Professional Management Code: the MBA Oath

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Professional Management Code: the MBA Oath

Doctors and lawyers have been taking a professional oath for many years. A similar initiative (on a voluntary basis) is recently started for MBA graduates, by a group of Harvard Business School Students.
If you graduated from any business school (whether recently or years ago), you can take the following oath (short summary) on mbaoath.org:
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. Therefore I will seek a course that enhances the value my enterprise can create for society over the long term. I recognize my decisions can have far-reaching consequences that affect the well-being of individuals inside and outside my enterprise, today and in the future. As I reconcile the interests of different constituencies, I will face choices that are not easy for me and others.
Therefore I promise:
- I will act with utmost integrity and pursue my work in an ethical manner.
- I will safeguard the interests of my shareholders, co-workers, customers and the society in which we operate.
- I will manage my enterprise in good faith, guarding against decisions and behavior that advance my own narrow ambitions but harm the enterprise and the societies it serves.
- I will understand and uphold, both in letter and in spirit, the laws and contracts governing my own conduct and that of my enterprise.
- I will take responsibility for my actions, and I will represent the performance and risks of my enterprise accurately and honestly.
- I will develop both myself and other managers under my supervision so that the profession continues to grow and contribute to the well-being of society.
- I will strive to create sustainable economic, social, and environmental prosperity worldwide.
- I will be accountable to my peers and they will be accountable to me for living by this oath.
Are you welcoming this initiative? Should it be extended to include all (senior) managers? Why (not)?

		Comments by date▼ Comments by rating Rating
		2 Anthony Belon, Malaysia
	MBA Oath - an Added Value When values are what we believe in, then the values govern how we behave. The MBA Oath is an innovation to create value for holders of MBA - sounds good and fine!! The acid test is not in the Oath but in honest answers to the questions by those oath-takers: (i) "Who do I lead and serve?", and (ii) "Where to and for what?" - As a man thinks so he is!

		1 Josemejia, Ecuador
	Continuous Ethics and Altruism I believe that integrity and practice of ethics and altruistic service, all the time, continuously, in all of our current and daily tasks with ourselves and with others, shall bring the world to a new and better order of things.

		2 Leigh, Australia/China
	Ethics Oath is Meaningless Without Consequences This oath has been around for years. The number of MBA under/graduates that are willing to sign this oath are incredibly small. Ethics and the lack of them is a major problem in all areas of business and government. The Hippocratic oath is taken in China, but it is meaningless as there are NO consequences for its breach. Maybe there should. Maybe the consecquences of unethical behaviour in business should have dire consequences as the effect on the general public is just as serious as doctors'. Have a look at the present predicament. Much of it has been caused by unethical and illegal behaviour.

		1 Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, Nepal
	Ethics and Responsibility Depends NOT on Oath Yes, the progress and development of any society, company and country depends on the practice of people to follow ethics and responsibility. It depends not on oath, or any signed paper, but in the cultural lessons and inner conscience of people.

		1 Keith Spicer, South Africa
	Use What is Available If saying these words gives someone a nice warm feeling in the pit of the stomach, then let them find solace within. But anyone who is basically unethical, genetically or through upbringing, will gleeful mouth the words and proceed on their merry way. There are ‘partially’ scientific ways of assessing a person’s level of ethics and integrity. Until we have more reliable methods, use what is available, by force if necessary, to prevent rotten apples from growing upwards and reaching the tops of the trees.

		1 Paul D Giammalvo Professor and Consultant, Indonesia
	Code of Ethics of SCCE While I think Codes of Ethics are a good thing, I tend to lean more towards Keith or Leigh's views. The Code of Conduct/Code of Ethics that I like and am advocating project managers adopt is the Code of Ethics from the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE). Pay special attention to paragraph 1.4. This is the ONLY Code of Ethics/Code of Conduct I have ever seen that expects the subscriber to actually quit his or her job if the company fails to follow her/her advice.

		1 Ornelas, Brazil
	Ethics & Competition in Industries Each industry found it's values. But in 2009 what we really understand is that stuff (service & production) must be made or provided where it can be done best and for the best price. Our industries' ethical procedure are reduced to that fact. I believe so.

		0 Patrick Crockett, South Africa
	Ethics Movement in South Africa Corruption is the scourge of South Africa - and, perhaps in many other countries as well. It has been said that for evil to prevail good people must just keep quiet. In South Africa a movement called Unashamedly Ethical has been started. I would urge any who are concerned about ethics to visit the website.

		1 Bulisa Nazo, South Africa
	MBA Oath and Servant Leadership The Oath is a good thing, only when those who take it respect, abide and live by it. The challenge that we are faced with, in the African Continent, is the answer to this simple question: What is the...

		1 Osano Kute, Kenya
	MBA Oath also for Non-Profit Use The Oath is perfect for government officers and there is also need for reward and consequences for or failure to abide. With very few modifications, it can fit perfectly under work ethics attached to ...

		2 Benard S. Otube, Kenya
	MBA Oath is not the Main Issue The main issue is not about not taking the oath. Anybody and everybody can take the oath. But as it were, out of a man's heart comes out the issues of life. Oaths can't change a man's attitudes. It is...

		1 Dr.Goli, India
	MBA Oath should be Mandatory In present days of total self orientation and globalization, the MBA Oath is to be made mandatory for all the MBA people. One should understand that business is nothing but life. The ISB's and JNTU's...

		2 Decoodt, Belgium
	Management Has Nothing to Do with Ethics The simple fact that such a thing emerges from Harvard Business proves how unscientific all this MBA and MBA alike schools are. People do MBA "studies" just as a personal investment in order to grow ...

		1 Salvatore Decarlo, USA
	MBA Oath versus Today's Financial and Business Realities As I read the MBA Oath above MBA are held to a standard ethical standard requiring basic honesty, fairness and focus the long term greater good. Unfortunately too often in business personalized benefi...

		2 P Kamesh, India
	3 Stages in Ethical Way of Working The mere thought of an idea like the MBA oath has been projected because people felt that there is something that is happening which is not professional by MBA graduates. The feeling expressed here is...

		2 Prince Philip, India
	MBA Oath Brings Long Term Profit Ethics will bring long term profit....

		1 Ajaegbu Uzochukwu, Nigeria
	MBA Oath Meaningless Without Determination Many people in government offices or in places of responsibilities who take oaths breach the ethics of these oaths. MBA oath will be meaningless if those who take it do not first determine in them to ...

		1 Richard, UK
	Take an Ethics Course Besides the MBA Oath Any oath is meaningless if the person taking it has few ethics in his personal value system. On my MBA course it was a requirement to take an ethics course. That in my view would have more value, as ...

		1 Patrick Heenan, UK
	Treat Ethics as Branding Ethics I feel, should ultimately be synonymous with branding. In recent times, companies that state clearly on their products that materials are ethically sourced in some way and benefit the producers...

		0 Olamilekan Kayode, Nigeria
	Oath Taking Oath taking has no relevancy in the current macro-economic stabilities. Because of non-implementation by those in the decision-making level, either in public sector or private sector....

		2 Pam Davou, Nigeria
	The Value System Determines Adherence to Oath Oath taking is something anybody can do without having any sense of responsibility. What is most important is the value system of the locality where such an oath is taken. In Nigeria for instance, pub...

		1 Paul Ojambo, Uganda
	Ensuring Adherence to Professional Ethics An oath can only be meaningful if there are stringent measures in place that can ensure that people always leave up to their promises. I think what should be done by our academic institutions is to pe...

		2 Zen Benefiel, USA
	Code of Ethics and Behavior in Construction As I understand ethics, they are the behaviors we show up with in any environment and are consistent with our values. The disparity, if any, reveals the gap in our values. I facilitate road and bridg...

		1 Mehak Vaswani, India
	Ethics in Business An oath is a guiding factor for our code of conduct. We all do believe in integrity, trust & doing our work with utmost honesty & sincerity. It's an initiative in the right direction....

		0 India, Raj
	Ethics Can Not be Taught Ethics can not be taught, it is an inherent value which comes with the way of upbringing, otherwise all the top managers would show highly ethical acts free of scams....

		0 Cesar Alexis Viteri Perez Ecuador
	Ethics Can Be Taught If human beings cannot learn new things and behaviors... Then mankind has not any hope....

		1 Shuvalov, United Kingdom
	Oath and Ethics in Business I consider that MBA graduates have influence on society development, as other specialists have. The health of society depends on doctors, it's us that determine its welfare. The present oath will allo...

		1 Mohammad Basharat, United Arab Emirates
	Professional Ethics It is a strong basis for long term trust building, whether it is in a business, profession, society, games, friendship or any kind of relationship. Without ethics, life would be terrible. Though ethic...

		2 Radha Raj India
	MBA Oath is Too Broad and Inconsistent This MBA oath is too broad and sometimes conflicting, as interests of all stakeholders would not be the same. As director of a business school in India way back in 1999, I had motivated my students to...

		2 Isabel Silva Carvalho Director, Portugal
	Ethics Oaths are Sound Bites or Maybe Just Being Naive Is it truly possible to accomplish, for instance, "... Strive to create sustainable economic, social and environmental prosperity" with "I will safeguard the interests of my shareholders..."? I don't...

		1 Samir Desai, India
	Ethics and Mankind @Cesar Alexis Viteri Perez: Human being has progressed, because mankind learns. There may be a sense of despair or hopelessness, but no one can doubt the innate strength of mankind to learn and better...

		1 Radha Raj India
	Ethics Oath can make a Difference This ethics oath is good, though far reaching. Even if some managers remember, think and act accordingly, they can make a difference in their work environment. Yes, there are workplace dynamics and st...

		1 aloke mookherjea Director, India
	Ethics and Oath Taking by Students Not a bad idea. Young minds will absorb this also. But the point is: Those who already took such oaths and have been taking it for decades, do they go by it? The famous Hippocratic oath, is it practi...