ABSTRACT
MBA students study social responsibility in terms of best practices at good companies. In ethics instruction, the focus is on ethical decision-making skills intended to help managers understand ethics and thus make better ethical decisions. The underlying assumption is that managers have genuine freedom to be ethical and socially responsible, and therefore good companies can be spotted by their exemplary ethics codes, social programs, and environmental sustainability reports. But it is worth remembering that Enron rang all the bells of ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). It was designated one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, won many environmental awards, and issued a triple bottom line report. Its CEO gave speeches at ethics conferences and put together a statement of values emphasizing communication, respect, and integrity. The company's stock was in many social investing mutual funds when it went down.
