Thursday, April 25, 2013

Religion in B-Schools


I was reading back through an older article today that I realized I had never posted about - the necessity of religion in b-schools (a business week article... read it here). It discusses a viewpoint that I much agree with. We emphasize "global mindsets" and international experience in business school, but we don't require, encourage, or even offer any courses in religion. Much research in other disciplines shows that religion is a core element of a person's value system, and consumer behavior research shows that this value system is what drives much of consumer behavior. So why not educate students in the religious values of the main world religions for students that are increasingly entering a multicultural work environment and companies that are operating across national borders? Even if companies decide not to directly tailor marketing campaigns and ads to certain religious groups, having an understanding of the core doctrine and prohibitions of religions will help companies to avoid taboo topics and prevent messages and products that are offensive to the majority of consumers in a target segment.

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