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The MBA Oath: Setting a Higher Standard for Business Leaders
"As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater good by bringing people and resources together to create value that no single individual can create alone..."
So begins the MBA Oath, conceived in early 2009 by Max Anderson, Peter Escher, and a team of Harvard Business School students. They saw that in the wake of the financial crisis, the Madoff scandal, and other headlines, MBAs were being vilified. People were angry because business leaders, many of whom were MBAs, seemed not to care about anything beyond their own private interests. Many began to question the worth of business schools and the MBA degree.
The oath quickly spread beyond Harvard, becoming a worldwide movement for a new generation of leaders who care about society as well as the bottom line. Thousands of graduating MBAs have now pledged to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, just as medical students swear by the Hippocratic oath before they can practice.
This book is the manifesto for the movement. It provides not only a strong case for why the MBA Oath is necessary but also examples of how it can be applied in the real world. It will help guide businesspeople through some of the toughest decisions they'll make in their careers.
So begins the MBA Oath, conceived in early 2009 by Max Anderson, Peter Escher, and a team of Harvard Business School students. They saw that in the wake of the financial crisis, the Madoff scandal, and other headlines, MBAs were being vilified. People were angry because business leaders, many of whom were MBAs, seemed not to care about anything beyond their own private interests. Many began to question the worth of business schools and the MBA degree.
The oath quickly spread beyond Harvard, becoming a worldwide movement for a new generation of leaders who care about society as well as the bottom line. Thousands of graduating MBAs have now pledged to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, just as medical students swear by the Hippocratic oath before they can practice.
This book is the manifesto for the movement. It provides not only a strong case for why the MBA Oath is necessary but also examples of how it can be applied in the real world. It will help guide businesspeople through some of the toughest decisions they'll make in their careers.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
2 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 14, 2021
Excellent work on leadership and integrity in the business world. A must read for all managers and MBA students.
June 13, 2010
In fairness, I started skimming sometime around the midpoint of the book after being offended repeatedly. Just because other MBA programs do not highlight ethics does NOT mean that all are deficient. The very first course in my MBA program was ethics and the applicability of sustainable measures is found in each and every course in the program.
I'm sure this book came from a good place, but it reads like all MBA's are selfish infants who are only concerned about money. Perhaps this book is necessary in some circles, but not in mine.
I'm sure this book came from a good place, but it reads like all MBA's are selfish infants who are only concerned about money. Perhaps this book is necessary in some circles, but not in mine.
May 25, 2014
the book all about business ethics in general. what i like most is chapter where author describe integrity-performance paradox in details. most of business driver almost certainly faced this situation. Cases which i found interesting are
1. Enron - on accounting fraud
2. Beech Nut - on prioritizing money over quality
3. climate for Learning Organization - blameless
3. Law bending - pharmaceutical related companies.
4. business mentality of Warren Buffet - 'no no to dishonesty' but tolerable to losing with honors.
5. ethical problems - originate from barrel makers NOT few bad apples
1. Enron - on accounting fraud
2. Beech Nut - on prioritizing money over quality
3. climate for Learning Organization - blameless
3. Law bending - pharmaceutical related companies.
4. business mentality of Warren Buffet - 'no no to dishonesty' but tolerable to losing with honors.
5. ethical problems - originate from barrel makers NOT few bad apples
July 14, 2015
I feel guilty for saying this because I really appreciate the message, but this is possibly the worst book I have ever read. If I didn't have to read it for a class, I would have put it down soon after starting the second chapter.
The reason I am saying this is because they could have written an essay to get this message across, but instead it seems they wanted to make some money by selling a book. The result is a very drawn out, repetitive, and boring book.
The reason I am saying this is because they could have written an essay to get this message across, but instead it seems they wanted to make some money by selling a book. The result is a very drawn out, repetitive, and boring book.
December 17, 2012
This work by Max Anderson and Peter Escher challenges the MBA's of the business world to act with integrity at all times. It challenges schools to promote the oath to their graduates as a a medical school would promote the Hippocratic Oath. This book is an excellent review of sound business ethics and reminds us to handle all of our business dealings with transparency.
October 10, 2010
Loved this book! Reinspired to do great things. Summed up by this quote: "Do no pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for power equal to your tasks." - JFK
January 12, 2013
What I like most about this book is the basic tenet that is embodied in the necessity of having an oath of ethics that unifies and supplements the integrity of their mission.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews