China to train business leaders in ethics

Senior officials of the Chinese government and administrators from the country’s leading business schools have combined to create a far-reaching responsible business project.

The aim of the project, being called the Chinese Business School Initiative, is to produce business leaders who have the ethical frameworks, knowledge and skills to run successful enterprises, contribute to social progress and improve environmental conditions in China.

Judith Samuelson, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s business and society programme, which hosted the meeting at which the project was set up, said: ‘As the private sector grows in China, the government, media and general public are raising expectations about the contributions that business can make to the harmonious society.

‘For the private sector to help to drive productive and sustainable development of the Chinese economy and society, business leaders will need a new array of skills. Chinese business schools are responsible for educating many of these leaders, but lack focus on business responsibility and opportunity around key social and environmental issues.’

Samuelson emphasized that project workers will collaborate with all involved but will avoid preaching to them.

The project will involve stakeholders representing schools, government agencies and other business education organizations.

There will be five programmes:

surveys will assess the present state of business education and the thinking of students, teachers and businesspeople
an innovation programme will support pilot projects on MBA campuses to find ways of strengthening students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes
an international academic research programme will be run to improve understanding of the role of businesses in building Chinese society and its economy
a public and mass media programme featuring corporate speakers
policy will be discussed continually with business school leaders, government officials and other stakeholders.

As well as the Aspen Institute, the project involves the Chinese organization SynTao, which promotes CSR in business, the Chinese State Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental education and communication centre, the Chinese National MBA Supervisory Committee, Beijing University’s Guanghua management school, Tsinghua University school of economics and management, AACSB International, which is the main international MBA accreditation body, and the United Nations Global Compact. Start-up funding has come from the Citigroup Foundation.