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U. of Pittsburgh (Katz)

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U. of Pittsburgh (Katz) Roberto Clemente Drive
Pittsburgh, PA, 15260
United States
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Demographic Information

Number of full-time MBA students (2011): 

120

Number of part-time MBA students (2011): 

152

Total duration of full-time MBA program: 

18 months

MBA faculty (Fall 2010): 

140

Females as percent of student body: 

35%


Description of MBA Program: 

A founding member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) and continuously accredited since 1919, the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business offers an education that meets the highest standards for master’s degree programs in business administration worldwide.  But Katz goes beyond providing a world-class business education; our faculty and staff guide MBA students through a transformation framework that integrates traditional functional areas (finance, marketing, information systems, and management) with key focal areas of the school (globalization, supply/value change management, entrepreneurship) including issues of ethics and corporate social responsibility.  Our expectation of MBA students is that they will undergo a transformation that builds upon a strong academic foundation together with the knowledge and tools to approach business in a different manner than before.  Both curriculum and co-curricular activities are built around the Katz School’s unique “Transformation Framework” which consists of five core categories: (1) Developing Your Best Self, (2) Managing People and Processes, (3) Cultivating Professional Networks, (4) Learning through Experience, and (5) Applying Technical Competence. The MBA curriculum is the central part of the framework, while the co-curricular elements further expand the customized development plan, which is an important part of a Katz MBA student’s transformation experience.



The Katz School has a long history of dedicated teaching and research in business ethics, corporate social performance (CSP), and business-government relations. Thus, the Katz School unites the leading edges of research in social impact analysis with MBA education. Here, creativity in research informs the design and content of our classes. Our faculty are leaders in their respective fields and by design integrate ethics, and social and environmental impacts of business in their classes. MBA core professors are required to report yearly on their efforts of integrating these matters into their coursework. In addition, all MBA students participate in required ethics workshops along with dedicated events and programming throughout their MBA experience.  Together with the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, MBA students are encouraged to explore ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues through project courses, student organizations, high impact corporate speakers and individual research projects.



Our emphasis on “experience-based learning” means that issues of ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability are not only addressed inside the classroom, but are part of the hands-on experience that is expected for each MBA student across our portfolio of programs that includes:  one-year MBA; two-year MBA; Evening MBA; Executive MBA; MBA/JD; MBA/Master of International Business; MBA/Master of Science in Engineering; MBA/Master of Science in Management Information Systems; MBA/Master of Public and International Affairs; MBA/Master of International Development.  No matter where one is in their life or career, the Katz MBA Program provides the opportunity for meaningful and purpose-driven transformation.



How does the MBA program 'walk the talk' of social and environmental impact?: 

SUSTAINABILITY

The University of Pittsburgh has established comprehensive standards throughout the campus in:


1) Sustainable Design and Construction

Example:  The University has adopted LEED standards for new construction and building renovation.  It achieved a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, making it the first gold certified laboratory building in Pennsylvania.


2) Energy Conservation

Example:  A comprehensive, university-wide energy management system  (Direct Digital Control) has been instituted, with an estimated cost avoidance of approximately $24.2 million via energy conservation projects.


3) Pollution/Emissions Reduction

Example: The University’s commitment to pollution/emission reduction is evidenced by a range of initiatives including green-roof space on new construction, reduced parking fees for those who carpool, increased space for bicycle racks, dedicated bicycle parking, free public transportation benefit for all students and employees, conversion of the campus shuttle system to 23 fuel efficient biodiesel vehicles, and a computerized ride-matching program.


4) Greening of the campus

Example:  A significant expansion of the amount of green space on campus including:  new parks and parklets, planting of hillsides with ground cover to reduce maintenance, lawn mower fuel use and emissions, and the addition of trees to sidewalks and parklets.


5) Recycling

Example: The University has been the recipient of numerous national and regional sustainability awards, including a three star Enviro-Star Award from the Allegheny County Health Department in recognition of the University’s efforts in emissions reduction, energy conservation, recycling, and greening of the campus, as well as a national EPA Energy Star Award for its Computer To Sleep Program.


SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The University houses a wide range of practices to promote social and ethical initiatives:

• Support services for farming development through the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Program, in the Institute of Entrepreneurial Excellence.

• A regional health care ethics network in western Pennsylvania through The Consortium Ethics Program (CEP).

• Provides comprehensive ethics consultation on ethical issues arising in clinical care through The Center of Ethics Consultation.

• Sponsorship and hosting the region's American Business Ethics Awards, recognized as the finest regional award for this honor in the country through the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership.

• Commitment of University Dining Services to purchase local seasonal produce, dairy products, baked goods, as well as fair trade coffee and organic produce.  Managers participate in sustainability training and have developed a committee to focus on future initiatives.

• Participation in Greenhouse Gas Inventory of University through the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh (center for sustainable engineering focusing on the design of sustainable neighborhoods).

• Financial and services support for a wide range of CSR student organizations practicing social and ethical development including:

    - Amnesty International

    - Free The Planet (environmental issues awareness)

    - Environmental Law Council  

    - Giving the Green Light

    - Humanitarian and Environmental Alliance
 
    - International Students for Social Equality

    - Open Books (ethical investments)

    - Panther Greens

    - PennPIRG (environmental protection, homelessness, hunger)

    - Recycling Club

    - UNICEF
 

Academic Department

Course Name: Business Ethics and Social Performance
Instructor: Zoffer, Mallott

This course examines concepts, issues, and tools related to the management of ethics and social responsibility in business. Students learn how to recognize and respond to ethical problems, to understand their personal responsibilities as business managers, to evaluate various ethical frameworks, to apply a process of moral decision making to ethical problems, to grasp relationships between ethical behavior and organizational structure and processes, and to manage the ethical and social problems and opportunities arising from organizational, institutional, societal, and global dimensions of the business environment. Students are encouraged to consider the level of community responsibility they and their respective companies have (CSR) and whether that responsibility mandates they respond not only to activities leading to future profits but also to specific obligation to the society which allows them to operate as a supplier of its needed goods and services.

Course Name: Business Law
Instructor: Mendelson, Fogarty

This course provides students with legal information that is necessary for effectuating management and senior management level responsibilities in today’s business environment. It is designed to enable students to proactively interface with attorneys and to strategically implement a business agenda in relation to law and regulation. The course also provides information about the American legal system, and ways to limit costs and liability within its framework. Some international law and comparisons will be drawn to the American legal experience during the course. Session three addresses Legal Ethics, Session eight discusses American Employment Law, Employment Discrimination Law, Affirmative Action, and Employee Free Choice Act. Session Nine deals with Security Law, insider trading and Sarbanes-Oxley, while session Thirteen includes a focus on International enforceability of patents and other forms of intellectual property.

Course Name: Consulting Field Projects
Instructor: Smith, Mitnick, Camillus, Chatterjee

The intent of this practicum is to guide students in applying management consulting processes as a means of solving real-world organizational problems. Students are assigned to a project of critical importance to their client organizations, which are represented by a broad band of industries, public agencies and non-profits. The field assignment requires student teams to work across multiple disciplines while considering leadership, teamwork, and issues of corporate and social responsibility.

Teams are supported by faculty advisors and workshops led by McKinsey & Company, Pittsburgh- the local arm of the global management consulting firm. The workshops give students the skills necessary to manage their interaction with clients and provide guidance on various aspects of the consulting profession, including issues of critical importance, processes, and approaches.

The final requirement of these Consulting Field Projects is for each team to participate in the McKinsey Cup Competition. Teams present their project summary as well as their findings and recommendations to a panel of judges who evaluate each presentation based on its analytical rigor and content.

Course Name: Consumer Behavior 1
Instructor: Lamberton, Dennehey

This course analyzes how targeted consumer needs, wants, and desires change as marketplace marketing variables are adjusted according to cultural and structural lifestyle constraints. It evaluates cultural and lifestyle influences on consumer behavior, and the role and responsibilities of industry in designing targeted messages to create awareness, interest, and guide action. Discussion will examine motivation, personality and emotion and how the corporation uses these factors to directly influence consumer behavior. Session two addresses Subliminal Advertising and the windstorm book : "Buyology: Truth and Lies about How We Buy," and class four topic is "Are Consumers Rational? Ethical? Decision Making I – Heuristics and Biases."

Course Name: Consumer Behavior 2
Instructor: Lamberton

This course focuses on a.) Providing opportunities to apply the concepts learned in Consumer Behavior I to more complex social and cultural phenomenon and b.) Offering frameworks for understanding broad consumer-behavior-related phenomena which are relevant to business and individual decision-making. Students read and discuss materials from influential popular press sources throughout representing cutting-edge thought on CB issues and the way they influence both individuals and businesses. Session two of this course addresses issues of class, status, gender and identity. The sixth session discusses Post-Purchase Behavior and Disposal, with a lecture on Satisfaction and Sustainability.

Course Name: Decision Making in a Complex Environment
Instructor: Saaty

In this course, students learn how to make high-impact decisions that are reasoned, defensible and ensure greater success in both making and justifying decisions. Most complex decisions involve many interested parties with conflicting interests and objectives. They must prioritize and integrate social, environmental, political and economic factors under common goals. This course introduces students to the use of the Analytic Network Process (ANP) in making effective, complex decisions – and the benefits, opportunities, costs and risks these decisions create.

Course Name: Decision Technologies in Manufacturing and Operations Management
Instructor: Mirchandani, May, Tjader

This course discusses critical, computer-based, decision making methodologies for managing the Operations function of both manufacturing and service organizations; it also covers decision making applications from

other managerial functions, such as Finance and Marketing, at these organizations. The operations management part of the course

briefly considers important issues arising in organizing and managing the production and distribution of goods and services.

This course includes discussion of the economic, legal and ethical viewpoints of decision making and why one may have one without the other, the objectivity of the objective function, the relationship between corporate philosophy and the duality of the objective and the constraints, and the larger impact of process improvement on society. Class 1 deals with optimizing resources, Class 4 addresses network optimization, and Class 13 is devoted to Ethics in Decision Technology.

Course Name: Derivatives: Applications to Valuation and Value Creation
Instructor: Shastri, Kuldeep, Sayrak

Over the past few decades, some of the most interesting developments in finance have been the result of financial engineering where quantitative methods are used to design financial instruments and financial structures that maximize organizational effectiveness. The purpose of this course is to introduce participants to corporate financial engineering through discussing the how, where and why of financial engineering, as well as its risks and responsibilities. Discussion includes a case study on the Enron Credit Sensitive Note.

Course Name: Economic Analysis for Managerial Decisions - Firms and Markets
Instructor: Gal-Or, Kafka, Racic

This course develops an understanding of how a market-based economic system reconciles the separate needs of consumers and producers and provides an economic framework for managerial decisions. Centering on the basic concept of the business firm, it integrates the analysis of domestic and global market structures to understand cross-border capital flows and distribution of wealth issues. Topics include pricing, output and quality decisions; the impact of productivity improvements on costs; quality-cost tradeoffs; market imperfection and the role of regulation in enhancing social welfare. To understand the structure of markets and the conduct of competing firms the course utilizes Game Theory, a field that offers a formal analysis of strategic social interactions. The topics addressed in this space range from entry strategies in developed and emerging markets to mechanisms aimed at improving the availability of information in markets facing significant uncertainties.

Course Name: Economics of International Business
Instructor: Olson

This course investigates key aspects of the international economics environment. Topics include globalization, theories of international trade, investment restrictions on trade, commercial policies of the U.S. and other nations, the World Trade Organization, Regional Trade Agreements. Ethical issues and corporate social responsibility related to international business are also discussed. The final third of the course addresses exchange rates, managing foreign exchange exposure, balance of payments, and exchange rate regimes.

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Type of Offering

Berg Center Study on Sustainable Agriculture
Type: Student Research Project

In partnership with Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), students from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie in São Paulo, Brazil, are engaged in a project to better understand how the food supply chain operates in the Pittsburgh region and nationally.

http://www.business.pitt.edu/berg/

Social Entrepreneurs at Pitt: Innovators, Change-makers & Local Heroes
Type: University Plenary Session
Date: October, 2010

Social entrepreneurship was the topic at the fall plenary session of the Senate of the University of Pittsburgh entitled, Social Entrepreneurs at Pitt: Innovators, Change-makers & Local Heroes. This gathering spotlighted examples of the innovations developed by Pitt faculty, students, and alumni that are having an impact on lives, communities, and the world, including organ transplant technology, Operation Troop Appreciation, foam-based building materials, robotic mobility devices, and solar assisted window fans.

Discussion demonstrated how social entrepreneurs combine research, knowledge, and passion to create social impact that creates meaningful change - whether working with nonprofit ventures, traditional business with a social mission, or a hybrid partnership of business-government-community.

BNY Mellon CSR Initiative at the University of Pittsburgh
Type: Student Research in CSR

BNY Mellon announced a $1 million commitment for the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and education at the University of Pittsburgh. This grant will fund student fellowships, faculty research fellowships, and annual CSR forums and case-study competitions. The programs will be administered through the University’s David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, part of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration. The goal of this initiative is to support groundbreaking research and help students integrate socially responsible principles into their leadership training to be better prepared for the leadership opportunities of tomorrow.

BIG IDEA Entrepreneur Competition
Type: Competition
Date: March, 2011

A better tool for early-stage cancer detection. A patient advocacy organization focused on streamlining the provision of health care. A device that guides drivers to their vehicle in a crowded parking lot. These are just some of the winning "Big Ideas" that Pitt students have submitted to the annual Big Idea Competition. Hosted by Pitt's Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, the competition seeks to turn the best business ideas from students into competitive business plans and businesses. Many of these projects focus on areas of social entrepreneurial ventures and environmental sustainability. While there are many business competitions across the country requiring students to submit fully developed business plans, the Big Idea Competition is unusual in that it does not require entrants to include a structured business plan, thus opening the competition to student innovators with varying levels of business experience and encouraging submissions from students of all disciplines. Winners have the opportunity to work with teams of professional business consultants, industry experts, and entrepreneurs to build strong business plans that they can present at local, regional, and national business plan competitions for a chance to earn significant startup capital.

Global Business Project Consortium
Type: Consulting

The Global Business Project Consortium offers first-year MBA students an opportunity to participate in international business project in one of several target countries abroad. Teams of MBA students work to solve real problems facing real companies wanting to improve their competitiveness. The Global Business Project (GBP) is sponsored by a consortium of 14 CIBERs Centers for International Business Education and Research) at leading business schools, which are all joined by the dual objectives of promoting cross-cultural business competence and bolstering international business in markets critical to US competitiveness. The teams work virtually during the spring term and then visit the target country for two weeks in May to complete their consulting project.

The Effect of the Global Economic Crisis on Central and Eastern Europe
Date: February, 2010

Discussion given by University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business: Jurica Pavicic, PhD Business and Economics, Jurica Simurina, PhD Economics, Josip Tica, PhD Economics.

Ethics Requirement - Part II

This is the second part of the required Ethics module, which features a guest speaker who provides insight into ethical decision-making dilemmas and the ways they impact personal and professional lives. The 2010 speaker was the Vice President and Head of Corporate Sustainability for PNC.

Ethics Requirement - Part I

This 12-hour ethics seminar is the first of a two-part ethics module, which is a requirement of graduation. During the five day course, the Director of the David Berg Center for Leadership & Ethics and the Assistant Dean and Director of the MBA Program discuss ethics theory, and provide students with an ethical framework for their time in the MBA program and beyond. Part II of the ethics requirement is held in January-February of the winter semester.

Berg Center for Ethics and LeadershipMBA Speaker

As a function of the ethics and social responsibility education of MBA students, a speaker event is held in January of each year to highlight specific ethical issues students may face. In January 2010 we welcomed Allan J. McDonald to describe his role in the Challenger space shuttle explosion. In January 2011 we will welcome Terri Patak to discuss social networking issues and the impact on employees and corporations.

AGRICULTURE, FREE TRADE, AND ORGANICS IN NEW ZEALAND: A MODEL FOR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY?
Date: November, 2009

Lecture by Hugh Campbell, Director, Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Consortiums and Job Fairs

Consortiums are events where companies interview students from a number of schools in one location. Although students are preselected for interviews, companies usually reserve some time to talk with students in attendance who were not initially selected. These forums give you both the opportunity to interview with a variety of companies and the chance to size up your competition.

Career Online Tools

Katz offers a host of web-based application offers a convenient and efficient way for both students and employers to search/post job opportunities and register for many events featuring companies that focus on social impact and sustainability. This includes career beam that brings job seekers the best company and industry research tools, international databases, and lead-generation technology available on the market; career vault that provides career guides, interview strategies, job search tips, and full-length profiles on more than 3,000 leading companies and institutions; and, career leader that is an online self-assessment program that uses a combination of your interests, abilities, and values to identify the career paths most likely to lead to your success and satisfaction.

MBA/Master of International Business
MBA/Master of International Development
MBA/MPIA
David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 7
Contact Name: Audrey Murrell
Contact Email: amurrell@katz.pitt.edu

The David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership is part of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business and the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. The center focuses on the education of undergraduate business students through a unique certificate program in leadership and ethics that immerses students in the principles of ethics and leadership over a three-year period. We also support important research into the area of ethics and leadership by faculty and undergraduate students. We actively involve members of the business community in both sides of the educational process by inviting them to share their expertise in the classroom and in strategic planning for the center, as well as by contributing to their ongoing education in business ethics through outreach events such as the speaker series and the regional American Business Ethics Awards.

The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 15
Contact Name: Ann Dugan
Contact Email: dugan@katz.pitt.edu

The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE) helps people realize their dreams. We are growing the region's economy by nurturing and promoting new product commercialization, entrepreneurial activity, innovative agricultural production, new business creation, and social entrepreneurship. Committed to the interests of every kind of entrepreneur and business owner, we are building the future by creating the business and wealth that will sustain and grow the vibrant culture of western Pennsylvania. Combining the research capabilities of the University of Pittsburgh, the renowned faculty of the Katz Graduate School of Business, the vast talents of the region's students, and the dedicated staff of the IEE, we provide experienced guidance and valuable resources to businesses.

International Business Center
Business School Housing? No
Number of Faculty: 5
Contact Name: Josehpine Olson
Contact Email: jolson@katz.pitt.edu

Founded in 1990 as a joint venture of the Katz Graduate School of Business and the University Center for International Studies, the International Business Center (IBC) is a unique resource that develops, operates, and supports programs designed to build international competence and expertise in business students, faculty, and practitioners, and help businesses enhance their international competitiveness. The IBC plays a key role in creating and implementing the Katz School’s international strategy, including launching programs in management schools in Central Europe which are modeled on the comparable Katz programs. In addition, as part of Katz’s strategy to expand programs in emerging markets, and supports initiative that focus global issues surrounding ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Center for Executive Education
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 46
Contact Name: Anne Nemer
Contact Email: annemer@katz.pitt.edu

Since 1949, the Center for Executive Education (CEE) has offered management development programs to enhance executive-level skills to thousands of managers and leaders domestically and globally. A wide range of open enrollment programs, including customized course content can be delivered on-site for local organizations, exposing participants to the latest thinking of top executives and business scholars. This training is crucial to grow more and better leaders to face the ever-changing issues faced especially by non-profits and our local organizations who seek to succeed in the 21st century. The CEE partners with organizations from various industries including, but not limited to, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, finance/banking, and non-profit to address their individual organizational needs by providing tailored training with competencies and a new understanding of today’s business world and the social impact through their work.

Center for Economic Education
Business School Housing? No
Number of Faculty: 6
Contact Name: Lorie Spence
Contact Email: lspence@katz.pitt.edu

The Katz School is host to the Sky Bank Center for Economic Education, which is affiliated with Economics Pennsylvania - a statewide nonprofit organization, accredited by the National Council on Economic Education that promotes economic education in elementary and secondary schools. Its programs and activities are designed to help students become entrepreneurial, productive members of the workforce, responsible voting citizens, prudent savers and investors, successful participants in the global economy, knowledgeable consumers, and lifelong decision makers equipped to make effective choices in an ever changing environment.

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