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o MBA
student would confuse a women’s hospital, a municipal
vehicle fleet, and a sustainability nonprofit for having much
in common—not in mission, not in deeds, and not in challenges.
After all, how do hydraulic lifts and socket wrenches
relate to anesthesia and O.R. scrubs
Sharp distinctions aside, these organizations share a
universal truth: they each serve stakeholders who, however
different, demand that their organizations act in an
ethical, principled manner; in other words, that they practice
corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the spring term,
five Katz MBA students were selected as fellows to complete
CSR consulting projects for Magee-Womens Hospital of
UPMC, Allegheny County, and Sustainable Pittsburgh. The
students reviewed the CSR initiatives of the organizations,
an undertaking in which they straddled the murky line
between the abstract and quantifiable.
Putting in long hours that made the fellowships feel
more like an internship than a class, the students developed
sustainability frameworks, interviewed stakeholders, benchmarked
similar organizations, and pored over reams of
data. The work required identifying strategic priorities
and measuring how well clients lived up to goals; it meant
thinking big picture and providing the numbers to back it.
After months on the job, the students presented boardroom
recom mendations to their clients.
“It’s been an outstanding opportunity for two graduate
students to impact the environment of a corporation that
calls Pittsburgh home. It’s not a term paper; it’s real,” says
Katie McLay, who along with Brian Burley, worked on the
project for Magee hospital. McLay is a dual-degree student
also pursuing a law degree and intends to work in energy
litigation upon graduation.
The sustainability projects were funded by BNY Mellon
and administered by the David Berg Center for Ethics and
Leadership, under the tutelage of Audrey J. Murrell, director
of the center and an associate professor of business
administration, psychology, and public and international
affairs. This spring was the second year that student fellows
undertook the projects, and the Magee and Allegheny
County projects were a continuation of the jobs done by
students the previous year. The students, who are known as
BNY Mellon CSR Fellows, were selected following a competitive
application process and received a stipend for their
rigorous assignments.
“This is only the beginning,” Murrell says. “Companies
are paying stricter attention to issues like sustainability
because these efforts have a clear and positive impact on a
company’s reputation and effectiveness. At a time when
many companies expect employees to be involved in CSRrelated
activities, especially for employees approaching
management levels in a firm, our students are at the forefront
of these efforts.”
BNY Mellon provided $1 million to Pitt Business in
2011 to support CSR initiatives. In addition to student
fellowships, BNY Mellon’s funding supports the research of
faculty fellows on three research projects with a CSR perspective.
The funds also support additional faculty research
and have been used by the Berg Center to host the Great
Case ® Business Ethics Competition. The annual case competition,
a spin on the TV show The Amazing Race, is open
to graduate students in law, public policy, and business.
In the Driver’s Seat
BNY Mellon, Murrell says, publishes the gold standard
in CSR reporting. Even still, the company’s
CSR standards continue to adapt, with a focus
today on core business issues such as operational
reliability, ethics, responsible investments, and supply chain
responsibility. “We think of it as a journey. You’re always
evolving and reacting to what stakeholders expect across
the marketplace and with the company. It’s not static. You
must evolve over time,” says Anna Kearney, BNY Mellon’s
vice president of corporate social responsibility.
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