Business School of the Future

Already in Operation

Charles Mercieca, Ph.D.

President

International Association of Educators for World Peace

Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education,

Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament

Professor Emeritus

Alabama A&M University

            Several years ago, in his commencement address at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, the institution’s President made the following remark: “What are our institutions of learning doing? Some of the most sophisticated crimes committed in this nation come from former students of ours who graduated summa cum laude!” If we were to go somewhat deeper into the matter we would soon discover that our institutions of learning tend to give our student merely knowledge of the various subject areas offered.

Improvement in Teaching Priorities

            This approach is in itself defective in the sense that there seems to be hardly anything done to instill in our students the responsibility to use such knowledge positively and constructively. Every instructor needs to develop for the students a code of ethical behavior in a way that the respective subject area could be used later in life to this end. In this way, any involved subject area would become a means to an end and not an end in itself.

In other words, every subject area should be taught in a way as to have the individual behavior of students affected in a very beneficial and constructive way. In essence, this is what ethical behavior is all about. It consists of learning how to take responsibility in everything we do and undertake. It consists of seeing to it that in whatever we do we always keep in mind the universal welfare of all people, and not merely the welfare of some to the exclusion of others.

 Besides, it also consists of making our motivations stimulated by altruistic purposes and not by egoistic or selfish ones. Eventually, this will be the dominant trend of the future schools at all levels of education. Although the various departments and schools within a college or university are all important in their own right, yet, the schools of business should play a vital role when it comes to ethical behavior.

This consists of good conduct in our respective communities where everyone is given the opportunity to grow and develop in accordance with one’s individual talents. The schools of business are singled out to be of paramount importance in this respect because they deal directly with the making of money and the accumulation of wealth by their very nature. As we all realize, for the past several centuries, people have tried various jobs in life not for fun but for the expressed purpose of making money and accumulate wealth so that they could pay their bills, live in better houses, and secure more comfort in life.

Ethical Behavior at Work

Unfortunately, many have developed the habit to make money and become rich through the exploitation of people. This is certainly unethical especially when we think of the proverb: What goes around comes around. Even in the Holy Scriptures we find that whatever we do to others, it would sooner or later be done to us. Both Jesus and Confucius have warned us to do to others what we would like others to do to us. Although this sounds simple, in practice things are different. This is not because the things we face are difficult and complicated but because our present generation of adults was not trained in their school days with proper ethical behavior.

Nowadays we do find some departments and schools of business, particularly in private institutions that are beginning to focus on ethical behavior in some of the courses they teach. This is certainly highly encouraging and it is a good step in the right direction. However, there is one school of business that from its very outset always put top priority on ethical behavior especially in all business transactions. We are referring here to the SBS Swiss Business School of Zurich in Switzerland. This newly developed school, which is increasingly developing cooperative programs with other similar institutions from across every continent, has attached great importance on the ethical behavior in business ventures.

In fact, such a school makes it clear with its students that it would be far better for each one of them to make merely $100,000 dollars a year with fairness and honesty than making $10,000,000 dollars a year through dishonesty and corruption. Also, it makes students understand that those in business that make money through the exploitation and suffering of people are bound to loose their inner serenity and peace, elements that cannot be bought with all the wealth and money in the world. Several years ago a study was made on suicides committed in Europe. It was discovered that percentage-wise there were more suicides committed among the rich than among the poor. That’s why they say that money can buy a house and a car but cannot buy happiness and peace.

Besides, the SBS Swiss Business School teaches its students that money made out of the exploitation and suffering of people may be viewed as blood money which is cursed money. This is especially so when weapons and war material is involved in business transactions that may generate enormous amount of money. We all know the story of Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus of Nazareth and caused his death as a result. He betrayed his master for 30 pieces of silver. Soon afterwards he felt remorse and returned the money to the Pharisees proclaiming that Jesus was innocent.

Avoidance of Future Regret

Needless to say, we all know the reply Judas got: “That is not our concern!” Then, turning to the money that Judas threw on the floor the Pharisees said: “Let us not touch that money for this is blood money!” Judas found the hard way that he could not turn back the clock of history. The SBS Swiss Business School in Zurich helps its students in developing a strong sense of business ethics through which they may develop a better sense of fairness and justice in dealing with others in their business ventures. This school demonstrates to the students the wisdom that “prevention is better than cure.” It is much better for us to avoid an illness rather than to let ourselves fall a prey to illness and afterwards we have to sweat hard to get over it.

In its cooperative programs with other institutions of learning, students have the opportunity to get two degrees instead of one almost at the same time. The SBS Swiss Business School concentrates simply on the coverage of an entire prescribed program. There is no requirement as to the number of courses that could be taken under the direct auspices for this school. This Swiss school exists primarily not to make money but to create a new generation that is capable of promoting good and cordial relations where people everywhere could live at peace and on a mutually beneficial basis. All of its students are offered a Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate degrees in Business Administration. However, they are all required to write a good comprehensive thesis under the direct auspices of the SBS Swiss Business School itself.

Unlike the business departments and schools of the vast majority of institutions of learning, the SBS Swiss Business School does not require its students to repeat courses taken elsewhere as to generate money from them. It teaches students by example revealed in tangible actions that the dedication and service to others should always occupy top priority in their lives, even if they were to generate less money for themselves. In view of this, we may begin to see clearly as to why the SBS Swiss Business School has emerged to be the business school of the future. As time rolls on, more and more business schools around the world are bound to follow its footsteps. After all, it is already in operation.

mercieca@knology.net