The State of CST in Catholic Business Schools in the U.S
Andrew Gustafson
"When a gulf between liberal and business education occurs, students get the impression that
they are receiving two types of education: one that makes them more human and one that makes
them more money." --Michael Naughton
Faith Values in the Business Curriculum
Catholic Business Schools are sometimes perceived to be black sheep at the Catholic
colleges and universities of which they are a part. At most Catholic colleges and universities, the
business students are educated for most of their first two years in the college of arts and sciences,
and only then take the bulk of their business classes. It is not uncommon for business to be
perceived as a ‘sellout’ major—giving up classic Catholic Christian values for the sake of
making money. At times business students almost feel like second class citizens in their arts and
science classes, because of the suspicion cast on their choice to pursue some practice of business
as a vocation. It is assumed that the philosophy and theology departments do what they can to
teach values until the student is released for their junior and senior year to the ‘dark side’ of
business to learn how to develop a singular focus on the pursuit of profit, and self-interest. It is
the author’s opinion that this is a substantial tension at many Catholic colleges and universities in
the United States.
A vast majority of academics involved in Catholic Social Thought are trained in the arts
and sciences—primarily theology, but also at times philosophy (like myself). Traditional
philosophy and theology programs do not usually train one to do data analysis or empirical
studies, which is probably why there are very few empirical studies done examining the state of
Catholic Social Thought in business schools at Catholic colleges and universities. Among the
few surveys about the ways Catholic Social Thought is being taught at Catholic colleges and
universities, one of the better known is the 2009 article by Porth, McCall and DiAngelo’s
entitled, “Business Education at Catholic Universities: Current Status and Future Directions”.
The article was primarily focused on mission and vision statements at 40 Catholic schools, some
of the information being taken from the schools websites, and some obtained by response to a
very short survey. Their conclusion was “In general, it does not appear that business education
at Catholic colleges and universities is sufficiently distinctive.” (Porth, 10). Another more
recent such survey based article is by Joseph Eisenhauer (2014), “Charism and Commerce:
Business Education in the Mercy Context”. Eisenhauer focuses exclusively on Mercy schools,
and examines survey data regarding those schools mission statements, faculty and staff
development activities, research, curricular and extracurricular initiatives, community service,
and alumni/alumnae engagement . His survey is broad, and his conclusions are interesting, but it
is exclusively focused on Mercy schools business programs. Other than those two, there are few
empirical/survey-based articles on CST in business schools.
The tensions previously mentioned between arts and sciences and business schools at our
Catholic institutions lead naturally to questions: How do business schools at Catholic colleges
and universities teach their values, particularly Catholic Social Teaching values, in their
curriculum? And what is the current state of Catholic Social Teaching in Catholic colleges and
universities today? By CST Principles I meant (and defined it as) a focus on a) dignity of all
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b.
c.
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humans, b) common good, c) subsidiarity, d) solidarity with all others, although each survey
participant likely had their own notions of CST. These questions led to the present study.
I proposed to collect data from 50 Catholic colleges and Universities using a series of
around 20-30 questions to try to determine:
If and how Catholic business schools incorporate faith values and concerns or Social Catholic
Thought into the curriculum.
If and how Catholic business schools are addressing questions of how business affects prosperity
and poverty in business.
What sorts of methods may be being used (service learning, etc.) to try affect student’s social
affections and sentiments and habits, rather than to simply provide information regarding codes
of ethics, etc..
What ethical theories are considered most ‘in line’ or supplemental to CST by most teachers.
From this data gathered, I intended to attempt to provide a basic reading on the current
tendencies in Catholic Business Schools in the U.S.
The data showed the following trends:
a. Most business schools depend on their business ethics class for the majority of their Catholic
Social Thought education, although there is some reason to believe these faculty have not been
educated in CST.
b. In most cases a small minority of business faculty are involved in CST research.
Given that data, there are some concrete suggestions which may be offered to correct these
trends:
a. Education of Faculty: Business Schools need to help educate their faculty to be more
knowledgeable and conversant about Catholic Social Thought and research which speaks to their
own discipline (marketing, management, accounting, finance, etc.)
b. Incentives: Faculty need to be incentivized to spend energy and effort contributing CST oriented
research in their own fields. Without more work and research in this area, it will be difficult to
help accomplish a deep and meaningful education of faculty (a.).
Survey Description
During August and September of 2014, I sent an online survey to faculty at 95 Catholic
Universities and Colleges in the US. 1 That represented nearly ½ of the schools which are
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The following schools were sent the survey: Stonehill, University of Notre Dame, U Portland, Boston College,
Canisius College, Holy Cross (MA), Creighton, Fairfield, Fordham, Georgetown, Gonzaga, John Carroll, Le
Moyne, Loyola Marymount, Loyola Chicago, Loyola Maryland, Loyola New Orleans, Marquette, Regis, Rockhurst,
St. Joseph’s (PA), St. Louis, St. Peters (N.J.), Santa Clara, Seattle, Spring Hill, Detroit Mercy, U. San Francisco,
Scranton, Wheeling, Xavier, Villanova, St. Thomas (TX), Belmont Abbey, Benedictine, St. Mary’s (TX), Dayton,
DePaul, Niagara, St. John’s (NY), Thomas Aquinas (CA), Thomas More, U Dallas, U San Diego, St Scholastica
(MN), St Anselm (NH), St. Gregory’s (OK), St John/St. Ben’s (MN), St. Leo (FL), St. Martin’s (WA), St Vincent
(PA), U Mary (ND), Newman (KS), Loras, Mt St. Mary’s (MD), Sacred Heart (CT), St. Ambrose (IA), St. Thomas
(FL), Seton Hall, Thomas More (KY), U St. Thomas (MN), Ohio Dominican, Barry, Caldwell, Dominican (NY),
Alverno, Briar Cliff, Cardinal Stritch, Fransican U Steubenville, Edgewood, Molloy, Viterbo, D’Youville, King’s
College (PA), St. Joseph (CT), Merrimack, Benedictine (IL), Walsh, Iona, Manhattan College (NY), St Mary’s
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members of the ACCU (Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities). The survey was sent
to one faculty member in each school, identified either as teaching business ethics or catholic
social thought in the business school, and if no such person could be identified, then the survey
was sent to the dean with an explanation of the survey’s intent, who in some cases sent it to a
chosen faculty member.
Since we kept the study completely blind, we do not know which schools responded
and which ones did not. 43/95 surveys were completed, giving us a 45% response rate. This
is remarkably high for an online survey (Nulty, 303). 30 questions were asked. This is a
summary of the answers I received for each question, along with some commentary on those
responses, and in some cases key takeaways for practical implementation.2
I. Basic Profile of the Business Departments/Schools Surveyed
Organizationally, of the institutions which responded, 26 had a College of business, 11
had a business department, and 5 had a ‘school of business’ while one had various departments.
So, 60% had separate business colleges, and nearly 90% had either a department or a college
housing the business faculty.
In terms of size of faculty, one had 1-5 full time faculty, 11 had 6-12, 12 had 13-20, 8 had
21-30, and 11 had more than 30 full time faculty. So about 40% had 20+ faculty, and about 60%
had <20 faculty. In terms of size of student body roughly 1/3 had <250 undergrad students,
about 1/3 had 250-600, and almost 1/3 had more than 600. As for MBA/graduate business
student enrollment, roughly ¼ had under 50, ¼ had 50-150, ¼ had 150-250, and ¼ had more
than 250. In general, the schools surveyed represented a diversity of Catholic business schools
in terms of size, from largest to smallest.
When asked if they have a business ethics class, if it is required, and at what level it is
taught. Some had multiple classes. One said they do not have such a class, 31 (69%) said one
undergrad class in business ethics is required, 9 (20%) said they offered an optional class, 18
(40%) reported having additional undergrad classes available such as stakeholder management or
sustainability classes, etc.. 24 (53%) reported that they had an MBA ethics course required,
while 3 (7%) said they had an optional MBA course. 6 (13%) reported “other”. Catholic
schools are ahead of their non-Catholic peers-- in general having a required undergrad and grad
course is not the norm nationwide—the average requiring an undergrad business ethics course is
25% (Rutheford, 183) although business schools with female business deans are more likely to
require an ethics class (35% according to Rutheford et al).
Finally, when asked who teaches their business ethics class, 15 said it is a philosopher in
the philosophy department, 12 reported that its someone from business with a degree in ethics,
21 said its someone in the business school with a business degree who has an interest in ethics,
and 9 reported “other” (theologian, lawyers, and others).
A few points should be made. First, it is remarkable that 12/43 schools surveyed had a
business faculty member with a degree in ethics. This is a tradition of Catholic business schools.
At Creighton, all three of our business ethicists (who are housed in the business school) have
Ph.D.’s in philosophy, but that is not typical of most schools. Second, it is unlikely that, for the
business degreed or philosophers, unless the professor has a particular interest in Catholic Social
Thought, that any CST is being provided in these business ethics classes. Philosophers are not
College (CA), St Mary’s (MN), Carroll, Gannon, Bellarmine, Providence, Aquinas (MI), Aquinas (TN), Albertus
Magnus, Christian Brothers, St. Edward (TX), St. Bonaventure (NY), Lasalle, and Duquesne.
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A copy of the study with colored graphs and a few more details can be found at the Institute for Business, Faith
and the Common Good at www.businessfaithcommongood.wordpress.com
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commonly trained in it, and business professors with degrees in ethics usually are not trained in
CST, and business faculty with an interest in ethics are unlikely to have a lot of training in CST.
Theologians may be the most likely to know CST.
Outsourcing the business school’s business ethics class to philosophy can work, but not
always well, since philosophers are often not well experienced or versed in business practices. It
also leads to a “the philosophers do the ethics, so we can focus on real business” mentality in
business schools. On the other hand, having trained ethicists in CBS can either help increase
awareness, but it can conversely lead to ethics being siloed, insofar as all the business faculty
may end up thinking that the students ‘get all their ethics and Catholic material’ in the business
ethics class. Business Ethics classes can provide some CST well, but not without serious
intentionality in most cases, and it is unlikely that they do in most cases.
II Catholic Social Thought and Values
There is a lot of diversity among the business schools when it comes to how important
CST is. When asked “How important is it to your business school/department to bring Catholic
Social Teaching into the classroom to help students think about how CST may intersect business
practices? (By CST Principles we especially mean a focus on a) dignity of all humans, b)
common good, c) subsidiarity, d) solidarity with all others)” 4 (9.52%) responded ‘very
unimportant’, 5 (11.90%) reported ‘unimportant’, 5 (11.90%) were neutral, 21 (50%) said
‘important’ and 7 (16.67%) said ‘very important’. This is somewhat encouraging—around 66%
said CST was important or very important (although more than 20% said it was unimportant, or
worse).
When asked “How does your business school/department incorporate CST values into the
curriculum?” 3 (7%) responded “we don’t”, 29 (67.4%) responded “Indirectly, in various
courses”, 24 (55.8%) reported “In our business ethics class”, 8 (18.6%) “in our capstone class”,
12 (27.9%) “in a specific class other than business ethics”, 27 (62.8%) “Through extracurricular
programs, speakers, etc.”, 19 (44.2%) “through classes outside of the business school” and 5
(11.6%) “other” including community service project for freshman, embedding social
responsibility as a theme, and general focus of the school (Dominican values throughout many
classes, on syllabi, etc.).
Obviously most of these answers have potential positives and negatives: if ethics is done
indirectly, it could be integrated quite well, or maybe not at all really. Without some tracking, it
is hard to tell. More than half said CST was discussed in the business ethics class, but if that is
the only place it is brought up, and the rest of the curriculum is CST-free, then its likely the
couple days of discussing CST in the Business Ethics class may not make much impact.
Capstone classes are a good place to remind students to synthesize ethics into their overall
perspective on business, but certainly it needs to be brought up before that point. 62% said
ethics is brought through extracurricular programs and speakers. This is great, but if that is the
primary means of talking about ethics, then ethics itself may seem to be peripheral and extracurricular, like flag football—fun, interesting, but unnecessary. Nearly 45% said that classes
outside of the business school provided CST training, but the lack of business knowledge and
sympathy in theology departments teaching CST can leave students with a somewhat bifurcated
education, leaving them with the impression Michael Naughton has expressed so well: "When a
gulf between liberal and business education occurs, students get the impression that they are
receiving two types of education: one that makes them more human and one that makes them
more money." (Naughton, 2008)
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The next four questions got responses to questions about how important it was to
emphasize the relationship between business and four different issues: 1. The poor, 2. Common
Good, 3. faith, and 4. ethics. When asked how important it is in the business program to
emphasize the relationship between business and the poor/impoverished, 2(4.65%) reported
“Very Unimportant”; 4(9.30%) “Unimportant”; 12(27.91%) “Neutral; 19(44.19%) “Important”;
6(13.95%) said “Very Important” So, less than 15% thought it was unimportant, and 58% said it
was either important or very important.
When asked how important it is in the business program to emphasize the relationship
between business and the Common Good 4(9.30%) reported “Very Unimportant”; 3(6.98%) said
“Unimportant”; 5 (11.63%) “Neutral”; 15(34.88%) “Important”; and 16(37.21%) “Very
Important” Again, about 16% said common good was unimportant to the business curriculum,
while 82% said it was important or very important.
When asked how important it is in the business program to emphasize the relationship
between business and Faith/Spiritual Life 4 (9.30%) reported “Very Unimportant”; 4(9.30%)
“Unimportant”; 15 (34.88%) “Neutral”; 17(39.53%) “Important” and 3(6.98%) “Very
Important”. So 18.6% thought it was unimportant or very unimportant, while just 46% thought it
was important.
When asked how important it is in the business program to emphasize the relationship
between business and Ethics 3(6.98%) reported “Very Unimportant”; 1 (2.33%) “Unimportant”;
1(2.33%) “Neutral”; 17 (39.53%) “Important”; and 21 (48.84%) “Very Important”
Regarding questions 7-10: Here Ethics scored the best (48.84% ‘very important’) while
the Common Good scored second ((27.12% ‘very important’. The poor and faith were widely
considered important, but Ethics and Common Good were clearly more important since 88.3%
considered the emphasis on the relationship between business and Ethics to be important or very
important, and 72% considered that relationship to the common good important or very
important, while only 58% considered the emphasis on the relation between business and the
poor important or very important and 46% saw the relationship between faith or spiritual life to
be important or very important in their business curriculum. So in order of importance they
would be: 1. Ethics 2. Common Good 3. Poor 4. Spiritual Life. Generally, CBS go for the
lower-hanging, more secular-friendly “fruit”.
When asked what goals/values are important for the business program at their institution, the
8 values suggested were ranked in the following order:
Creating leaders for the future (4.53/5)
Employable graduates (4.51/5)
Cultivating innovative problem-solvers (4.26/5)
Forming and Educating Agents of Change (3.98/5)
Care for the individual person (3.6/5)
Unity of Heart, Mind and Soul (whole person) (3.51/5)
Having your students go on to graduate school (3.14/5)
For the greater glory of God (2.84/5)
The top three values of highest importance are fairly pragmatic and secular/generic (compatible
with a secular or state-university outlook), while most of the rest of the rest of the values were in
the "neutral to important" range, "for the greater glory of God" actually averaged out between
not important and neutral (!).
When asked how that their business program addresses questions of how business may
affect issues of poverty or prosperity in society, 2 (4.7%) said "we don't", 28 (65.1%)
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"Indirectly", 22 (51.2%) "In our business ethics class", 12 (27.9%) "in a class other than business
ethics", 21 (48.8%)"In extra-curricular activities, such as a speakers series", 21 (48.8%) "service
learning", and 4 (9.3%) "other". Involvement appeared to vary widely, with one person adding
that very little of this was done other than the business ethics class, which also was in their
opinion the sole location of most of the mission values teaching. But another wrote that they
have a research center "with a current initiative involving a cadre of about 15 faculty doing
research on business and poverty".
III. Pedagogy
When asked what sorts of methods are being used in your business program to try to
affect student's social affections and sentiments and habits, 1 (2.3%) claimed "we don't have that
kind of teaching in our program", 32 (74.4%) "some classes use service learning", 36 (83.7%)
"through cross-campus programs and activities" and 5 (11.6%) "other". Business schools seem
to rely heavily on cross-campus programs for this sort of education and student development.
When asked “Through what avenues does your business school/department encourage
students towards the use of business for extending prosperity for greater numbers of people?” 25
(59.5%) said the business ethics class, 28 (66.7%) said other courses do this, 28 (66.7%) said
extra-curricular activities were a means of accomplishing this, and 6 (14.3%) said “we don’t
focus on these issues”. What was most interesting were the follow up examples provided to the
follow up question “How do you do that?”, which included:
This is indeed a wide-ranging list, and one which provides examples from nearly every
department in the business school. A few expressed frustration about fellow-faculty: “Sadly, for
those faculty members trained in traditional economics/finance thinking, the idea of “prosperity
for all” is seen to be a by-product of the trickle-down effect, where ‘wealth creating’
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manager/entrepreneurs, operating in unregulated markets, will get rich and then yield secondary
benefits to society”. Another respondent said that “extending prosperity for greater numbers of
people” is the basic purpose of business—“Mutual benefit via exchange in efficient manner. Not
sure all the faculty understand this”. Obviously, there are various views in our Catholic
Business Schools about how business can help society!
When asked “Does your college of business have a course or co-curricular program
(service society, internship, etc.) on work as a vocation, or faith and business?” 26 (60.5%)
responded “no”, 9 (20.9%) “Yes, a course”, 10 (23.3%) “Yes, a co-curricular program” and 7
(16.3%) “other”. Examples given were a pre-internship course focusing on characteristics of a
business leader, a core course taught in theology/Catholic Studies, a required course in the
Global Business Leadership Department, multiple courses, and aspects of multiple courses, and
“we have campus ministry”.
IV. Faculty and Colleagues Knowledge and Attitudes Towards CST
When asked “How many of your faculty colleagues actively conduct research or
scholarship which connects faith values (CST or otherwise) to business practice or theory?” 4
(9.3%) answered “none, to my knowledge”, 25 (58.1%) “1-2”, 10 (23.3%) “3-5”, and 1 (2.3%)
“6-10”, while 3 (7%) said “more than 10”
So, in 90.7% of the Catholic business programs surveyed, 5 or less faculty are actively
doing research connecting faith values to business practice or theory, and 67.4% had 2 or less
faculty doing such research. Given that more than half of the responding institutions have 20 or
less faculty, it is conceivable that 10-20% of faculty in those smaller schools are doing such
research. The fact of the matter is that faculty tend to attend faith and business oriented
conferences or publish in faith-related business journals only after they have achieved their
reputation and status in the field. I know faculty who, while interested in such issues, avoid
publishing on them or in journals which may publish articles on faith and business because “it
would kill the career of someone in our field, if they are not already well established”. This is a
very practical reality for younger scholars in particular. From this, we can see that 2/3 of CBS
said that 2 or less colleagues actively conduct CST related research.
When asked “In your opinion, what percentage of your faculty feel at ease talking about
how faith and business relate to one another in their classroom? (note: we are not concerned with
who is or is not religious, but who would be comfortable speaking about connecting faith to
business)” none responded “0%”, 6 (14.3%) said 1-5% of faculty, 8 (19%) said 6-10% of faculty,
13 (31%) said 11-25% of faculty, 5 (11.9%) said 26-50% of faculty, 10 (23.8%) said 51-75% of
faculty, and 1 (2.3%) said “more than 75%”.
So approximately one-quarter (26.1%) of the respondents think that 50% or more of their
faculty colleagues would feel at ease talking about how faith and business relate to one another
in the classroom. But 64.3% of respondents thought that no more than a quarter of their faculty
would feel at ease speaking of faith, and 33.3% of respondents think that 10% or less of faculty
would feel at ease speaking about how business and faith relate to one another (with 14.3%
thinking 5% or less would feel at ease doing so).
In business, moral muteness is a problem in the workplace because managers who are
fully capable in other respects, and who abide by high ethical standards, often have difficulty
articulating that to their employees (Bird, 1989). Ethics is an issue avoided, for various reasons.
It is likely that faith concerns are similar in this respect—some who may have faith influencing
their personal life may not feel at ease to discuss it in the classroom. Nearly 2/3 felt that less
than 25% of their colleagues would be at ease talking about faith and business relations—75%
would not be at ease.
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When asked, “In your opinion, what percentage of your faculty accept a profitmaximization-for-shareholder model of business, and what percentage do not accept a profitmaximization model (PMM) of business?” 2 (5.0%) said “100% accept PMM”, 6 (15%) said
“90% accept PMM”, 13 (32.5%) said 75% accept PMM, 8 (20%) said 50% accept PMM, 8
(20%) said 25% accept PMM, 2 (5%) said 10% accept PMM, and 1 (2.5%) said 0% accept
PMM. So over half (52.5%) of respondents said that 75% or more of their colleagues accept the
profit maximization for shareholder model. More than 2/3 (72%) said at least 50% accept
PMM. This is fairly unsurprising, given both the fact that most faculty are trained in business
schools, and the fact that profit maximization model of business is considered by many to be
compatible with Catholic or faith-oriented business practice. (Garvey, 2003)
When asked, “Does your business school curriculum address concerns about "good
goods"-- products which are broadly considered to be socially beneficial-- in relation to the poor
and marginalized? (Examples here could be discussing the effects of cheap fast food on the
poor, and strategies to provide healthier products to those consumers)” 10 (23.3%) said “We do
not deal with such questions”, 16 (37.5%) said “business ethics class”, 13 (30.2%) said “capstone
or other such class” and 4 (9.3%) said “other”. Good goods appear to be an underrepresented
concept.
When asked “Where in your curriculum does your college of business encourage the use
of business to transform culture and society for the better?” 6 (14.3%) said “our curriculum
doesn’t address this issue”, 13 (31%) said “most of their curriculum addresses this issue, 26
(61.9%) said our business ethics class”, 16 (38.1%) said “our social entrepreneurship classes”, 5
(11.9%) said “our faith and business class”, and 7 (16.9%) said “other”. While it is encouraging
that nearly a third said that most of their curriculum addresses this issue, again we see the
business ethics class is the catchall class to bring up these types of issues.
But there is a wide variety of perspectives on how this is done, as was shown in the responses
to the follow-up question, “How does your business school/department do this?” which received
the following answers:
Focusing on bigger business issues than just making money and selling products
Our faculty teach courses in our upper-division core that focus on justice
Unless it how to make more money we do not make it part of any course
We utilize a variety of resources, including Papal Encyclicals
Our Global business, Government and Society class, required of Management majors
Lectures throughout the year that touch on these topics
Social entrepreneurship
Case studies
From intro to marketing, to hr, to strategy and policy, to finance, to business and society, our
vision is that business is a calling and a crucial element of society.
Key learning outcomes in virtually every class that focus on making a positive impact on society
We embed the theme of balancing “people, planet and profit”
Center for the Integration of Faith and Work Catholic
Marianist Identity Committee Annual Business as a Calling Symposium
In service for faculty involved in bringing Catholic & Marianist values to the business core
courses
Occasional luncheon discussions on such issues
Year long seminars for about ten B school and humanties faculties
Prayer at B School faculty meetings
Annual Faculty Staff Prayer Service Social Entrepreneurship Studies Case Work
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t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
Walk the Talk Ethics Luncheons Guest Speakers
Marianist Values in Business Living Learning Community
Marianist Educational Associates in the B School
Through our business ethics courses
Through our mission statement which (we hope) is clearly connected to each class
We teach triple bottom line and stakeholder model
At minimum, students confront this issue in at least two classes. My suspicion is the issue
appears in more classes but may not be formally noted in the syllabus.
z. Economic Efficiency
One respondent explained, “Again, to be clear, there are MANY programs at our university that
link faith with service to others and the provision of societal benefit. The general opinion of the
business faculty is that such efforts are the job of other parts of the university” This viewpoint is
not uncommon for business faculty in many of our schools. Much like mathematics or science,
accounting, economics, business information analytics and other business theory is considered to
be by and large neutral.
When asked “How does your business school curriculum help students learn about social
entrepreneurship? 13 (30.2%) responded “to my knowledge, we do not offer classes on social
entrepreneurship”; 19 (44.2%) “We have a class on social entrepreneurship”; 5 (11.6%) “We
have multiple classes in social entrepreneurship”; 5 (11.6%) “We have a social entrepreneurship
track or major”; and 10 (23.3%) responded “Other”.
Avenues of teaching about social entrepreneurship included gateway or capstone courses
in the entrepreneurship program, aspects of the entrepreneurship course, principles of
management class, or aspects of other various courses. Others suggested programs, cocurriculars, and service learning projects, a student run business on campus that donates profits
to a social cause, and “an Annual Business Plan Competition with 150 applicants last year” as
means of introducing social entrepreneurship to students. There are a variety of recent Catholic
and Protestant initiatives to try to help faculty and students think about being an entrepreneur
from a faith perspective. One example is Economy of Communion, which has an annual
conference. Another is Business as Mission (BAM) (businessasmission.com)
When asked “How does the Catholic Identity of your school practically affect the business
education your business students receive? Answers were varied. (see appendix) Some said that
“our values affect everything we do” while others were less optimistic: “Very little. They are
versed in the Jesuit model of business ethics in the required business ethics course at undergrad
and graduate level and there is the presence of a few strands of CST in a couple of courses. But,
at end of day, doubt the education our student receive differs noticeably from that which they
would likely receive at a secular institution. if they see our catholic identity AS A business
school, it is mainly through our presence in the larger university which has a far more substantial
Catholic presence.” This is a very important concern for Catholic Business Schools. While
some of the largest Catholic Business Schools are trying to be rated as top-tiered schools
competitively, medium and smaller Catholic Business Schools are also trying to compete with
other non-religious institutions—and the strategy is often (but not always) to downplay or ignore
the religious identity. But that is unfortunate.
When asked “From what you know about Catholic institutions of higher education, in your
opinion how does your own institution measure up to what other Catholic business schools are
doing to highlight the role and opportunities for business in bettering the situation of those in
poverty?” 0 responded “much worse”; 4 (9.3%) “worse”; 14 (32.56) “Neutral/Equal”; 19
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(44.19%) “Better”; 6 (13.95%) “Much Better”. The average then was between neutral and
better. It is interesting to compare these answers to the answers for the following question.
When asked “Direction your school is heading currently: Would you say your own
business school/department is doing more or less than it traditionally has (historically) to
emphasize the Catholic identity of the school, particularly with regard to mission for the poor,
concern for the whole person, and the importance of business contributing to the common
good?” 1 (2.33%) responded “Much Worse”; 4 (9.30%) “Worse”; 10 (23.26% “Neutral”; 19
(44.19%) “Better”; and 9 (20.93%) “Much Better”.
The difference on this question about Catholic identity of the school, although one more
responded “Much worse”, more think their school is heading in a better direction. It appears that
when they compare themselves to other Catholic schools they are not as likely to claim they are
better or much better than other schools, although on the whole there seems to be some optimism
that their own schools when compared to itself is moving towards improving its Catholic
identity.
Best Practices
When asked “What are the best practices or most innovative practices, pedagogies or
programs your business school/department is currently doing/planning to help your students to
achieve some of the kinds of societal awareness and concern for the poor which are traditionally
seen as part of Catholic identity? The answers again were varied. One mentioned a business
ethics center that helps train faculty to discuss ethics and which supports faculty research and
teaching of ethics with small incentive grants, while another mentioned faculty development as
well. Others mentioned learn and serve or service learning programs, and other projects that
faculty or students participate in to do service. One mentioned a masters program in servant
leadership which helped spawn an undergrad minor.
To get a general feel of those who are involved in teaching about Catholic Social Thought at
the business schools, we asked “How do the following thinkers represent your own personal
outlook on business?” Regarding these four thinkers, Pope Benedict is well known for Caritas
En Veritate, Ayn Rand represents a more individualistic and egoist perspective, and Friedman’s
stakeholder theory is often contrasted with Freeman’s Stakeholder theory. The answers were as
follows:
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Other
Ayn Rand
22
(51.16%)
5
(11.63%)
12
(27.91%)
1
(2.33%)
1
(2.33%)
2 (4.65%)
Pope Benedict
XVI
1
(2.38%)
3
(7.14%)
11
(26.19%)
16
10
(38.10%) (23.81%)
1 (2.38%)
Milton Friedman
(Stockholder
theory)
17
(42.50%)
11
(27.50%)
7
(17.50%)
3
(7.50%)
1 (2.50%)
10
1
(2.50%)
Ed Freeman
(Stakeholder
Theory)
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
0
(0.00%)
1
(2.50%)
9
(22.50%)
Agree
Strongly
Agree
17
10
(42.50%) (25.00%)
Ayn Rand was not indicative of the thought of most, with nearly ¾ disagreeing or strongly
disagreeing, and only 2 people agreeing. Those figures were almost reversed for Pope Benedict.
Milton Friedman was not much more popular than Rand, although Ed Freeman scored better
than His Holiness Pope Benedict! This may show the widespread popularity of stakeholder
theory in business schools.
Challenges at Business Schools Today
When asked “In your opinion, what is one of the most significant challenges faced by
business schools/departments in trying to incorporate Catholic Social Teaching in the
curriculum? The answers varied widely. The most cited issues were:
1.
Competence: Finding faculty who know the tradition
2.
Buy-In: Lack of fellow-faculty or administrative concern or understanding of relevance
of CST
3.
Not marketable to students who tend to be business majors, or to future employers
4.
AACSB standards and faculty promotion/tenure structures do not reward work in CST
The challenge of competence is very real. At business school Ph.D. programs, future faculty are
not taught Catholic Social Thought, nor are they encouraged to pursue it. So it is only if the
individual has a personal interest and has at some other time studied Catholic Social Thought
that they will actually have competence. But as the other listed challenges indicate, 18, 19 and
20 year old business students aren’t usually going into business because they want to live out
their faith through business and change the world for the better, per se. And our administrators
and the faculty who teach those 18, 19, and 20 year old students often have not ‘bought in” to the
importance of CST in many of our CSB’s. In addition to that, many feel that businesses do not
recognize the importance of hiring employees who understand Catholic social teaching values,
and it may be seen by some as a distraction, or worse. As one person put it, “Many companies
wouldn't necessarily see any particular value in obtaining graduates who think a lot about the
poor --the direct relevance of this to being a successful company is not necessarily obvious.”
Finally, with pressure to meet AACSB and rank/tenure requirements, many faculty focus on the
top journals in their narrow field of study and do not pursue publications in faith oriented
journals. In fact, that would be seen as potential career suicide, particularly if one wants to leave
open the door to move on to a non-Catholic school.
Some conclusions:
While of course this study has data from only 43 Catholic Universities and colleges in the
US, given that that there are just under 250 such degree granting schools in total, according to
the U.S. Council on Catholic Bishops (US Council Website). So we have data from just over
17% of all Catholic institutions of higher education, many of which do not have business
departments. From our data, we can draw some conclusions:
11
Other
3 (7.50%)
1.
There are many innovative things that some Catholic institutions are doing to help
students learn about CST, but there is a general sense that we are not nearly where we should or
could be.
2.
Many CBS’s appear to rely heavily on BE classes and/or general university curricula and
extra-curricula to provide CST, although it is doubtful that the business ethics classes regularly
provide any specific CST teaching, if any faith-connection at all.
3.
It is quite difficult to find faculty who are qualified or interested in teaching CST, and
some of that is likely to do with the ways that business school faculty are educated.
4.
Many business faculty colleagues don’t see the value in teaching CST in the business
curriculum.
5.
There is little incentive (and perhaps disincentive) from AACSB accreditation standards
and tenure and promotion standards to encourage business faculty to pursue academic research in
CST.
Problem 1: Without active integration and application, students education may remain
bifurcated/schizophrenic, as the Naughton quote above put it.
The solution must be to have more active Integration of CST teachings and values into the
curricula somehow. Some of the examples provided were:
a.
Service learning in city or abroad. Service learning is done by secular schools as well,
but Catholic institutions can provide a tradition of reflective practices which can help a student
get more from these experiences.
b.
Collaborate with other departments/colleges and collaborate with on-campus centers:
Many times there is not a lot of collaboration between theology and business, or philosophy and
business, and so resources available are not utilized. These bridges take time and effort to build.
There is often a lot of misperception and even honest disagreement to get past.
c.
Incorporate essays on CST into courses: This is a fairly easy practice which can help
orient the discussion more towards CST while also helping students think about how faith can
impact one’s business practices. A few years ago, one of my MBA students who most enjoyed
reading “Vocation of a Business Leader” was a Shi’ia Muslim from Saudia Arabia.
d.
Focus on how business contributes to Common Good. This is something which can
easily be done throughout the curricula, if faculty can start to see it, and begin to articulate the
message of how business does contribute to the common good. Certainly through jobs, goods
and services and taxes, but also through infrastructure, secondary externalities, and philanthropy
and residual philanthropy, the contributions of business to the common good are legion.
e.
Guest speakers who speak to faith: This takes some time and effort, and trial and error.
But it is quite likely that all of our institutions have alum or supporters who are gifted in business
and can simultaneously speak about the importance of their faith in their decision-making.
f.
Social Entrepreneurship, etc.: This is a very popular concept in business-schools
nationwide, and Catholic schools should bring their contributions to this field as well. We should
be the leaders, not the followers, in this field.
At our own Heider College of Business at Creighton, we have developed a VITA tax
assistance program for accounting students who help people with their taxes, our Anna Tyler
Waite Leadership program Level 3 project to help a nonprofit with some task, and we have a
Dean’s honor roll for social responsibility. In addition, we regularly bring businesspeople of
faith into classroom, and most recently we created the Business Faith and the Common Good
Institute which has an annual symposium with guest lecturers and local business people who can
12
speak to how their faith informs their business practices, and how they contribute to the common
good. We also now have a stand-alone Business, Faith and the Common Good course for MBA
and undergrads as well as a course on spiritual vocation. We regularly use CST-related essays or
Vocation of the Business Leader in business ethics classes at the MBA and undergrad levels.
Problem #2: Many faculty colleagues don’t know much about CST and usually don’t feel
comfortable talking about faith and business integration.
1. Most said CBS’s did a better job at teaching about the relation between business and ethics,
common good or the poor than CBS’s do at business and faith connections. And most felt fewer
than ¼ of their colleagues would feel at ease speaking about the relationship between faith and
business. But this should be no surprise: the majority of faculty at Catholic institutions are
unfamiliar with CST (Kidwell & Kidwell, 293, 2006). Why? Simple: Most of our colleagues
come trained in non religious business schools. If we with our traditions don’t integrate faith
concerns– certainly most of their state graduate programs didn’t! If you look at the Catholic
Universities with Ph.D. programs in philosophy or theology, none of them to my knowledge
provide a track in business and Catholic Social Thought—and in a sense, why would they? It is
a niche with less than 200 Catholic colleges or universities having business programs who might
need such specialized faculty. But if Catholic colleges and Universities don’t provide this sort of
future-faculty training, then there will only be the self-taught or previously-taught who will take
is up as a side concern in the business schools—or it will be non-business people who may have
difficulty integrating their knowledge of CST with business practices.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
Solution: Provide Faculty Development Programs and Resources
Since it is quite unlikely that most CBS will be able to find or attract someone whose degree
specialized in CST and business, it is more practical to attempt to educate business faculty postdoctorate. This can happen in a number of ways, including:
Centers, faculty committees to encourage and ID issues
Symposiums, guest speakers for faculty
Faculty in-services, retreats
Occasional luncheon discussions on such issues
Year long seminars for about ten B school and humanities faculties
Prayer/Reflection at B School faculty meetings
Walk the Talk Ethics Luncheons Guest Speakers
Marianist Values in Business Living Learning Community
Marianist Educational Associates in the B School
Providing incentives for faculty to do research and publishing on business and CST.
Provide funding and support for faculty to attend Catholic or Jesuit or Faith-Based conferences
to present. Quite frankly, we already have many opportunities for faculty to learn about best
practices and to share their own best practices, but typically these conferences are attended by
faculty who are mature enough in their career to do what they want with their research funds.
At Heider College of Business at Creighton, one thing many of our departments focus on is
hiring for mission. Just like in business real world, if you hire people who have an interest in
and personally support your mission, it will be much easier to train them and get buy-in. We have
an annual Business Faith and the Common Good symposium each year in the fall sponsored by
Center for Catholic Studies and hosted at the College of Business which brings together arts and
science and business students and faculty. We have also in the past had the business ethics
13
faculty provide mini-sessions to go over basics with faculty on business ethics to make their
‘ethics chapter’ easier to teach. This kind of collaboration is important and helpful for everyone.
The future of CST in business Schools
We know that business schools have often ignored the teaching of ethics and values in the
curriculum, or if they have, it hasn’t been taken seriously (Podolny, 2009) Yet, with the ethics
and social responsibility requirements put on all business schools through AACSB accreditation,
teaching ethics is routine and required, not something which in an of itself would make a
Catholic institution of higher education stand out. And if CST is reduced in our Catholic
business schools merely to the standard business ethics course, then the future is bleak indeed.
Nearly 1/3 of all U.S. colleges have standard business ethics schools. That is nothing
particularly special about Catholic schools (although more of ours do have such required
classes).
Teaching business ethics is required by the AACSB, so it cannot be touted as a
demonstration of Catholic values, per se. It simply cannot be merely that we teach ethics, it must
be HOW we teach it. This includes our text choice—and we must go beyond a compliance
approach. Our ethics teaching must be more than code/rules. We each have a long-standing and
long-living tradition and culture which is a huge asset (Catholic, Marionist, Jesuit, Dominican,
Vincentian, etc.) if only people would learn how to frame it and communicate it to others. We
have living exemplars/mentors/fellow-pilgrims throughout the Christian faith and we can draw
on their examples. Finally, it must include a great deal of critical thinking pedagogy: we must
help our students to be thinking critically against status quo, and able to articulate their views to
others. As Bruno Dyck has pointed out, “There is growing consensus in the literature that
Catholic business schools should teach alternatives to mainstream business theory and practice.”
(Dyck, 146)
Practical Actions
I am tenured and I am not looking to go to a non-religious university in the future, so I
feel complete freedom to pursue some research at the intersection of CST and Business. It is an
intentional decision, and for any business faculty member, it will have to be an intentional
choice. Many faculty feel overworked doing lower-level service classes, and those who do find
time to do some research don’t necessarily pursue CST research. But all of us can make small
adjustments to our teaching—as basic as throwing one CST-business article onto our
reading/discussion list for class. I have found that bringing up the business-faith connection
even for just one day changes the way a lot of the students think about the class for the rest of the
semester.
For those who do have a concern for CST but who also feel somewhat alone in their
institution, it is quite important for them to participate in the conferences and discussion groups
outside their institution. These can often reinvigorate newfound desire to do research and
collaborate with others on academic projects. It is also important to build bridges to other parts
of your college or university where others who are interested in CST might be found. We
business faculty may have some things to learn from the theology faculty, and they likely have
some things to learn from us—new collaborations and ideas may be birthed from those sorts of
intentional relationship-building attempts.
For faculty and administrators who feel some resistance from fellow faculty to be
concerned about CST, it is important to help provide concrete faculty development which really
makes sense for business faculty. It is also important to build up some alum support for CST in
the curriculum, and bring in local businesspeople whose faith informs their business to speak to
14
students and even faculty. Those kinds of events can build energy among students and alum to
want to have more of those types of events, and will help students to think more along those lines
in their other classes.
We all know that higher education is rapidly changing, as is everything in the world. We
sometimes have difficulty just maintaining our balance in the midst of what Zygmunt Bauman
has called our “liquid modern” situation (Bauman, 2000) But if those of us who either have an
interest in preserving the religious identity of our business programs, or who have some ability to
create programs, curriculum, events and articles connecting faith to business sit by idly while our
institutions lose their tradition and historical identity, then it will be, in some part, our own
doing. May God have mercy on us all.3
Appendix A: Ways to Help students see business as a means to help society:
Service Learning
Entrepreneurship with a focus on solving global problems
Economics courses that focus on the environment
Marketing courses that consider sustainability
Through course content that focuses on poverty alleviation
Through a vibrant NetImpact chapter
Through outside lectures
Through campus ministry programs
Through a reflection process in the principles of management class
Our emerging leaders academy
Through collegiate DECA and other service projects
A Business 200 course that gets students involved in the community
A theology/Catholic Studies course that address faith and business issues
Student activism, trips, and special projects
Volunteer and service projects
Social entrepreneur emphasis
Christian association of student entrepreneurs
Primarily through four ‘mission seminar” courses required of all students
Discussion about CSR and related responsible business leadership issues
Free faculty led student consulting projects to help small nonprofits grow
Capstone course
Micro lending involvement via summer trip/course
Integrating Dominican values in the curriculum
Starting a student chapter of “BUILDON” which engages students in working with inner city
youth and building houses in developing countries.
y. “Experiential micro-lending course, where students manage a fund to deliver microloans to
budding entrepreneurs in developing countries. We currently have 78 borrowers in five countries
on 3 continents.”
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
3
A copy of the study with colored graphs and a few more details can be found at the Institute for Business, Faith
and the Common Good at www.businessfaithcommongood.wordpress.com
15
z. Discuss bottom of pyramid in business ethics or other relevant classes.
Appendix B: Best Practices Answers
a. The business faculty teaching in the upper-division core helps students achieve this. We also
incorporate service learning into some classes, such as teaching finance to high school students.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
Business ethics center that helps train faculty to discuss ethics in substantive ways and that
supports faculty research and teaching with small incentive grants.
Students in the learn and serve program work with inner city people who are having financial
and life difficulties. Many work in soup kitchen. Others tutor disadvantaged children. We do that
very well. As for the business faculty at our university they believe that business is to there to
make money. They belittle anyone who promotes a more liberal agenda.
We seek to incorporate more of the CST into all our courses and we have faculty who are
researching this topic and looking for most effective practices our school can use to progress in
this area.
Ashoka social makers
We actively engage with our Center for Community Engagement and our students participate in
their migrant workers and Haiti programs.
na
faculty formation across two years addressing CST faculty-driven integration of CST where
appropriate core, program, and course goals and assessments that always include a dimension we
call 'faith and reason' service learning philanthropy mission thru the whole world every year
abroad experiences to encounter other cultures
Ten years ago we developed a Masters degree in Servant Leadership as a way of integrating
Catholic Social Teaching into a leadership program for those who did not want to earn a
traditional MBA. We have since started a minor in Servant Leadership for undergraduates and
are working to encourage all business majors to take that minor.
Renovation of the business ethics curriculum, more general discussion of the distinctive vocation
of professional programs such as business in the context of Catholic higher education
Our College has an excellent social entrepreneurship class taught by a Jesuit priest. Several
sections of business ethics are taught by outsiders (e.g. PHIL dept.) and are "first rate" in
addressing societal issues.
Student run store that donates profits to social cause
Nothing too Innovative...we cover CST in Business Ethics, we have service learning in a few
courses. Most of our "awareness" programs are college wide and not located in the business
school.
no best practices here
Co curricular program documented by aacsb team in multiple visits
Ability to help and experience poverty issues by participating in trips to Third World Countries
See many of my above answers. We have extensive service learning. Poverty is a theme in our
required introductory management course and capstone course
The department sponsors two service trips with Habitat for humanity, but I'm not sure how much
Catholic identity plays a role.
As a liberal arts school, we are constantly working together in collaboration with other
departments
Service-learning in courses, and also is most active organization on campus.
We have a little service learning attached to some classes, and a handful of faculty try to develop
their courses in line with the principles of Ignatian pedagogy.
16
College-wide moral inquiry courses, one of which students must take as a required, and many
departments have their own moral inquiry courses.
w. Undergraduate program for leadership. Honor roll for social responsibility. Business ethics class
which touches on race relations and global poverty.
v.
Appendix C: Catholic Identity Practically demonstrated:
a.
A substantial attention to ethics in the curriculum, through supporting faculty research and
course development in ethics, through course content that focuses on the purpose of business
beyond the Shareholder Maximization ideology, through a culture that makes it easier to address
questions of the responsibility of business for the effects of its operations.
b.
c.
Only through the learn and serve program (students volunteer in the community.
Our Catholic Identity is present in our classrooms and each Principles class begins with prayer,
as well as a recall of the foundation basis the course uses to develop business leaders. We also
weave our Benedictine values into our syllabus, and discuss those values in human formation.
1. Business Ethics course 2. Bus. 200 that gets students out in the community. 3. Strong Liberal
Arts core, although the core does not always foster Catholic identity. 4. Bridge course that
connects faith and business 5. Liturgies, retreats and other spiritual opportunities 6. Special
lectures and talks that address the "higher calling" of business people
I would say that the culture, particularly the Benedictine culture, permeates all aspects of our
business education
Our Jesuit values are integrated into all of our courses.
There is more emphasis on ethics and social entrepreneurship than in non Catholic institutions.
with the college mission
Only in a marginal way
we have a very strongly orthodox status, we attract students with passionate belief and are
seeking out their calling, to use their talents to be creative change agents; students receive a very
strong Catholic core curriculum with 18 credits of phil and theo... additionally our faith
community is vibrant (3 masses each day, standing room only, in a chapel that fits approx 300
persons)...
Significantly in metro areas, less of an impact on other campus locations.
The curriculum is based on the foundation of Franciscan values
We use ethics courses, business core courses , service learning, service projects, co-curricular
programs, speakers, symposia, ethics luncheons intentionally spaced through our four year under
graduate program.
The mission of our university is to "prepare students for lives of faithful service and ethical
leadership." The business school curriculum has been designed with that mission in mind.
Reflected within discussions regarding values. We are careful not to preach.
Principally in the one business ethics class; indirectly through various co-curricular
programming, which however is generally optional for students to attend
one of our 8 required abilities is valuing in decision making where we teach students to examine
the impact of decisions on multiple stakeholders. Implicit is a focus on creating leaders who will
improve the common good and the organizations and communities where they work and live,
The Catholic identity of our business school is mostly shouldered by programs/courses that are in
other Colleges or are extra-curricular. These external involvements for students are encouraged
by B-school leadership, but the business faculty does not do very much.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
17
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
aa.
bb.
cc.
dd.
ee.
ff.
gg.
hh.
ii.
jj.
kk.


Our mission statement makes a particular note of ethics and social responsibility as the context
of the entire business program.
Indirectly in some courses
Embedded in select courses.
Marginally, up to each faculty member even though we have a strong mission and identity focus
on Catholic education
Mission statement
Integrated into the mission and the values of the university. Discussion of The values and how
their demonstrated throughout the curriculum.
I consider the business ethics classes in our curriculum to be "secular". Our Catholic Identity
college wide is at best marginal and there is no integration of CST and business at all. I am
slowly integrating CST and virtuous behavior principles into the graduate program but in a way
that builds awareness of this alternative mindsets.
The B-School is focused on the 5 core values. Beyond those values, rooted in the Dominican
tradition, we do not advertise them as being Big C "Catholic", instead we emphasize small "c"
"catholic".
Our core curriculum - required of all undergrad students - is the primary vehicle for this. We
struggle with the "Catholic identity" issue - it has been part of our strategic plan for years.
Students are well versed in the Catholic and Vincentian tradition of the school. That mission is
part and parcel of most of our offerings
We have a strong identity that influences everything we do.
It influences hiring of faculty, curriculum, attitudes toward students...
Very little. They are versed in the Jesuit model of business ethics in the required business ethics
course at undergrad and graduate level and there is the presence of a few strands of CST in a
couple of courses. But, at end of day, doubt the education our student receive differs noticeably
from that which they would likely receive at a secular institution. If they see our catholic identity
AS A business school, it is mainly through our presence in the larger university which has a far
more substantial Catholic presence.
Our business college mission is oriented around the Jesuit values. With that in mind, our
interaction with students is very focused on the individual person, and we often will bring up
concerns of the social impact of business on society. A number of our classes (particularly
business ethics) consider writings of the church in relation to business practice.
gateway or capstone courses in the entrepreneurship program
aspects of the entrepreneurship course
principles of management class
aspects of other various courses.
Others suggested programs, co-curriculars, and service learning projects, a student run business
on campus that donates profits to a social cause, and “an Annual Business Plan Competition with
150 applicants last year” as means of introducing social entrepreneurship to students.
Appendix D: Answers about Challenges
AACSB standards that drive faculty to focus on narrow topics.
Finding ways to translate the religious frame for faculty with more secular approaches,
even when those might be sympathetic to the broad themes of CST. The need to hire for mission
and to train and support faculty who wish to broaden their classroom discussion beyond
shareholder primacy.
18


























We live in a world dominated by right wing conservatives. Students, by far, are very
conservative, as are most of the faculty. It is all about the rich wanting to stay rich and keeping
the poor from getting a fresh start. I have been called a socialist and communist by my students
and my faculty colleagues.
A comfortable factor of introducing and being able to discuss the content on a clear and concise
basis.
In general, there is not a lot of hostility to CST, but most business faculty know little about the
tradition. There is no reward structure to encourage them to engage in this tradition. Most
schools do not have a preferential research agenda that would address the questions throughout
this survey. If they did, we would most like have more faculty addressing the questions.
finding faculty who know the tradition
diversity
Labeling it as such rather than making it about the philosophy
A number of professors do not see the need or the relevance of doing so.
getting faculty buy-in
faculty expertise or perceptions of inadequate capability
Getting students in the door....
Balancing CST with business expectation for graduates who also understand traditional
shareholder value perspectives. Need to find a balance.
Fact that competent, ethically-oriented faculty have had so little exposure to ways of raising
issues of ethics and of business public responsibility in their courses due to lack of or
insufficient coverage in PhD programs for many years. Candidates and New hires show an
abetment of this issue.
Finding qualified faculty to teach it in a compelling and competent manner.
Preconceived notions of what this means . . .
Faculty ignorance, indifference, lack of imagination, plus pressures of accreditation and
competition from other schools
Teaching students the need to lead to balance the competing priorities to grow organizations and
to do good.
The incorporation of CST and other person centered ethical perspectives cannot be voluntary.
Catholic B-schools must have the moral courage to mandate that these issues be covered in
business classes by the faculty as part of the College mission.
I do not believe students who are interested in majoring in business actively seek out that aspect,
as a result, it is not a marketable characteristic.
already crowded curriculum
Faculty who don't believe in the philosophy.
Educating the faculty to deliver this message
Faculty with ability to incorporate and knowledge of disciplines are in very short supply.
Finance students are not going to be "convinced by philosphy type only fiances type
Ability of faculty to articulate the issues and values in a way that makes them relevant in the
classroom
A lack of awareness of CST; how business would look if CST was incorporated; a radically
secular society and student body that sees no realistic value
Mentioning Big "C" Catholic is a huge issue, which we do not address, though our lovely core
values are deeply Dominican. My guess is that about 30% of our students are Catholic.
Pressure of college finances - moving more students through the pipeline (lower admission
standards, shorter curriculum, fewer "unpopular" classes)
19






•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cynicism about the role of the Catholic Church in society.
Acceptance by employers
The term can turn students off.
Faculty willingness. We need a firm commitment to hire faculty who are not only willing but
eager to teach the various business disciplines in the context of an ontology of business
thoroughly informed by CST. Short of that, we will never be able to fulfill our mission as
CATHOLIC schools of business
Compromising with faculty members in Finance dept, who stubborn enough to maintain the
shareholder value maximization belief system. Also, dean or dept chair's passion and
leadership are critical.
Many companies wouldn't necessarily see any particular value in obtaining graduates who
think a lot about the poor the direct relevance of this to being a successful company is not
necessarily obvious.
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