The Sustainable MBA
714 449 1040 www.mixnerstrategy.com
Developing world countries are at risk from diseases that are unprofitable for first world companies to address. Northwestern University is doing something about it.
Faculty from three schools at Northwestern are collaborating with industry and non-profits to identify, develop new drugs or adapt existing drugs to markets that generally wouldn't be addressed (Gentile, 10). They're looking a intellectual property problems, market dynamics, governmental requirements, and distribution problems in new ways, all with the intent of actually distributing products big pharmaceutical companies may look askance at (Gentile, 11).
Sustainable companies theoretically have considered their effect on the environment and are mitigating those effects whenever possible.
Northwestern's program is taking it a step farther. Students learn that, yes, companies must be profitable, and, additionally, there are ways to be profitable that address the normal short term results oriented culture while at the same time remembering that there are long term consequences of their action.
Fuel prices and the carbon footprint problems we are all becoming aware of cause us to look for business solutions to the longer term problems of carbon management for reducing green-house gasses, for instance, or the problems of orphan drugs in third world countries with great needs and little to offer in the way of profits for pharmaceutical companies.
Northwestern it taking a swing at a solution, something we all might consider in the various classes we teach and R&D efforts we lead.
Reference
Gentile, Mary. C. The 21st-Century MBA. strategy+business. http://www.strategy-business.com/media/file/sb51_08209.pdf