Reality Education Student Comments

STUDENT COMMENTS
Non-Compete Project (Summer 2005)

I. MBA 8030 CLASS - Anonymous Questionnaire

1. Comment on whether you prefer working on Theoretical of Real World application projects in the MBA program. Explain.

I believe that it doesn’t matter on which application you work on. Theoretical applications are for the most part based on some real world experience. In a theoretical situation though, you can simulate more situations in one case instead of looking at several different cases.

Real world application. It’s more interesting.

Real world applications. I think with real world applications you learn about the way things have been done in the past and the outcome. So, you know what works and did not work so you can learn what to do the next time instead of having hypothetical situations.

I prefer working on Theoretical application projects. However, if the opportunity arose to work on a real world project (through school) that would be interesting as well.

I enjoy the balance of theoretical study infused with real world application in most every course. TO completely emulate the real world would remove the need for formal education. School provides insight into deficiencies in the real world. Yet, theory without real world application is pretty idealistic and useless, unless of course business students’ ultimate goal is merely education.

I enjoy working on real world application projects as these allow me to apply a principle in class to a real situation. Also, applying a real world application is a good learning tool for me.

REAL WORLD!!! Without a question, real world application projects mean more to me, make me work harder and stay with me longer.

Real World – Theoretical is a waste of time in graduate school unless you dealing with technology.

I prefer real world projects because then you can apply class concepts to actual situations which are much less predictable.

If it is pure theory, it can be difficult to figure out how to apply it to real life. However, real world can be a bit overwhelming. For me, the ideal would be to start with theory and move to real world. I like crunching numbers, but it’s not always useful.

I feel the real world applications are more beneficial because there is a greater chance of using what you learn.

Real World applications are sometimes more difficult to gather data, but, they sometimes mean more.

I think that working on real world projects is more beneficial to students in an MBA program since at this stage of their academic career they are more concerned with learning new skills and mastering the tools already familiar to them so that they can be directly applied to their current or prospective work lives.

Real world application projects provide a better basis for doing business in the real world.

I like to use real world application. It is interesting to see what you think should happen but doesn’t necessarily. It also illustrates the fact that there are not necessarily right answers when it come to law.

I prefer real world application projects. It’s like I tell my undergraduate interns who start their first day with us, full of book knowledge. It’s all well and good to understand basic concepts and spout back things you’ve learned, but it’s knowing how to use this knowledge on a day-to-day basis that really helps.

When you use a real world application, you can draw comparisons to your own experiences or sometimes identify with the facts presented.

I like working with theoretical application and how they work with real world situations. The problem is a high degree of ambiguity. However, real world situations have a high degree of ambiguity.

I feel real world application projects are more interesting and relevant. It gives us the chance to understand real situations that have occurred and understand the results of the situation.

Real World Application projects. You can apply these to your own situations instead of guessing how the Theoretical projects apply.

Real World; it gets you used to dealing with ambiguity, assumptions, etc. that are necessary in “real world” applications.

Real World. It is easier to understand and put in perspective.

Real world application. It is easier to tie real world examples to my career. Learning by history.

Real World. Real world is more practical. In addition, we can learn from others mistakes.

Real- Has more practical application.

Real World.

I prefer real world application. I believe the purpose of MBA studies is to take your real world experiences and apply them to what you are learning in the classroom. You then take what you are learning and improve your knowledge on the job.

I think real world application projects are better since it allows for better degree of information to research, and the fact that business is a hands-on subject that most works in the real world.

2. Can general business ethics be “taught”, or is this something that you either have or don’t have by the time you enter an MBA program? Explain.

To some extent ethics can be taught, but the burden really lies on the individual. I believe that you can learn from a different perspective other than your own and choose to incorporate that into your beliefs or simply leave them out.

Yes. The fine lines (grey area) can be made more clear. Whether someone is moral or not is not something that an MBA program can change.

I think the application of ethics in business can be taught. However, I think that people are already ethical or unethical people by the time they reach the MBA program.

Business ethics can be taught to an extent. However, I imagine that no matter how much you taught the crooked leaders of WorldCom and Enron they would likely continue to conduct business as usual (i.e. just as usual). It’s always worth a shot though.

Ethics can be taught. Many of us so-called smart people can easily be misled. Exposure to situations will help professionals recognize scenarios in which ethical behavior is likely to be questioned.

Business ethics are derived from core morals of ethics, so there isn’t too much that can be taught in order to improve someone’s business ethics.

Ethics can’t be taught (we learn these in our formative years), but ethics can be improved through real world examples and discussions with out peers and professors.

The idea behind ethics can be taught. Examples can be given, however you need to be born with a sense of character. You can teach the consequences of your actions.

I think it can be taught. However, personal ethics play a big part of it.

Things like what is ok and not ok are good to reinforce and adjust someone’s sense of ethics.

A bit of both.

As adults, our morality and our views on ethics are largely set before we set foot into the classroom. It is unlikely that any particular class will drastically change these views. However, discussions on topics that we haven’t really thought about might broaden our views and make us consider different points of view. We might not notice all of the consequences of an action and as such might not find it to be objectionable until we see it in the larger picture. For those people who may be amoral, throwing in a bit of enlightened self-interest doesn’t hurt. However, I don’t think you can teach people who are immoral to have good ethics. I don’t think the Ken Lays and Bernie Ebbers of the world would have been fixed by a course or three in ethics.

Either you have ethics or you don’t… you can be made more aware of them and what they are, but you cannot be made into and ethical person.

I think that general business ethics can be taught if it’s taught in the context of logic and based on traditional philosophical theories concerning ethics. That is, how would an altruist handle a Kmart problem and could the argument be justified as being logically sound?

I think it’s really a little of both – pointing out unethical behaviors may have the result of causing a person to consider their actions.

The ideas of ethics can be taught, but whether or not you adhere to them cannot be. Just like you can tell people what is right or wrong but not everyone is always going to do the right thing.

I do not believe that business ethics can be taught. To me, it’s something you have either always had or will never have. Business ethics is just another way of saying common sense and decency. True, people can make errors due to lack of knowledge, but generally people have a sense of right and wrong.

I think “general” ethics can be focused on and issues that may not have ever been considered can be considered. Basic ethical standards are inherent in each individual but depth of out understanding of situational applications of ethics can be developed in class.

General business ethics can be discussed and taught to some extent, but a majority of people learn the difference between right and wrong as they grow up. Situational factors will always affect what a person thinks is right or wrong, so I think it’s a tough subject to teach. For and educational setting I think it is more “food for thought” than anything else.

I think you have a general idea of the right business ethics by the time you enter the program. However, it is always interesting to hear other’s views on the topics during class discussion.

You should either have it or not by this point. The “rules of the game” can be taught however whether the person chooses to follow them or not is the real question.

Ethics are pretty well established. Allowable bending is something that can be taught.

The basics you just have, similar to any other set of ethics. Most students in the MBA program have at least minimal work experience. The day to day applications at work teach the “general” business ethics.

The foundation of ethics should be instilled way before an MBA. But learning what kind of unethical business decisions have been made in the past is important to study.

Have or not, this is something you should have learned in kindergarten.

It is something you have or not.

A person learns to be ethical before he even begins his career, it comes from how one is raised. I think the MBA program can teach someone the effects of unethical behavior, but how eye opening it is depends on the individual.

I think some things can be taught as far as complex topics are concerned and the gray area of the legality/morality are concerned.

3. Do projects in the MBA program have any resemblance to working in a business team environment? Explain.

No, you tend to be courteous of your fellow class mates because you don’t want to be responsible for a bad grade. It is rare, to me, for anyone not to perform well on a group project. At work people don’t seem to care as much. In school everyone is of the same mind set, usually, for bettering themselves. In some work applications people are just there to collect a pay check.

Not really. A project in the MBA program is a forced grouping of individuals with very different backgrounds and skill levels. There is less motivation to pout together a good work product and less time to get together.

I think a little bit, but I think that people are much more liable for completing assignments in the work place. In school people may slack off and give responsibility to others more than they would in business.

Group projects resemble real business team environment to an extent. Some people put in a lot of effort and others let everyone else carry all the weight.

Yes. People procrastinate in school and in business. Being effective in either scenario requires learning the work habits and skill of one’s peers. Likewise, fellow students often have access to resources that can greatly improve the output of the group.

Somewhat… in a business experience you generally have a good idea of your teammates’ skill sets. In MBA group projects, you often have no idea of the abilities and knowledge of those you are working with.

Yes. Anytime you have to consider inputs and personalities of others, you’re in a group, and any group experience can be compared to (and in some way resembles) any other group experience.

I doubt it. For business teams, you’re typically in the same location all day long which makes asking questions and swapping information easier. However, designing MBA projects where the work can be split up fixes this and makes it 100% easier.

They are similar. Real professional projects tend to be easier because employees have a larger incentive to play nice.

Not really. In a business environment, people generally have defined roles and leaders. There is (by standard or by evolution) a certain way to do things and a history of what has happened before. People know their jobs. In the MBA program, you get thrown in with people you don’t know and perform a task that is somewhat unfamiliar.

No, because group projects in school are not a priority like it is in the world. In school, you have so many other things going on that group projects are a nuisance.

No not usually, teams in the MBA program usually get along and agree with each other a lot more than real life.

In cases where group members are assigned they do resemble the real world since in the real world it is unlikely if all your friends would be working in your company and be assigned to the same projects. In addition, the real world is full of time constraints and conflicts especially since cross functional groups often bring together varying styles of time-management in terms of length, frequency and form of meetings.

None whatsoever at all. Business teams tend to formed by groups who actually have stake in the results, beyond finishing the project. The people tend to have differing individual agendas related to the project, and the project will do something for them. The major difference is the ability to call on outside resources for expertise or to accomplish certain tasks.

On a personal note, if I never do another group project, I would be a happy person.

In some ways. We do a lot of presentations at work where each person contributes pieces. In that respect it is similar.

Group projects in the MBA program to me only slightly resemble group projects “in the real world”. I work in a project office, and we are dependent on many people across the corporation to provide information and input. My experience with MBA group projects is that you are only as strong as your teammates and it can be difficult to pull up a lagging member. In business, there are consequences for your actions other than a grade.

I personally am not a fan of group projects - I don’t believe that they add a lot of value to the experience. Individual projects allow a person to adapt to the needs of a professor but still allow for a person’s unique style.

Thou I have no real experience working with team projects in a business environment, I would assume they would resemble the team projects pretty well.

Yes, there are some aspects that are similar such as organization, planning, and executing. However, I think most of us that are working and going to school at night find it difficult to fully participate in a group. In a previous semester I was a group where 2 individuals could never meet with the rest of us due to conflicts (family, work, etc.).

Yes. There is someone who doesn’t mesh with the group (like in real business). However, my team was great for this particular project.

Not really. First of all, it is difficult to get a group together for an MBA project, where as at work if it is something important enough or something due, everybody is there to work on it. Secondly, people generally break group projects into individual assignments anyway and put it together in the end, so group projects really aren’t group projects anyway.

Yes, coordination of time.

Yes, there is some resemblance. Our work environment is based very much on the team concept. We collaborate, develop solutions, and conduct peer review. This project was very similar. We each conducted separate parts, met together to collaborate and finalized with peer review/editing.

Not really. I can’t speak for those in corporate America. I’m a financial consultant. Most these projects differ greatly from my day to day work.

No and yes. Real teams are much more difficult to assemble.

Yes, there are deadlines and each member has responsibilities.

Yes. It is extremely important to be able to effectively work in a group environment. NO one is expected to be an expert in everything, so we thus have to rely on others to get a job done. Working on group’s projects in the MBA program allows student to increase the skill of effective teamwork, which mimics how it is done in a business environment.

To a degree, yes. But it depends on what the project is. There is usually more collaboration in business environment.

II. MBA 8030 ONLINE CLASS

1. Comment on whether you prefer working on Theoretical of Real World application projects in the MBA program. Explain.

I prefer theoretical projects. I know that many people
are going to say that they prefer real world projects,
because they give real world experience. This may be
true in some respects, but I feel its still a hugely
inaccurate statement. Real world academic projects, in
my opinion do not give you any real experience as it may
apply to a job. In the absence of this main benefit, I
tend to enjoy theoretical projects because they are more
controlled.

Theoretical projects can be implemented in a much more
controlled manner, where it can be ensured that students
gain exposure to all the concepts and ideas that they
are intended to. It was my experience, as an
engineering undergrad whose education was heavily
theoretical, that students who were first educated in a
theoretical manner learned to apply these theories to
real world problems very quickly. It seems that
theoretical students are at a disadvantage at first, but
as they gain real world experience from their first job,
this disadvantage quickly evaporates. After a little
time, I think students with a more heavily theoretical
education tend to come out ahead of students with a more
hands on education.
I definitely prefer working in real world applications
in the MBA program. At this point in most students'
lives, there are aspects of our experience that are
applicable to classroom topics and are more effectively
learned through the sharing.

This class is a great example of where applying real
world examples is beneficial. In the news, business
dealings and personal experiences, all of us are touched
by the legal system. Any topic becomes more interesting
when you can apply the knowledge you learn to these
real-world occurrences.

I agree with ---, however, that theoretical
applications are often necessary and, in some
circumstances, better. The need to demonstrate a
specific example that might not be an everyday
occurrence and/or are too abstract to clearly relate to
the real world are cases in which theoretical examples
are more beneficial.

I prefer real world applications, but not to the point
that we miss the overall theories in a class. This is a
large concern for the mini-mester classes, as a large
multi-week group project could eclipse half of the
course, or at least half of the time we have left in our
brains after jobs, etc.

But overall, I am excited to be back in school,
specifically for the paractical experience. As a
"distracted" communication major in undergrad, I left
wishing I had some more applicable buisness
knowledge...

I prefer theoretical projects, though for the most
part, there has been little difference for me thus far.
I enjoy marketing and I especially have enjoyed times
when we are given a random product and try to come up
with ways to market that to customers.

I prefer working on real world projects instead of
theoretical projects. I just find that in real life
there are several unique obstacles to overcome and there
is almost never a clear right or wrong answer. Real
world project tend to bring these out, while theoretical
projects tend to lead people to believe that there are
cookie cutter answers to all problems. Also, these real
world projects provide real proof of what can happen if
certain decisions are made (or not made), while in
theoretical projects, no true outcome is ever known for
certain.

I suppose I do not have a preference, but rather which
ever is more appropriate for the class. Many times a
real world application would require much more of a
foundation in a particular area in order to model or
understand the problem. By using theoretical situations
for projects, you can ensure that the objectives of the
class are being taught and you gather a general
understanding of the subject area. For example I have a
computer science background so all of these business
classes are brand spanking new for me. In the core
economics class, I felt if we had not concentrated on
text book problems I would never have gathered an
understanding as to how the market operates and its
influences. However we took real world articles and
applied our text book theories to generalize what was
going on in those articles, but you need a foundation.
Almost all of my classes I have really enjoyed the
theory, but that could also be my background. You
always start with the theory in CS and mathematics.
This law class has been the first one I have encountered
where I would lean more towards using real world
examples for projects. I lot of the concepts I did not
understand until I saw how the law or statute was
applied in a case. But still, you need that foundation
of the terminology to even get to that next level.
Also, I found for classes in my concentration, business
analysis, that a real world application in a project is
more beneficial because the ability to model and analyze
real world data is the skill-set I should come out with
in my concentration.

I prefer working on real world application projects in
the MBA Program. To me, they are more realistic and more
applicable to my life. Understandly though, not all
things can be taught straight through real world
projects and theoretical projects need to be used.

I think real world projects are much more beneficial
to the student and to the company the student works for.
I think that if you can incorporate the theories and
practices along with a real world application the
learning is enforced that much more.

I also think applying the theoretical knowledge learned
in the classroom to real world projects is more
representative of what your performance will be in the
workplace. You can pose, postulate and discuss
theoretical projects and cases to your hearts content.
However, if you can apply the theories we learn to real
world situations, and implement, track or measure the
results, the learning and benefit is increased
tremendously, even if the application fails. I think
there always needs to be a dose of reality when
executing or implementing anything. Sometimes time the
most automated way or the fanciest way of doing
something is unrealistic to implement or fraught with
complex issues or high costs. I think small iterations
(small wins) of implementing, measuring and correcting,
in the long run, have the most lasting effect.

Real World projects may be more difficult to grade and
to administer and our MBA classes seem to be on very
tight schedules (feels like we are drinking from a fire
hose most of the time). Additionally, it is probably a
little more difficult to do a team project at one of the
team member’s company’s. However, I hope in the future
there is more of a balance between theoretical and
practical application of our learning.

I have to say, it depends. So
far, given the structure of this MBA program and the
fact we're part time students holding full-time jobs,
theoretical projects seem to be more practical and
efficient. I've enjoyed the ones we've done so far.

Throughout the MBA courses I have taken the projects
that have been more interesting and beneficial are the
ones that present real-world situations and provide an
opportunity to work in a more business-like environment.
Although theory is definitely important in building the
base of education at this level I appreciate the more
realistic projects that can help students in their
careers.

I think theoretical projects are better because we
have the ability to think about and solve a problem
where we don't already know the answer. In the case
where we have a real world problem too often we look to
the actual solution and this clouds what we do.

I much prefer working on real world application projects
as they are more, well real. Theoretical projects are
often too clean while in real world cases you can often
opine as to what will happen and then go back and see
what actually did happen.

For me working on theoretical or real world projects
depends on the class. If I had to choose then I would
perfer real world projects. I believe Real world
applications teach students things they can actually use
in their careers.

I enjoy using real world applications simply because
they are for lack of a better word "real". In
theoretical situations we can always say that while it
seems great on paper, it would never happen in the real
world. By using real world applications we are better
able to handle real life business situations that
constantly come up in our working environment.

I prefer real world applications. It is easy to
design an exercise that will highlight key concepts in a
theoretical project. Generally, I have found the real
world applications are not as obvious as those in the
designed project. For example, understanding product
liability might not be difficult, but in the context of
the HomeDepot/Isuzu case it is more difficult due to the
number of parties involved and circumstances surrounding
the case. As a result, a real world example forces us
to look at many angles that may be overlooked in a
theoretical case.

I am at the end of my MBA program here in GSU, with
summer 2005 being my last semester :-). Anyways though I
support a lot of the views presented on the bull,
personally I've felt that theory is something that gives
you a good foundation and helps you in taking the right
actions in practical situations. I've had some
experience in working in a practical environment before
coming to the school and my expectations were to learn
textbook concepts so that I understand that my thoughts
and actions are according to the industry and market
norms. But I would definitely make a point here...
During the beginning of the MBA program, I felt like I
was learning a lot of good concepts and theories. But
for the past two semesters as I was nearing my
graduation I realized that a lot of theory discussed in
the latter courses was redundant with what I've already
learnt in the earlier courses and there were so many
times that you feel frustrated as a result. We do pay
very heavy tuition for attending the business school and
the least you would want to do is to learn things over
and over again. Thus, I would really emphasize that
people drafting the MBA curriculum should carefully take
that into account and ensure that instead of teaching
the same thing it would be more helpful to students to
give them other hands on skills and practical experience.

In the MBA program, I really enjoy working on the
theoretical application projects. As a part-time
student, I am already granted a nice long week of
real-world experience. I feel the theoretical projects
give the professors the ability to tailor the project to
teach the students a specific topic or theory. Most of
my professors seem to edit real-world examples into
theoretical projects. The benefit is that the scope of
the project can be narrowed for a 6-week or 14-week
class, the subject matter can be tailored to a more
specific topic, and the students learn alot. So far,
I've enjoyed all these theoretical projects.

Working on real world projects is much more
enjoyable. We are supposed to be in the MBA program to
learn how to better perform in the business world, and
theoretical projects usually have a large disconnect
from what happens in reality. Thus a theoretical project
might provide you with a good exercise for your mind,
but does not usually translate into useful experience
when you enter the real world.

At the point that I think most students
should be pursuing an MBA - I believe real world
application is more of a learning experience and
intriguing for the students. Most students in a good
MBA program should have real world experience as a
result, they need real world application - where the
endings aren't always known or planned. This approach
to teaching allows the students to expand their minds
and become creative in developing solutions for problems
that companies maybe facing on a day to day basis. Thus
the student walks out of the program with the
application of tools used through their learning, they
alos have learned how to think and what questions to ask
when using these tools and lastly they have evidence of
understanding which they can use and put back into the
work place. Theory and teachers who only think and
teach theory, (a major problem in research institutions)
cripple a studnet because they don't know how to think
in a business situation where all the data is not
presented and many assumptions have to be made and
weighed against the priorities and busienss plans of the
business.

2. Can general business ethics be “taught”, or is this something that you either have or don’t have by the time you enter an MBA program? Explain.

General business ethics cannot be taught to someone at
this level of education. Business ethics can be given
definitions, and placed into categories, but are nothing
more than variations of the same ethics you were taught
as a child. You should already know that it is wrong to
lie, cheat, steal, etc. If an MBA student does not know
that by the time he reaches school, good luck teaching
it to him in a course.

Granted, there are some gray areas where it is not so
clear cut what is right and wrong. These are great for
discussion, but of little value to someone in making
ethical business decisions later on in life.

I think that business ethics are largely ingrained in
who someone is before they reach the MBA program.
Whether through upbringing or personal ethics, people
generally have thier own idea about morals and ethics in
the business environment. I do feel, however, that MBA
has an important responsibility in covering the topic of
ethics as it relates to different aspects of the
business world and management. By continually pointing
out consequences and providing examples of how to handle
situations ethically in the business environment, the
program will help students to make better decisions in
the future. If anything, these examples will make
students aware of morality and ethics in the workplace
and perhaps lead them to think more and differently
about decisions.

Fundamentally, no, ethics cannot be taught. If you're
willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, you're
just going to be one of those people. However, because
the specific rules and expected behaviors stemming from
accepted ethics in business can be tricky, we do need as
much instruction as possible to navigate the gray areas.
This can occur from real life examples.

I think general ethics cannot be taught. In cases
where corporate executives have committed fraud, they
knew what was wrong and right. However, they chose the
unethical way to operate. School would merely teach what
behaviors are wrong, but they already knew the ethical
way to run their business. It's an ingrained behavior
that is present over teachings from professors.

I beleive ethical guidelines can be put in place in
the MBA curriculum. But I don't believe that business
ethics can be "taught" at this level. By the time a
student reaches the MBA curriculum, he or she already
has been exposed to enough situations that a mindset
towards certain ethical actions in different situations
is already engrained. Certain changes in a persons life
can change these beliefs, but a taught curriculum will
have little effect (especially if the student is taking
the class for the sole purpose of receiving a passing
grade vs. taking the class for the sheer enjoyment of
the topic). The MBA curriculum does, however, define
these ethical guidelines out for students so there are
fewer "gray" areas for them. It may also provide
insight into the consequences of unethical behavior that
may not have been previously known and could deter some
poor choices.

I absolutely
believe it can be taught. People oftentimes confuse
ethics with morals, which I think are different. People
can have what they consider their “morals” which tells
them right from wrong, but business ethics is an agreed
upon way of interacting and performing your work.
Ethics can evolve as society decides what is ethical or
unethical. Not only is ethics something like a
professional organizations’ guiding principles in which
when you learn and apply them you have now acquired the
business ethics of that particular profession, but you
can learn business ethics by just studying the concepts.
You do not realize something is an ethical dilemma
sometimes if you have never encountered the situation.
I have had classes where we discussed agent-principle
relationships about a CEO, shareholders, bondholders,
and it would take half the class period for everyone to
understand where the dilemma came into play. Is that
because we must be corrupt because we did not have this
innate ability to decipher the conflict of interests?
Nonsense. One day society may feel that today’s CEO
salaries as compared to their lowest paid workers are
unethical, or our work conditions are unethical, or who
knows? The point is business ethics is something
learned and it is ever changing. In fact, someone’s
morals may be in direct conflict with the business
ethics, but in the work environment everyone is expected
to abide by the agreed upon way of doing business with
each other.

I don't think business ethics can be 'taught'. I think
ethics, business or not, are all learned at an early
age. From there, you apply to your life and job. But I
do think, having ethics in the curriculum at least let
people discuss what they believe and maybe it will open
eyes to different iteas, ways of living, etc.

I don’t believe ethics can be taught in a classroom but
I do believe ethics are a result of the environment we
grow up in. Our parents, siblings and friends all have
an influence. If anything, the classroom can bring some
clarity to some issues that may be in the gray area by
presenting alternate viewpoints to the student.
Conversely, I don't think some of us have even been
exposed to some of the big ethical dilemmas that more
experience and time will bring. I think anytime you
expose someone to new ideas and concepts that individual
can always learn something new.

In the end, I think the individual will react and make
decisions based on instinct and their own moral compass,
not from something they were taught in the class room.

I think on the most
part, at this stage in our lives, ethics is mostly
already internalized. Sure, we can learn aspects of
ethical behavior but will people actually follow
through if they don't truly believe it? Then again, it's
a subject worth raising in most courses. I mean, it
never hurts to tell people to exercise more, eat better
and sleep more as well.

Even though I do not believe that ethics is something
that can be taught there is value in having ethics based
education remain in the program. While people should
already have the common sense knowledge of "right" and
"wrong" this does provide a good sense of real world
ethics.

General business ethics can be mentioned but I don't
believe that the way a person will react to a business
situation can be taught. We are taught how to handle
ethical situations as we grow up. We will not change
how we handle this just because of something we learn in
an MBA program.

I think that ethics
cannot really be taught, but the classes can show the
issues that actually come up and how to handle them
without crashing and burning in the process. Kind of
like an aircraft simulator. If you make the wrong
ethics decision in the real world in can ruin you life.
If you do it in the classroom, you can then learn from
it.

I don't belive ethics and be taught. We are all adults
and we know the difference between right and wrong, yet
business people still make unethical decisions. Even
though ethics can not be taught I still believe it is a
good idea for ethics to be a topic for discussion in the
MBA program.

This is a particularly difficult question to answer. At
first thought I would think "ethics" are something you
either have or you don't. What you learn as a child and
in the playground at school seems to impact a person
later on in the business world more that one might
think. On the other hand, if a person was somewhere in
the middle of the road as far as ethics, then learning
about them in an MBA class might sway them one way or
another. So while I think ethics are a learned function
they can be taught as well in certain instances.

Ethics cannot be taught, but can be expanded. I
believe by the time you reach an MBA program your
personal guiding principles are developed, but the way
you approach situations can be honed. The discussion
among peers adds perspective to situations and forces
you to look at issues in a different light which may
sway your decision. The new decision is still based on
those guiding principles but is aided by the new
information and angles provided by MBA classes.

I agree with --- on this point. People do confuse
about the relative difference between the terms "Ethics"
and "Morals". I would like to make an additional point
here. That besides this some of my friends might still
argue that they are one and the same thing... there is
still a need to teach and incorporate these concepts as
part of the MBA curriculum and that is because before
one joins a graduate business school they do come from
different backgrounds, different cultures, different
religions etc. The meaning of General Business Ethics
can be surprisingly very different for these different
cultures. One's personal understanding of Ethics neednot
be the one that is universally accepted. I believe that
the MBA program has a huge responsiblity here of
bridging that gap of understanding and bring everyone
entering the business and corporate workforce on common
grounds of understanding of the concept of Business
Ethics.

Core ethics, like not stealing, lying, or cheating,
cannot be taught at our age. Ethics involve so many
gray areas, and that is where the learning opportunites
exist for MBA students. Students can study different
ethical dilemmas that fall within these gray areas and
review real-world examples of how managers dealt with
the issues and what the outcomes where. I believe this
type of learning also helps the students develop
analytical thinking and reasoning.

I think that rules of business and law can be taught,
but ethics are grounded in a much deeper philosophic
moral premise of what mankind is and how it exists.
Morals are a code of values to guide man’s choices. The
science of ethics is the discovering and defining such a
code. I have yet to attend an MBA class that has done
such a thing. In our current class we have defined a
legal code, and the rules associated with it, but this
is not the defining or discovery of a moral code.

Ethics can be taught because man is a creature of
reason, and his moral code is defined by the reason
inherent in his mind. If a person has not paused to
define this code for his or her self, then ethics can be
taught to this person because his or her code is without
direction and he or she addresses every issue
pragmatically.

Defining business ethics is a pointless endeavor because
it is just a subset of the larger moral code guiding a
person’s actions, and thus would be incomplete if taught
independently. To teach ethics, the full scope of man’s
actions and method of existence must be considered and
addressed. There are very few philosophy classes that
adequately address the subject of ethics, let alone any
MBA classes.

Cliche says to thine ownself be true and I
think ethics by defintion are subjective to the morals,
values and the experiences of a person. So in my
opinion they can't be taught in MBA school. The
foundation is way to thick for some people at this point
and learning of a new defintion of ethics for themselves
is like changing the stripes of a zebra when it is
mature. However, I do think that the values and moral s
that make up ethics can be challenged in a intellectual
envirnoment where the student is open to critism and
learning. In this way - ehtics can be shaped in such a
way where the studnet chooses to change for the better
or the worse.

3. Do projects in the MBA program have any resemblance to working in a business team environment? Explain.

Yes, they do. MBA group projects force you to work
together to achieve a common goal. This often involves
splitting up responsibilities, doing individual work,
relying on others, integrating your work with others,
dealing with others, and many other principles of
teamwork. Learning to work with others in this way is a
very valuable skill that some people never really
develop.

The actual details of how you work together may be
different in the different situations, but the essence
of teamwork is very much there in both situations. That
is whats important in my opinion, teaching students the
essence of teamwork.

It depends. I have worked on group projects where there
is no clear division of responsbilities. In these
projects, there is no way to delegate without one person
taking on the bulk of the work and coordinating with the
other group members. This is similar to the work
environment a lot of times, but in real world work
situations, I feel that the person who steps up to
contribute the bulk of the work usually is recognized
(it might take awhile....) for their efforts and
rewarded. In a group project like this, everyone puts
their name on the project and little notice is taken of
individual contributions.

For this class project, I feel that because the sections
were easily devisable, it was a smooth project -
everyone was assigned their pieces and the group knows
who is responsible for which section. This is similar
to my work environment - if your piece is not taken care
of, you are held responsible.

They can but aften don't because of the external forces
that occur outside of school. Some people aren't
looking for the same grade, or are having other stresses
at work or home that cause their priorities to shift.
The largest difference is that often a group leader is
needed but there's no incentive to be that person unlike
your job where being the leader typically pays more ;)

Additionally, the need to collaborate over email and few
group meetings is harder than a typical project among
co-workers.

I think that, for the most part, they do. In the
working world, we have to separate our tasks to
accomplish them. In my past projects, that is how many
of them work as well. However, one difference is that
at work, we are often already acclimated to the habits
of others. That isn't always the case in the MBA
program, so it's more of a surprise in knowing what to
expect from teammates.

I don't believe group projects in the MBA curriculum
resemble those in the working world. Not all
jobs/industries/companies are the same, however, most
all have office politics. Office politics can lead
individuals within a group to seek something different
from a project from the other individuals in the group.
For instance, a task team consisting of an engineer,
line worker, and a purchasing person may tackle the
issue of improving a manufacturing line. The engineer
might want to achieve goals beyond the initial goals to
look good for his boss. Meanwhile, the line worker just
wants something that will be the simplest for him to use
so he can post fast manufacturing times. Finally the
purchasing person might have aspirations to move into
engineering and may use this as an opportunity to show
off his skills in that area. Therefore the three
individuals have one goal, but different visions of how
reaching that goal will make them appear to others. In
an MBA class the only goal is to get the best grade
possible, there are no other concerns.

Again, I have a wishy-washy answer, sometimes
they do and sometimes they do not. A lot more is
expected in today’s business team environment. Many
companies include team level metrics in their
performance reviews. When you have that level of
accountability, you usually have more engaged teams who
are actually operating as a team in solving the problem
together. That is very different in how it usually gets
done for a class project. We usually divide the effort
up and try to mesh it all together at the end. That is
just individual efforts with usually a designated member
of the team putting the team’s single project together.
The times when it is like a business team environment is
most often when we operate in teams during class. We
are bouncing ideas off each other, pointing out in the
textbook or other sources why the solution should be
this and not that, while working toward a common goal.
We learn in the organizational behavior class that a
team by definition must be interrelated with a common
set of goals and objectives, or it is not a team. In
fact, my org behavior professor would not give us a team
project because she thought that a semester is not a
long enough to create a cohesive, functional team. I
would agree, it is not really being a team with the way
we do MBA team projects. It is more a way of taking
work that is too much for one person and dividing it up.
Usually on the due date you get to the see the final
product, but rarely are there any interdependencies that
arise that force more interaction. On a personal note,
on the first day of each new class I quickly scan
through the syllabus to see if there is a dreaded team
project, and sure enough there usually is. Sigh.

Group projects, in a way resemble working in the
business team environment. Each project usually has a
manager or boss that leads and divides sections, etc.
And then there are deadlines that have to be meet. Also,
everyone had to learn from each other's ideas. But, its
not like the business team environment because group
projects in the MBA program have more schedule
conflicts, and time constraints. During work, you have a
40 hour week to work on the project and you're there
during the same time as the rest of you co-workers. On a
team project, its' hard to find time to get everyone
together because everyone has classes on different
nights, etc

I think this is an interesting question. My first
reaction is no because there are clearly different
agendas during the pursuit of an MBA. Some are in it to
get by, some are going for an “A” and some are in
between. I have been very happy with the team projects
I have participated on so far. I know that some of my
colleagues in other programs aren’t as happy.

I do believe that the interactions are quite different.
At work we are with our colleagues for more hours in a
day than we are with our families. We participate on
multiple projects with the same people and we gravitate
to what we are good at and co-workers that produce good
work. Maybe over time you can get to know everyone and
what strengths people have; however, in general there is
not enough time to figure out who is good at what in
this program. We also don’t usually have an opportunity
to improve on it a second time around. Maybe my opinion
will change after I get more into the program.

I think in many ways they do. You have a
deadline, you have to work with disparate people who
you may not know well, you have to plan and organize
and split responsibilities. And in both cases, you
sometimes have folks who don't pull their weight.
Obviously, the stakes are somewhat different -- grades
vs. improving a company's product or impressing the boss
or sundry other goals. And group projects in an MBA
program are usually much shorter and simpler. But
again, so far, it's been a good learning experience.
Given our part-time status, I bet it was a lot tougher
to coordinate before email...

The group projects that I have worked on have
typically been similar to work projects. There are
times when the projects have been purely academic but
overall the projects have been helpful in providing some
real world experience.

Only in the instance where there is a clear cut
leader. Too often groups don't have a leader and the
project just gets done because everyone needs to have it
done. In projects where there is a team leader and time
during class is given to work on the project resembles a
work experience much more.

I guess they do, but frankly they are one of
the biggest pains of the entire program. while you do
have to deligate and rely on others, you have no
recourse if someone completly slacks off. In the real
world you would.

For the most part I belive the MBA group projects have
been similar to working in a business team. Most of the
MBA projects I've worked on have giving me some real
world experience.

I tend to think they don't resemble each other, because
in the real world there is already a group leader,
usually one with high seniority. Usually, a high level
person sets up a meeting, sets an agenda, and assigns
the workload and due dates. Most of the time in an MBA
class there isn't a set leader. You have 3-5 students
that are all on equal footing. This can cause a problem
if people have different ideas. For this reason I find
group projects at school to be much different that group
projects at work.

Yes. In general team projects in MBA classes do
simulate real world projects. Time restrictions,
priorities and outside activities all factor into
projects in both worlds. In both cases there are people
with different objectives from being a star to going
along for the ride. In the workplace and the classroom
the success of the group may be tied to a few
individuals but the entire group gets the recognition.
The one significant difference is the interaction with
the boss, or in the MBA case the teacher. At work my
boss expects some type of progress report periodically
which is a necessary gap in the MBA projects.

I have personally experienced the situation as ----
discussed here. Fortunately/Unfortunately I've been a
member of a lot of project teams where my friends were
so busy with their own lives (personal or related to
work). Ultimately, I had to take the charge on several
occassions to ensure that our project was completed due
on time and was a true representation of our efforts.
Though, there were a lot of guys who might have
benefitted with this where they didn't contribute enough
and still got the similar grade as other team partners.
I feel the whole idea of coming to a business school at
a graduate level is learning above the grades. A
graduate with MBA is certainly not hired by looking at
their transcripts and grades but what kind of leadership
that they can demonstrate in practical life situations.
Thus a person who volunteers to lead and take the charge
would definitely grow as an individual and feel more
comfortable in his future responsiblity as a manager of
a firm/company. Thus, I strongly feel that there is a
lot that one can take out of the exercises and projects
done at the grad. school.

Yes. In a team environment, you need to effectively
communicate ideas, manage the group's workload, and
resolve business and team member issues. Most groups
don't agree on every aspect of the project, so members
need to learn how to resolve issues and complete the
project before the deadline. Team projects in MBA
school and work are extremely similar to each other.

I think that in the MBA environment there is less
accountability for individual members of a group. In the
real world, there is a central authority that will be
able to address any shortfalls by an individual in the
group. Also, members of the group are typically more
polite and helpful in the MBA setting (at least relative
to my experience in the work world).

In the real world projects are of the scope that groups
are vital to completing the task at hand. The MBA
program seemed to assign projects to groups, which often
times could have been easily addressed (both time wise
and organizationally) by one person.

Not in my opinion, group projects at work
are far less stressing because they have some type of
personal impact/gratification. The group projects at
school never really force you to deal with the issues
that come through politics at work. So the environment
is not the same. Throughout my MBA career here at GSU,
I have thought many times that the group projects were
just a check mark for instructors - not a tool really
being used to develop the skills needed to be a
successful teammata and/or participant in the group.
Noone changed the game in the middle of the project or
created an environment which simulated the real work
environment. At the end of the day - you got to meet or
not meet when you wanted to...there were no reports outs
that challenged your progress...there was budget given
or resources given or taken away...it wasn't real as a
result it wasn't the best learning experience that I
had. However, it was a way to get to know other people
and learn how to network - but that was the only good
thing about them to me, since most people relied on
their strengths and worked in the areas they were strong
in and contributed to the team only in those areas. So
efficiency was the rule - not learning!

* * * * *

SAMPLE STUDENT COMMENTS
GATEWAY PROJECT (2001)

I asked traditional and online students to e-mail me project feedback about the Gateway project after the semester, in learning principle categories centering on Critical Thinking Skills. Below are some excerpted responses.

1. Engaging Students to Learn from Each Other

The outcome of having a diverse (socially, economically, ethnically) group of people interpreting the same article was a vast array of diverse interpretations. This is a critical understanding that must become a component of decision-making when a project is targeted towards a large group of people. It also showed how we tend to think in terms of our own social, economic, and ethnic characteristics and are blind to others. The ego at its best.

This project required that we work with others—typical of an actual business management situation—which forced me to work interdependently with my team members (contrary to my preference for solo projects). Throughout the process, we had to critically evaluate each other’s work in order to submit the result of our best collaborative efforts. Again, these skills are essential in the real world.

2. Real World Application (Reality Education)

Each word [in the contract], with its relation to others, had to be scrutinized as to its general meaning, perceived consumers’ interpretation(s), overall significance within the contract, and its impact on the company and the consumer. Not an easy task.

The Gateway Contract project was most relevant in preparing me for a career in business management because it used an extremely real life situation and required me to use interpersonal (or “soft”) skills, communication skills, research skills, critical thinking, and information learned in class to deliver a high quality solution within a short period of time. This is exactly what is required of managers in their everyday roles in the business world.

It became quite clear upon reading the original contract for the first time that its sole purpose was to protect Gateway with little protection or benefit for the consumer. At that time I owned a Gateway computer and, of course, had never read the Services Contract. I felt somewhat trapped. I realized that if I ran into problems and/or needed assistance, it would be non-existent or the cost of that assistance would be my responsibility. For any transaction to be successful, both sides must feel they are better off after the transaction is complete. Considering one’s actions on others is not just sound business sense but a basic principle that defines morality. By the way, I now own a Dell.

The use of the existing Gateway Services Contract proved that the topics we were discussing in class were not isolated in academia, but had beneficial applications outside the classroom.

3. Whether it is Moral to use one-sided contracts

When a customer or a business partner feels that he/she was somewhat mistreated in the contract, was forced to it, and stays unsatisfied, you might get his/her business once or twice, but not for long term. Essential portion of any successful business -trust, will be gone or damaged.

Yes, of course, the necessary legal clauses between the customers and your business should be in place to protect you from potential harm. However, if you consider yourself big enough to force your conditions of business one-sidedly upon your customer/business partner, then you might lose potential future business.

4. General Business Ethics

The primary lesson learned regarding business ethics is that one of the first things a business must do at inception is create and implement its code of ethics. These should be revisited periodically to ensure they are current and exhaustive. They should also be clearly communicated to employees, customers, vendors and all other company stakeholders. The code should become the litmus test of every business decision.

Having integrity and sincerity towards customers and business partners is essential, if the objective is to be in this field long term avoiding surprising roadblocks.

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