Bill Valentino, an MBA from Thunderbird, writes about the importance of
importance of CSR and Communications in the MBA’s toolkit.
Communication is an important aspect of a organization’s toolkit and so is for any MBA graduate or a manager. Bill suggests the basics that “Teaching future managers the tools needed to promote a product, a service, or the organization is aimed at ultimately achieving business success, a good image and creating, maintaining or protecting a valuable brand”
In his rather long article he explains why communication is a reputation-building tool and connects it to the CSR aspects of business. As I have mentioned before, CSR is too mushy to be a real sustainability tool for any organization.
He concludes:
It needs to be emphasized that aligning CSR and Corporate Communications in the MBA’s toolkit is not about public relations and publicity. It is about the perceptions that for a large part are the products of CSR, the actual transformation of what companies say they are in into actions that have a beneficial impact on society as well on the business.
Before we align CSR and Communications in the MBA toolkit the more important aspect is aligning sustainability into the MBA tool kit. Connecting strategy and sustainability, supply chain and sustainability, finance and sustainability and then when real work has happened it needs to be communicated.
One good aspect of this area is that once the tools and knowledge are gained in the MBA it can be easily applied in the sustainability field. What is required is updating knowledge of the field and a chance to work in any of the areas.
Most of the MBAs are still lacking any kind of sustainability aspects. Communication, in my view, is the least of the worries.
