Corporate Social Responsibility and Job Choices and Selection of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Students and Managers: The Case of Maastricht School of Management (MSM). (Published)
During the MBA experience, the minds of business students who can become mangers are expected to be opened to new ways of thinking about business, and as well their personal responsibilities as future business leaders. Companies are proficient at providing products and services that society needs, suggesting that smart business leaders might view social and economic problems as business opportunities. The capacity and openness of business leaders to recognize and act on these opportunities and responsibilities could greatly shape the course of continued development. Furthermore, as business students and managers learn about alternative business strategies that embrace corporate social responsibly (CSR), it helps them to understand the nature, costs, and benefits of CSR-related activities; and thus better decisions of the types of firms with which to be associated with. Understanding therefore, how business students and managers view CSR and how the business school culture and content shape them has potential value to various stakeholders. In this view, we use in this study questionnaires to gauge MBA students and managers perceptions on issues related to job selection of students and managers; the factors considered as very important in identifying a well-managed corporation; and as well the benefits of CSR in the business setting. The findings reveal that most managers and students agree that their MBA experience has significantly increased their CSR awareness. Implications of the findings for CSR management in companies are drawn.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility Awareness, Job Selection, and MBA Students.