A634.1.6.RB_FogartyShawn

            The apparent lack of ethics in today’s business management administrative personnel partially is nested with the lack of integrated education but is also an abstract product of the moral fabric of society. There is a convoluted sense about what is right and wrong but further zero initiative for individuals to seek out the “right” answer. Individuals tend to “go with the flow” rather than utilize critical thinking skills or abstract or theoretical analysis. Everyone wants the “fast-food” style answer. There is truly a need to reshape the point of view of each individual. 
            The article by Joel Podolny (2009), The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School, outline what I think is the best approach. A code of ethics coupled with credentials when if broken are revoked. Long lost is the day of the good ole handshake, a day when a “mans word” was all you needed. Today’s business personnel are out for the fast, cheap, careless way to make a dollar. The pride and honor about ones integrity can be easily bought. Podolny (2009) emphasizes that “many people believe that management education has contributed to the systematic failure of leadership that led to the current fiscal crisis.” I would tend to agree.
            Joel Podolny outlines that they “don’t teach you as business school.” The cookie cutter programs and cattle car mentality for fiscally motivated universities have watered down core business principles to an obscure context amid week four, somewhere. Ethics are the backbone, especially in business management. Almost all the problems from sexual harassment, to equal opportunity, resource or personnel management, and communication can be negatively affected by a lack of moral character and ethical decision making. Podolny (2009) points out “business schools can regain society’s trust by emphasizing values as much as they do analytics and by encouraging students to adopt a holistic approach to business problems.”
            I fully support the concept of treating business like that of a medical practice or lawyers professional credentialing. This idea would be perfect and place a much needed backbone back in the business industry. Further, it would restore trust that has been eroding since the early 1990’s. Universities also have a lot of work to do. They need to embody ethics in their programs and not just highlight the topic. Ethics needs to be rooted. A broader approach shifting gears from pure quantitative to a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analysis will also help. The driving factor for business it marketing their products, students, and the key indicator of annual salaries is a poor metric. The focus to market students, if utilizing the code of ethics and credentials, would then be on the most honest, trustworthy producing school. The shady, underhanded business tactics would be filtered and universities, holding individuals accountable is the best way to do it.

Podolny, J. M. (2009). The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School. Harvard Business Review, 87(6), 62-67.