MBA rates high in ranking focused on social and environmental impact

The Robert H. Lee Graduate School at the Sauder School of Business has demonstrated significant leadership integrating social, environmental and ethical issues into its MBA program, according to the Aspen Institute’s 2011-2012 Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking. The biennial survey of international business schools placed Sauder at 24th among their “Top 100 MBAs” in the world.

The Beyond Grey Pinstripes ranking is the result of a comprehensive survey process that goes beyond the usual considerations of traditional business school rankings. The survey measures how well business schools are preparing MBA students for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of today’s business environment.

The ranking, which analyzed submissions from 149 schools from 22 countries, is the first since the global economic downturn to assess how MBA programs are reflecting the new economic and social landscape.  Sauder made great gains in the ranking, moving up from 49th in 2009 and claiming the second highest ranking among Canadian schools.

The wide-ranging data collection process for the ranking required schools to provide extensive information from across their entire operations, from faculty research citations and MBA course offerings to internship and exchange opportunities.

For top ranked schools like Sauder, noted areas of success include adapting curricula to focus on responsible decision-making and the inclusion of courses with content on social, ethical and environmental issues. Top schools were also recognized for increasing social entrepreneurship opportunities and courses available to MBA students.

Sauder’s faculty played a major role in pushing the school to its competitive ranking, placing sixth in the “Faculty Research” portion of the survey.  Based on an analysis of citations from 2009 and 2010, the school’s faculty members proved to be among the world’s leading researchers focusing on areas such as natural resource management, the impact of recession, renewable energy and progressive entrepreneurship.

As the Aspen Institute states, by placing importance on social, environmental and ethical issues in research and curricula, Sauder is preparing its graduates to become leaders in today’s ever-changing and increasingly-complex business environment.

A complete list of the Top 100 MBA Programs and more information about how the ranking is conducted is available on the Beyond Grey Pinstrites website.