Business school focuses on ethics
By John Ashley Menzies
Staff Reporter

The M. J. Neeley School of Business is focusing more on preparing students for life after college by modernizing curriculum, said Bill Moncrief, associate dean of the business school.

Moncrief said the new curriculum will add two courses that focus on ethics and leadership along with some minor changes in class descriptions and sequencing.

“We want to modernize the curriculum and help strengthen students and put emphasis on some existing topics that are in the news,” Moncrief said.

Shannon Shipp, a professor of marketing and member of the curriculum task force, said the curriculum has to pass two committees for the University undergraduate curriculum. It passed through the first stage Wednesday and will go through the second stage Monday.

“We looked to see what other schools are doing,” Shipp said. “If nine to 10 of your biggest competitors are doing it, then maybe you want to visit that question.”

The two courses being added to the curriculum will focus on business foundations and ethics, Moncrief said.

“Foundations is, well, the foundation, and you go up from there then understanding what you have when you’re finished,” Shipp said.

Stuart Youngblood teaches the current ethics course that is available but only as an upper-level course. The new course will be taught to business majors in their sophomore years, said Shipp, who will be teaching the new lower level course.

“We want to teach the students how to respond to ethical issues and how to change a broken ethical culture,” Youngblood said.

Moncrief said ethics has moved to the forefront because of the media attention given to many major corporations that have come under scrutiny over ethical issues.

Youngblood said people need to learn to handle everyday issues and not just the big issues.

“People will bring stuff and just leave it on your desk to deal with,” Youngblood said.

Shipp said the changes were made in hopes of helping students and doing what is best for them.

“We want to help them to be more competitive and prepare them better for what they face in the job market,” Shipp said.