Chain course was developed to better
understand the complete life cycle of resources. Due to the ever-increasing importance of
sustainability and its source of competitive advantage for companies, The Sustainable Supply
Chain explores the different management techniques of maintaining integrity of a brand,
ensuring business continuity and managing operational costs. The goal percentages of a
sustainable supply chain (50-70%) and the benefits to all suppliers are also discussed.
The MBA concentration in Organizational Leadership continues to have as its primary focus the
success of women in organizations. In addition to the above course on Principled Leadership
(required for this concentration), Simmons added a travel course to the UAE, including
attendance and active participation in the 2012 Women as Global Leaders Conference (WAGL) .
International women leaders focused on the core themes of social responsibility and
sustainability in their keynote addresses, seminars and workshops.
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Current MBA Courses include:
Sustainability Analysis and Reporting
Corporate Social Responsibility
Gender, Diversity and Leadership
Marketing for Social Causes and Nonprofits.
Culturally Intelligent Leadership
Sustainable Business in Emerging Markets
Perspectives and Practices: Principled
Leadership
The Sustainable Supply Chain
The undergraduate program, with its four majors, heavily draws on our pillars of principled
leadership as well. Several of Simmons’ undergraduate courses, such as Introductions to
Management and Principled Leadership, Socially Minded Leadership, and Learning by Giving
are service learning based, and the same principles of ethics, accountability to multiple
stakeholders, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability are threaded through out all coursework.
At Simmons College, a new intensive, interdisciplinary student experience for sophomores was
introduced in 2011. Entitled the Simmons World Challenge, teams of students are invited to
work with a small team of faculty over their winter break to develop creative solutions for major
world problems. The 2012 World Challenge teams tackled poverty in a course entitled “At the
Edge of Poverty: Empowering Women to Change their Lives and their Worlds.” One of the
three lead faculty members was an SOM faculty member. This year’s 2013 World Challenge
will also be co-lead by an SOM professor.
As a further commitment to responsible business, Simmons School of Management has
formalized its Principled Leadership Program with the goal of furthering curricular, cocurricular, and research activities in this domain. The SOM has initiated a search for a chaired
Professor in Principled Leadership to provide academic and administrative direction of the
Principled Leadership Program, with the Interim Director role being held by the Associate Dean
for Faculty and Curriculum.
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Principle 4 | Research: We will engage in conceptual and empirical research that
advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of
corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic
value.
More than three-quarters of the Simmons SOM faculty are engaged in research on one or more
dimensions of corporate social responsibility, sustainability or principled leadership. The work of
our internationally recognized Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO) ensures that our
teaching and curriculum are at the cutting-edge of addressing gender and broader diversity
dynamics in organizations. CGO publications shape the field of management and are widely
cited and used by academics and practitioners worldwide. SOM faculty publish their research on
issues falling under the general umbrella of the UN Global Compact principles in both highly
ranked academic journals and high-impact practitioner-oriented outlets such as the Harvard
Business Review. We also prioritize faculty-student collaborations in these research projects and
have several examples of joint research being published in both broad appeal magazines and
research-oriented journals.
Examples of relevant publications by Simmons SOM faculty in 2011-2012 include:
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Avery, Jill (2012) "Protecting the Markers of Masculinity: Consumer Resistance to
Brand Gender-Bending," International Journal of Research in Marketing, forthcoming
December 2012.
Luo, Xueming, and Shuili Du (2012), "Good Companies Launch More New Products,"
Harvard Business Review, 90(4), 28.
Du, Shuili, C.B. Bhattacharya, and Sankar Sen (2011), "Corporate Social Responsibility
and Competitive Advantage: Overcoming the Trust Barrier," Management Science,
57(9), 1528-1545.
Lin, Barry (2012), “Evaluating CSR/Sustainability Projects: A methodological case,”
International Journal of Business Research.
Maxfield, Sylvia (2011) Teaching Economics through the Lens of Corporate
Citizenship," Journal of Economic Education.
Moore, Lynda (2012), “Building a sustainable sustainability model: Exploratory
research on financial return on CSR in the apparel industry,” Journal of Corporate
Citizenship.
Shapiro, Mary, Cynthia Ingols, and Stacy Blake-Beard (2011), “Using Power to
Influence Outcomes: Does Gender Matter?” Journal of Management Education.
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Trefalt, Spela (2011). "Integrating Giving Voice to Values across the MBA Curriculum:
The Case of Simmons School of Management," Journal for Business Ethics Education,
Vol. 8.
Trefalt, Spela (2012), “Fairly flexible: Preventing perceptions of unfairness in enactment
of workplace flexibility,” New Frontiers in Work-Family Research: A vision for the
future in a global world.
Additionally, several faculty members, including Patricia Deyton, PhD, Stacy Blake-Beard, PhD,
and Lynda Moore, PhD, are participants in PRME’s Gender and Equality working group.
Deyton was recently named the Non-Profit Management Coordinator for this working group.
They are working to ensure that Simmons’ thought leadership is accessible through a research
repository.
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Principle 5 | Partnership: We will interact with managers of business
corporations to extend our knowledge of their challenges in meeting social and
environmental responsibilities and to explore jointly effective approaches to
meeting these challenges.
The Simmons School of Management maintains active relationships with a number of businesses
through the SOM Business Advisory Council, networking events, internship relationships, and
financial support. For example:
Cathy Minehan - A recognized business and finance expert, the Simmons School of Management
Dean acts as an important bridge between Simmons College and strategic community institutions
and businesses. Her nearly 40 years with the Federal Reserve System, most recently as President
and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and a member of the Federal Open Market
Committee, serve as a strong connection to for-profit business leaders. Dean Minehan also
serves on multiple non-profit boards, such as the Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners
Health Care System boards, linking Simmons students and faculty to non-profit organization
leaders.
The Simmons SOM Business Advisory Council (BAC) – The SOM BAC allows the SOM to
express its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability by creating a
platform for ongoing dialogue with member businesses. This forum holds quarterly meetings
with the purpose of mutual reinforcement of CSR and sustainable values in the SOM and the
organizations represented by BAC members.
Eileen Fisher - The Simmons School of Management maintains a strong relationship with the
Eileen Fisher Company. The company’s Chief Culture Officer sits on the Simmons SOM
Business Advisory Council, participates in various extracurricular opportunities that Simmons
offers (such as our Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Panel), offers internships for highly
motivated and talented current students, and contributes annually to Simmons’ Principled
Leadership fund, providing compensation for the Principled Leadership Graduate Assistant
position as well as scholarships for students to attend the Annual National Net Impact
Conference.
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Better World Books - Simmons School of Management faculty and students collaborate with
Better World Books, a low-profit company that sells and donates new used and recycled books,
raising money for literacy and libraries. Staff have participated in class case discussions, been
the subject of faculty research and a site for student engagement. Similarly the SOM has
integrated into its corporate social responsibility curriculum extensive student-business
collaboration. Microsoft’s Director of Corporate Citizenship, for example, has teamed up with
SOM faculty to co-teach the introductory MBA course on corporate social responsibility.
The Social Return on Investment (SROI) Network. - In spring 2012, Simmons partnered with the
community-based Boston Foundation to sponsor a workshop on Social Return on Investment
(SROI). Sixteen participants from corporations and non-profits traveled from across the US to
attend the workshop. Two Simmons MBA students were also among the participants, sponsored
by the Simmons School of Management Alumni/ae Association (SOMAA). The workshop was
led by Jeremy Nicholls, CEO of SROI.
SROI is an approach to understanding and managing the value of "impact activities" (i.e.,
activities that include social, environmental and community programming). Participants at the
workshop developed their capabilities to:
 Develop rationales for setting the scope of impact for any initiative oriented at least partly
toward social, environmental, economic stakeholders (including boundaries of intended
impact and timeframe).
 Differentiate outputs from outcomes and develop outcome indicators; be able to describe
assumptions and rationale for using these indicators to measure outcomes.
 Use multiple methods and sources for collecting data for outcome indicators (objective
vs. subjective; market research, international organization or government data, consulting
firms, interviews, focus groups, surveys) and be able to describe assumptions behind the
use of these sources of data to measure indicators.
 Develop a plan for calculating estimated SROI (ratio of financial value of inputs/financial
value of outcomes) and net SROI (present value of financial value of inputs/financial
value of outcomes) for projects where data on financial value of investment in the
initiative is given.
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Principle 6 | Dialogue: We will facilitate and support dialogue and debate
among educators, students, business, government, consumers, media, civil
society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical
issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability.
The Simmons School of Management holds regular events that bring stakeholders together to
discuss sustainability, social responsibility, and gender equity. Some highlights include:
The Simmons Annual Leadership Conference: This event regularly brings together over 2000
women and men from corporations and organizations across the country for a day of workshops
and presentations by women who have truly changed the world in government, business, the arts,
and other domains. The 2012 conference featured keynote addresses Meg Whitman, CEO of
HP; Robin Chase, environmentalist, founder and former CEO of Zipcar; NPR journalist Michelle
Norris; and tennis great and social activist Billie Jean King.
Fireside chats: Simmons School of Management hosted a series of events with Crystal Johnson,
a sustainability strategy consultant, principal and founder of Integrative Sustainability &
Environmental Solutions (ISES). Crystal has been featured in Exhale Magazine and is an
accomplished professional with experience in sustainability management, environmental
planning and assessment and compliance review. She discussed sustainable economy dynamics,
understanding the various stakeholders in the sustainable economy, and the role business has in
creating communities and generating the economy.
2020 Women on Boards National Campaign: The Simmons SOM Chapter was founded in
spring 2010 and has been promoting awareness and education about the benefits of diversity of
thought in the boardroom, with the stated goal of having female membership on corporate boards
reach 20% by 2020. They have put on a panel discussion of the role of women in corporations,
informal receptions, and most recently a simulation of board participation event entitled:
Simboard: Decision point in the board room. They plan to submit the case used to Giving Voice
to Values. The event drew nearly 100 participants. Within days of the event, the chapter was
approached by two different companies asking for help recruiting board members.
The first Simmons College Gender, Justice and Social Entrepreneurship Conference: This
highly successful student-run conference held in October 2012, was designed to be a springboard
for an ongoing conversation about how the Simmons community could contribute to enduring
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social change. One of the faculty advisors for the conference was SOM professor Dr. Teresa
Nelson.
Net Impact: The Simmons Net Impact Chapter sponsors and organizes an annual Corporate
Social Responsibility event that includes a number of small group conversations that serve to
build mentoring relationships between CSR professionals and students. The well-attended public
forum serves as an opportunity for Simmons Net Impact club members, Simmons faculty,
alumni, students and community members to gather for an evening of discussion regarding the
role of corporate social responsibility in a variety of industries. The CSR panel begins with a
moderator asking questions to panelists and then opening the floor to audience participation.
The diversity of companies represented reveals new perspectives on responsible business that
enriches the conversation and questions from the audience. The CSR Panel ends with an
informal networking session where food from sustainable and local outlets, along with local
wine, is offered to panelists and guests.
The 2011 CSR Panel focused on consumer-facing companies that were able to use their CSR
initiatives as a part of sales with an impact. Our panelists included Amy Hall, Director of Social
Consciousness at Eileen Fisher; Chris Stevens, Vice-President of Corporate Relations and
Customer Development at Keurig; Wood Turner, Vice-President of Sustainability Innovation at
Stonyfield Farms; and Cynthia Wilkinson, Director of Supply Chain Sustainability at Staples.
The 2012 CSR Panel focused on the theme of healthcare and food. Panelists included Monica
Nakielski, Program Manager of Sustainable Initiatives, Partners Health Care; Holly Fowler,
Senior Director of Sustainability & CSR, Sodexo North America; John MacQuade, Director of
Supply Chain & Logistics, Bimbo Bakeries USA; Sue Small, Regional Director of Catering &
Sustainability, Aramark; and Kyle Cahill, Senior Manager of Environmental Impact, Blue Cross
Blue Shield. This panel discussion was preceded by breakout networking sessions. Key
takeaways included the integration of CSR into every decision that is made and the importance
of viewing healthcare and food as holistic and interrelated systems.
CGO: The Center for Gender in Organizations continues to convene, host and direct events,
seminars and training sessions designed to advance gender equity in organizations of all types.
A partial list of events is listed below.
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In April 2012, The African Universities Gender Resource Network (AUGERN) was
hosted by the SOM’s Center for Gender in Organizations in April 2012. Members were
invited to share updates on gender mainstreaming at their institutions and attended the
Simmons College Leadership Conference.
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In March 2012, more than 35 international women Fulbright Scholars participated in a
three-day strategy and leadership caucus, as part of the distinguished 2012 Fulbright
Leadership and Re-entry Seminar for Women from the Western Hemisphere. Seminars
and workshops were lead by the CGO director and faculty.
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In December 2011, the SOM/CGO Women in Nonprofit Network series featured Head of
School Sister Marie Juvenal Mukanurama of the Maranyundo School for girls in
Rwanda.
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In January 2011, the CGO provided Bystander Awareness Training to the Five College
Consortium at Amherst College. Bystander Awareness Training provides specific
examples and skills of civil courage to empower bystanders to take on a challenging but
important role in creating a more inclusive and diverse culture.
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In July 2011, the CGO delivered a new, comprehensive training workshop: Building
Capacity for Gender Analysis at Oxfam America. CGO worked closely with key Oxfam
America staff to design and deliver a customized workshop ensuring relevancy and fit
with the goals and programs in their work with partner organizations, donors, and internal
staff.
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Looking Forward
The Simmons School of Management is excited to continue to be an active contributor to the
established PRME Gender Working Group. Dean Minehan, along with Professors Lynda
Moore, Stacy Blake-Beard, and Patricia Deyton are representing Simmons in the PRME
Working Group on Gender led by Bentley's Professor Patricia Flynn. Professors Moore, BlakeBeard and Deyton offer their expertise in gender roles within the organization developed through
years of research and activities supporting gender and diversity initiatives. This group most
recently created a wikispace. Next steps include populating it with materials for institutions to
access articles, business cases, and other resources to better teach about the role gender plays in
organizations.
We are motivated to be a value-add to other working groups as well. In the early fall, Simmons
explored the possibility of proposing an international working group to promote women's
professional leadership. We researched the Indian School of Business, Tsinghua University, The
American University of Cairo, and Fundacion Getulio Vargas, determining current program
offerings, research initiatives, and established working group relationships. Our research was
conducted to determine whether partnering with one or multiple institutions could form a
strategic partnership for a PRME working group. We determined the current PRME working
groups were covering the main themes of women and professional leadership; however,
Simmons is still open to partnering on different initiatives in the future. In particular Simmons is
exploring leadership in PRME working groups on Sustainability and CSR.
In the upcoming year, the SOM will further develop its Principled Leadership program through
the recruitment of a Chair in Principled Leadership who will be tasked with program
development, fundraising for support activities, and exploring international partnerships. The
Chair will join a small but vibrant faculty devoted to the mission and principles of socially
responsible management education.
Finally, Simmons College has committed to develop programming in social entrepreneurship
college-wide which will supplement the SOM’s current coursework.
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