MBA candidates study corporate social responsibility in England

Ten MBA students went to the University of Nottingham in England over spring break as part of an academic exchange sponsored by Lehigh’s Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise.

The Nottingham MBA Fellows met with political officials and business executives, and with Nottingham students. They studied corporate social responsibility, leadership, finance and government involvement with business in the United Kingdom.

In June, a group of Nottingham students will travel to Lehigh to study corporate leadership, U.S. financial institutions and Wall Street trading.

The University of Nottingham, located about two hours north of London, is renowned for its entrepreneurial programs and for its focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

The Lehigh students’ itinerary in England was organized by the University of Nottingham Business School. The group visited organizations in and around Nottingham and London that have embraced corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices. These included British Gypsum’s Barrow-upon-Soar plaster production plant, the Sustainable Hockerton villages, Queens Medical Center of the Nottingham University Hospitals, Boots, Accenture, L’Oreal and Standard Chartered Bank.

At each site, the students were given the opportunity to meet with executives and ask questions.

The Lehigh students also attended a Premier League soccer match, went on private tours of Olympic Park and the Houses of Parliament, and saw a debate in the Strangers Gallery.

“This program exceeded my expectations,” said Lehigh MBA student Allison Hontz. “It combined a unique cultural perspective with exposure to a diverse group of organizations. The result was an interactive learning opportunity unmatched by any other experience I have had in the MBA program.”

The Lehigh-Nottingham exchange program began three years ago.

The Lehigh students who traveled to Nottingham were chosen for achievement and ambition. In addition to Hontz, the group included Katy Cronin, Heather Emerich, Brandon Gallagher, Diana Guerrero, Noelle Keeler, Angela Kropf, Thomas Mainzer, Vinay Patel and Chris Semple.