Management Education in the 21st Century

Many of the students taking management are taking it with only one goal in mind: to make money. This ideology is not one which seems to be contradicted in many classes. All management classes are taught to give students the tools to make good and therefore, profitable decisions. Now please do not get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to get ahead in life and live a luxurious life. Having the knowledge and the capability to run a multi-million company is not something that everyone possess, it truly is a combination of knowledge, talent and luck. The issue is that not enough is being taught about, or focused on, the impact of the decisions managers have made, and are making. Not many professors stop to talk about the exploitation of workers or child labor. Not many will take the time to shed light on the horrible work conditions that some workers live with for a reward of less than $1 a day. Within the management programs, there needs to be a greater focus on the consequences of the actions we, as students, will be taking later in life. Many students who are in management want to acquire in knowledge, and therefore the power to make a positive difference in the world. However, there will always be some students who are solely interested in the money-making aspect of business and this vision is not being discouraged but rather encouraged.

My ideal management class would be one that would train students in the field of their choice. The subject matter would be a type of internship. In this course, all students would take a career placement test and based on those results, the students would spend a few weeks at their top 3 “ideal” jobs. This would be interesting since many students have talents or qualifications which they do not know they posses. By being trained and trying different types of professions, students could broaden their horizon and get a better sense of what it is they would like to do with their lives. This ideal class is definitely “out there”, but students would greatly benefit from this type of hands-on education.

Anne