Jesuit Executive MBA Programs:
Building a Just Society
Co-Authors
William Lindsey
Loyola Marymount University
Francis Petit
Fordham University
14th Annual World Forum
Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education
International Association of Jesuit Business Schools
Business and Education in an Era of Globalization:
The Jesuit Position
July 20-23, 2008
Introduction
Our premise is a simple one. Jesuit Executive MBA (EMBA) programs are and can continue to develop
principled leaders who can significantly contribute to building a more just society. Recent scandals at Enron,
WorldCom, Tyco and too many other companies are simply failures in leadership. Leadership is critical and
business schools, especially those in Jesuit Institutions, have an important role in developing leadership talent.
This paper reports on the efforts of twelve EMBA programs that are resident in American Jesuit Institutions, to
build a more just society.
Principle-Centered Leadership Needed More Than Ever
Principle-centered leadership has been defined on the basis of (1) the quality of the leader’s principles
and (2) the leader’s conviction in living by them (Covey, 1992). Principle-centered leaders believe in and are
committed to a set of moral principles, and then remain true to those principles in their actions and decisions
(Lindsey and Pate, 2006).
Principle-centered leadership develops over time as leaders are true to their principles in the face of
critical ethical decisions. There is a critical need for principle-centered leadership. One big reason is the failure
of leadership at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and too many other companies. In the wake of these scandals, we
don’t need more standards-based guidelines or accounting-based rules to cover every possible situation.
Instead, we need leaders of character and integrity. We need leaders who don’t put their own egos and greed
ahead of the welfare of the company and its employees. We need principled leaders who make ethically-based
decisions while considering how both other people and the environment will be affected by their actions
(Lindsey and Pate, 2006).
We also need programs and curricula that prepare leaders who make tough decisions and provide
examples of responsible action. The World Resources Institute and The Aspen Institute Initiative use the term
“Social-impact management” to describe Social Innovation through Business research and curricular domain
that exists at the intersection of business needs and wider societal concerns and that reflects their complex
interdependency (WRI, 2001). The Aspen Initiative for Social Innovation through Business clearly states,
“Social-impact management is a way of thinking about traditional business activities that assumes and examines
the mutual interdependency between business and society. Without a sophisticated understanding of this
interdependency, neither business nor the society in which it operates can thrive” (Aspen Institute, 2000).
Social-impact management is a descriptor for the confluence of ethics, social responsibility and management
that exist in Jesuit Business School programs.
Integrity and character are the bedrock of leadership. Communication, whether it is internally within the
organization or with external stakeholders, conveys the organization’s position and views on social
responsibility. Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Ford Motor Company sums up the
importance of social-impact considerations in management:
"The fundamental challenge facing business in the 21st century will be meeting the needs of
consumers and shareholders ... in a way that balances economic, environmental and social
requirements ... . The task for business schools is to engage young leaders and give them a longterm vision of success that includes social responsibility. Companies must behave differently in
the next century, and will require new leadership" (WRI, 2001).
The Jesuit Advantage
Jesuit Schools of Business rest in a rich centuries-old Jesuit tradition of ethical self-awareness amidst
academic freedom. Common themes in Jesuit education include educating the whole person, promotion of
justice, self awareness and acquiring knowledge in rigorous learning environments. Let us look at Jesuit
education from a different perspective, that is, from what the individual actually learns and how students are
prepared for increased management and leadership responsibilities. In this “inside out” approach, as the person
acquires knowledge and develops management and leadership skills he/she becomes better equipped to make to
better, more informed decisions and to measure the effect of those decisions. Decisions thus take on a broader
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perspective that includes using quantitative data (profits, revenue growth, etc.), qualitative data (how people and
the surrounding community are affected) and understanding personal decision-making style. More importantly,
self awareness provides a foundation for ethical decision making and for mustering the courage to make tough
unpopular decisions.
Leaders make decisions that affect performance, employees, customers, and impact local communities.
As glaringly evident in the Enron, WorldCom and Tyco debacles, when greed and self interest lead,
performance and people suffer. By contrast, principle-centered leaders who act according to strong, ethical
values don’t end up in jail, and their companies perform better in the long run. Ethical actions and decisions are
on the high road, which appears to be the harder road for some leaders to take (Lindsey and Pate, 2006).
The ideal environment for leadership development is one that commits equally to teaching students hard
skills and encouraging them to understand, question, and develop their values. By emphasizing self-awareness
and teaching decision-making through hands-on practical experience using case histories and real-life examples
provides a strong base for teaching leadership (Lindsey and Pate, 2006). Ultimately, “the proof is in the
pudding.”
In EMBA programs, we are in a better position to teach leadership because our students already have
experience in the corporate world and have faced leadership challenges. They have experience that provides
context for learning. Education provides contextual meaning to their experience, and the classroom becomes a
leadership laboratory. By repeatedly evaluating leadership performance in real-life situations and their
individual responses to the sensitive issues discussed in class, students become increasingly aware of and are
able to identify the actions, activities, and corporate issues that together create better leaders. Moreover, by
continually viewing this in relation to their own individual perspective, they develop a leadership consciousness
(Lindsey and Pate, 2006).
Ethics is indisputably a core element of leadership development. While many business schools have
rushed to insert that element into their programs, this approach often leaves ethics as an add-on rather than an
integral component. The hard skills – finance, statistics, operations management, information technology – tend
to dominate the business curriculum, overshadowing the balance of values, self-awareness and ethics (Lindsey
and Pate, 2006).
For at least the past 450 years, Jesuits have taken a strong stand in favor of high moral and ethical
principle. As Lowney notes, “Jesuits did not become successful leaders simply by adhering to particular
religious beliefs but by the way they lived and worked. And their way of living holds value for everyone,
whatever his or her creed” (Lowney, 2003).
An overriding theme of Jesuit education considers it critically important that social-impact, ethics-based
management be incorporated into educational delivery models. Jesuit Business Schools have a long-running
reputation for academic rigor steeped in the liberal arts tradition. Service to humanity and the stewardship of
the environment has and continues to be important underlying components of Jesuit institutions. For example,
following in this rich tradition, “LMU understands and declares its purpose to be the encouragement of learning,
the education of the whole person, the service of faith and the promotion of justice.” Education is seen as a
means for preparing graduates for productive service to society.
By emphasizing the importance of character, socially responsible action, and ethical conduct, the
Executive MBA Programs prepare managers for leadership positions in their places of work and in the
communities they live. Many of these students are already in the workplace and many hold influential
positions. Executive MBA students are managers with extensive responsibility who exercise substantial
influence.
The Common Thread---Jesuit EMBA Programs
There are thirteen EMBA Programs in United States Jesuit institutions of higher education.
institutions are:
1. Fordham University
2. Georgetown University
These
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3. Loyola College in Maryland
4. Loyola University Chicago
5. Loyola Marymount University
6. Marquette University
7. Saint Joseph’s University
8. Rockhurst University
9. Saint Louis University
10. Santa Clara University
11. Seattle University
12. University of San Francisco
13. Xavier University
Within these institutions, there are programs that incorporate themes of Corporate Social Responsibility,
Ethical Decision Making, and Leadership for a Just and Humane World. Below are some examples of how the
majority of these institutions, as taken from their individual web sites, have incorporated these frameworks
within their respective programs.
Fordham University
 Executive students are required to take the following course: Contemporary Ethical
Issues in Business
Georgetown University
 Executive students are required to take the following course: Business Ethics
Loyola College in Maryland
 Executive students in both the EMBA and Fellows Programs are required to take the
following courses: Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility; Capstone Retreat:
Putting Values Into Action
Loyola University of Chicago
 Executive students are required to take the following courses: Business Ethics; Issues in
International Business Ethics.
Loyola Marymount University
 Executive students are required to take the following courses: Ethics and Spirituality in
the Workplace, Decision Support Foundation; Leadership and the 21st Century
Executive; Manager as Decision Maker.
Seattle University
 Executive students are required to take the following courses: Building Vision for a
Global Community; Leadership Synthesis, Reflection and Development; Leadership for a
Just and Humane World; Law and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Marquette University
 Executive students are required to take the following course: Ethical and Societal Issues
in Business.
Rockhurst University
 Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility are themes within the program.
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University of San Francisco
 Ethics and Social Responsibility is one of the five themes within the program.
As can be seen in the information above, Jesuit Executive MBA Programs are in a unique position to
have a profound impact on current executives, as well as future business leaders within society. As indicated
earlier, it is obvious from the current market climate that executives are faced with many challenging decisions
that can have monumental ethical consequences. Whether it was planned or not, most Jesuit EMBA Programs
have incorporated some degree of Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Decision Making and Leadership for
a Just and Humane World within each program. Given the recent news headlines of corporate scandal, mistrust
and white collar crime, perhaps Jesuit EMBA Programs can serve as that one vehicle in creating a more just
society within Corporate America and the international community as a whole.
Examples from Jesuit Executive MBA Programs
The following examples illustrate the impact that Jesuit EMBA programs can collectively have on
creating a more just society.
Fordham University
The Fordham University EMBA Program was established in 1998 and its tenth class will graduate by
May 2009. The program is a full MBA in Management Systems. EMBA students receive the equivalent MBA
degree as students who attend the full-time and/or part-time programs. The concentration, as indicated earlier,
is in Management Systems with a global focus as well as a management development focus. The goal of this
program is to have students “operationalize” the learning immediately so as to “power their professional
performance” now and in the future.
The Graduate School of Business Administration at Fordham University was established in 1969 in the
Jesuit tradition of excellence in education, intellectual vigor and ethical conduct. The institution’s
commitment, as indicated in the Academic Bulletin 2007-2008, is as follows:
 Instilling skills necessitated by globalization;
 Ethics in business;
 Understanding the use of technological innovation;
 Lifelong achievement of intellectual excellence;
 The use of metropolitan New York’s unique bounty of resources; and
 Humanistic concern for our students.
(Fordham GBA Academic Bulletin, 2007-2008).
With this as a backdrop, within the EMBA Program there is a mandatory course within the curriculum
titled “Contemporary Ethical Issues in Business” in which the goal of the course is not to necessarily sway the
executive students to a particular ethical philosophical thought but rather make them aware of ethical dilemmas
and potential issues so as to frame out their own convictions and beliefs. As part of the required deliverable for
this course, EMBA students are required to explore an ethical crossroads in which they were confronted on the
job and then they must frame out how they responded to this crossroads and how the literature, if at all,
supported their actions.
EMBA students’ feedback on this experience has been profound. They indicate in course evaluations
and individual discussions that such an exercise has enabled them to view ethics on the job in an entirely new
way and has made their perspective on ethical issues quite different from when they started the program.
In addition, EMBA students at Fordham University participate in an international student consulting
project as a capstone pedagogical experience. Each cohort, throughout the program’s history, has traveled to
China to present their findings from each consulting project to the top leadership within these corporations.
While the focus of each consulting project is on “market development and growth,” there is inevitably a focus,
within each project and presentation, on the role of ethics in business and corporate social responsibility. In a
climate where some view these type actions and initiatives blatantly missing, corporate executives in China find
the discussion of ethics and corporate social responsibility quite refreshing and always leave the presentation
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excited about the potential of leading their industry in this regard. Overall, with the economic growth of China
as a world power, ethics and corporate social responsibility within this emerged market can certainly go a long
way.
Loyola Marymount University
LMU’s EMBA Program is designed for managers with significant managerial and leadership
experience. Directly supporting the College of Business Administration and University missions, the Program
focuses on building ethical leadership. The pertinent educational objective for the EMBA is “to provide
graduates with a framework for ethical decision making, leading responsibly and acting with integrity.”
Through EMBA student-conducted outreach projects to smaller non-profit and disadvantaged businesses,
companies and organizations come to know the values of the University and its focus on ethical conduct.
A competency-based approach adds depth to the curriculum by providing 21st century managers with
the ability to use critical thinking skills and knowledge to handle challenges in the rapidly changing and
unpredictable workplace. Ethical decision-making and social-responsible actions are deeply intertwined in
leadership, and as such are “mapped” into course content and application project assignments. Learning
outcome objectives are established and assessed at the conclusion of a module.
To illustrate how a competency is threaded throughout the entire twenty-one month program “Leading
with Integrity,” the main social-impact management competency will be used. The progression starts in the first
semester by introducing the importance of understanding one’s own core values. A model for ethical decision
making is introduced and forms the basis for assessing increasingly more complex ethical and social issues. In
the next semester students deal with conflict resolution of ethical issues and start to incorporate a personal view
of ethical decision making. The Summer Consulting Project, placed between the second and third semesters, is
an experiential learning activity where students engage in a business problem-solving project with a small nonprofit or disadvantaged business. This provides an opportunity for students to become directly involved in
socially responsible action. In the third semester ethics, core personal values and social responsibility are
integrated into the business environment. In the final semester students prepare a personal plan for balancing
the effective use of ethics and social responsibility as a tool for business leadership.
A major requirement in the LMU EMBA Program is a management-consulting project conducted
between the first year and second year that reaches out to small non-profit and disadvantaged businesses. The
project’s focus is three fold: 1) to provide EMBA students an opportunity to use the sophisticated knowledge
and skills acquired in the EMBA to assist small companies in the Los Angeles business community; 2) to
provide small companies free, high level consulting support that they would not ordinarily be able to afford; and
3) to support the University’s mission of outreach and support to the community. Since the first EMBA class in
2000, twenty six EMBA student teams have served twenty seven clients.
Through these EMBA summer projects entrepreneurial thinking, ethical action and business practices
are integrated with real-life experiences. The classroom experiences are enhanced through the challenge of a
real-life business assignment. The melding of explicit and tacit knowledge delivered in a business setting is a
unique aspect of the EMBA Program. EMBA student teams assigned to these challenges gain an understanding
of the importance of developing knowledge outside of the classroom to improve the learning process.
The Executive MBA Industry
In order to determine if Jesuit EMBA Programs are a vehicle to create a more “Just Society”, it is first
important to analyze the overall EMBA Market to see if such potential exists in terms of popularity and scale.
With this as a backdrop, and on face value, it appears that the Executive MBA market is thriving and
continues to be in the growth stage of the product lifecycle. This is especially true for programs outside the
United States (EMBA Council, 2007).
According to the Executive MBA Council, an international body of over 200 EMBA Programs, there is
much data that supports this growth market. For example, according to the EMBA Council, 57% of programs
worldwide are considering expanding their programs and/or establishing new satellite locations (EMBA
Council, 2007). In addition, 84% of all non U.S. Programs were established since 1990 with over a 21%
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growth rate in private institutional programs since this time (EMBA Council, 2003). It has also been reported
that there has been a 25% overall increase in admission applications, with the Northeast section of the United
States experiencing a 14% increase, and as a result of this surge, acceptance rates for these programs have
decreased from 67% to 63% (EMBA Council, 2007). Class (cohort) size has also seen an 8% increase within
schools from the Northeast United States (EMBA Council, 2007).
The EMBA Council data also reported very satisfied EMBA student customers. For example, research
from the EMBA Council’s Student Exit Surveys indicate that 99% of EMBA students would refer their
programs to other prospective students (EMBA Council, 2005). In addition, 50% of EMBA graduates report
new responsibilities gained as a result of program entry and about 33% of students received a promotion during
their studies (EMBA Council, 2005). The council also reports that almost 80% of EMBA graduates indicate
their value to their organizations increased as a result of entering their program and on average, it takes
seventeen months from the start of the program for a sponsoring company to gain its return on investment
(EMBA Council, 2005).
Adding to this program satisfaction, mean salaries for 2007 EMBA graduates have increased 21% in two
years to $130,056 (EMBA Council, 2007). These salary increases are up from $96,300 which was the mean
salary for EMBA students in 2001 (EMBA Council 2003).
While all these data illustrate satisfied EMBA students and an industry that is experiencing growth, there
are other indicators that have emerged that could be a cause for concern. For example, corporate financial
reimbursement policies for such programs have experienced decreased support. This can be seen in 2001 when
44% of all EMBA students were 100% financially sponsored and only 9% were self financially sponsored
(EMBA Council, 2003). In 2007, full corporate financial sponsorship has decreased to 33% with an increase in
self sponsorship to approximately 33% (EMBA Council, 2007). In essence, what the market is dictating is an
increased amount of corporations unwilling to pay full freight for EMBA programs; this places increased
financial burden on the students. With many program tuition and fees approaching $100,000, ability of students
to pay is a concern.
Therefore, on face value, the EMBA market continues to appear to be in the growth stage of the product
lifecycle and as a result, there is a big imperative and strong financial motive for institutions of higher education
to grow such programs for expanded revenue and inevitably resources for a school. However, the dwindling
financial support coupled by a growing disparity of tuition prices among institutions can potentially have an
impact of the future popularity of such programs.
In any event, Executive MBA Programs continue to be gaining popularity and as a result, could be used
as a vehicle, in particular Jesuit EMBA Programs, in educating executives to build that just society.
Challenges
So, where do we stand on positing Jesuit EMBA programs as a means of developing principled leaders
and what are the challenges? Challenges have two dimensions: external, i.e., how the MBA is perceived in the
marketplace, and internally, i.e., how business schools are viewed within Jesuit institutions.
External. There seems to be a furor surrounding the value, or lack thereof, of an MBA degree.
Furthermore there is a growing distance between industry and academe in the efficacy of using education as a
means of leadership development and our ability to actually “teach” leadership. Take, for example, the recent
Bennis and O’Toole Harvard Business Review article, “How Business Schools Lost Their Way,” that decries
business schools as “ill equipped to wrangle with complex, unquantifiable issues… the stuff of management”
(Bennis & O’Toole, 2005).
In a recent Fortune Magazine article, “Why an MBA May Not Be Worth It,” one reader says, “he used
his MBA to line his parrot’s birdcage,” and others “decry the degree as a joke, the biggest waste of time and
money.” This article, and numerous others in leading business magazines, cites Stanford professor Jeffrey
Pfeffer’s 2002 study concluding “there is little evidence that mastery of the knowledge acquired in business
schools enhances people’s career, or that even attaining the MBA credential itself has much effect on graduates’
salaries or career attainment.” Henry Mintzberg, a professor of management at McGill University, has also
long held a contrary view to business education. In his book, Managers not MBAs” he claims that the MBA
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programs choose the “wrong people” and the “wrong ways:” “wrong people” because they are mostly young
and inexperienced managers; “wrong ways” because the purely academic or case-based pedagogical approaches
are inadequate.
Mintzberg has a valid point regarding experience. Students with experience do gain more from
management education—practice informs theory and theory informs practice. This isn’t new. Peter Drucker in
the 1970s stated, “Managers need management education the most and get the most from it.” This was a
founding principle of the Executive Management Program at Claremont Graduate University that has endured
for over 30 years.
Part of the confusion is the lack of differentiation between EMBA, full-time and part-time MBA
programs. When looking at part-time and EMBA programs, much of the criticism loses its strength. For
example a vast majority of MBA students have work experience. According to AACSB International, the
accrediting agency for business schools, “part-time MBA programs at AACSB member schools [which includes
most if not all nationally ranked business schools] represent 58% of MBA enrollment; only 24% are enrolled in
traditional two-year, full-time programs.” Part-time students are also working part- or full-time and many of the
full-time programs require students to have work experience. Executive MBA programs require their students
to have significant management and professional experience. So, the “wrong people” is a rather small
proportion of the MBA student population.
Not all MBA programs should be painted with the same brush. As noted earlier, Jesuit EMBA schools
have and continue to adapt curricula, programs and course offerings. Jesuit EMBA programs include courses in
leadership, ethics and managerial competencies. Many use real businesses for projects and case studies. Many
programs include domestic and international field trips to expose students to different business and cultural
settings. These are examples where Jesuit EMBA programs are being proactive. The challenge is simple—we
just have to get the word out. Bottom line, Jesuit EMBA program can collectively have a great social impact in
building a more just society.
Internal. Business schools are the “professional arm” of Jesuit institutions. There is, as it should be, a
strong focus on Liberal Arts and Jesuit heritage. This unfortunately can have the tendency of viewing the
business school as a cash cow and overlooking the possibilities of seeing the business school as an integral part
of mission execution. This is not intentional, but more of an oversight. This notion was recognized two
thousand year ago as Jesus began teaching in his hometown of Nazareth. The Bible says “they were astonished
and said, where did this man get this wisdom…is this not the carpenter’s son…and they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, “a prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and his own household…and he did
not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” (Matt 13: 54-58).
Rather than licking our wounds we, Jesuit business schools in general and EMBA programs specifically,
must show the true wisdom of Nazareth. We must be proactive. Through our link to the business community
and the position of trust that our EMBA students have placed in us, we are in an ideal position to make a
change. We are training leaders who are in increasing positions of authority and responsibility. Their examples
of principled leadership and ethical conduct can be an inspiration to those in their organizations and other
stakeholders. They can make a difference.
There are also other challenges, such as attracting qualified students and faculty. Additionally, Jesuit
business schools must ensure that members of the faculty hold a healthy respect for the institution and its
values, which is perhaps more of a challenge for Jesuit colleges and universities. Both of these dimensions
affect curriculum design decisions.
Next Steps
We have discussed the need for principled leadership and provided examples where Jesuit EMBA
programs are embracing Jesuit principles of individual responsibility and social justice. We have also discussed
that Jesuit EMBA Programs have a unique opportunity in creating “a more just society” in that the students
enrolled within these programs are seasoned managers and leaders whose decision making can have a profound
impact not only to their unit and organization, but also to their stakeholders and society at large. In addition,
with the growing popularity of EMBA Programs, Jesuit EMBA Programs are, once again, in a unique position
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to have frontrunner status in leading the charge in creating this more just society among all EMBA Programs,
regardless of denomination or heritage. As one can see, Jesuit EMBA Programs can be used as a powerful tool
in creating that “more just society” within the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola.
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REFERENCES
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”Executive MBA Industry Trends and 2003 Research Results”, The Executive MBA Council, 2003.
“On Students’ Minds”, EMBA News-Quarterly Online Magazine of Executive MBA Council, March 18, 2008.
Petit, Francis (2005). “Incorporating Customer Experience Management Concepts within your Executive MBA
Program.” Journal of Executive Education. Kennesaw State University, p. 65 – 78.
“The Impact of Executive MBA Education,” The Executive MBA Council, 2005.
2007 Executive MBA Survey Results, Executive MBA Council, 2007.
Executive MBA Rankings Issue, Financial Times, October 23, 2007.
Bennis, W. & O’Toole, J. (2005). “How Business Schools Lost Their Way.” Harvard Business Review, 83
(May), 96-104.
Covey, S. R. (1992). Principle-Centered Leadership: Strategies for Personal and Professional Effectiveness.
New York: Free Press.
Lindsey, W. & Pate, L. “Integrating Principle-Centered Leadership into the Business Curriculum: Lessons from
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Lowney, C. Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World.
Chicago: Loyola Press. 2003
The Conference Board (2002). Developing Business Leaders for 2010. New York: The Conference Board,
Inc.
Mintzberg, H. (2004). Managers, Not MBA’s: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Managing and Management
Development. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
“What is Social Impact Management? Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business.
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