Interview with Roy J Lewicki on Building Ethical Organizations
August 2009 - By Dr. Nagendra V Chowdary

Prof. Roy J Lewicki
Irving Abramowitz Professor of Business Ethics and Professor of Management and Human Resources Max M Fisher College of Business

• Professor, how do you measure the success of a business school? What parameters would you use to assess the performance and potential of a business school?
  There is not enough time or space here to really answer that question. Rankings are important, but as one might predict, there are lots of different ranking systems now that rank schools based on different standards and criteria. One set of rankings is clearly not adequate. Evaluation across multiple rankings may be more helpful. I personally think that the most useful rankings are those which indicate that an education has been ‘worth it’—i.e., that the return on a student’s investment can be demonstrated clearly in increased salary or increased worth to their employers. The programs which offer the best return on investment—total educational cost compared to increased salary and value to the company—should be one that receives a lot of attention.

• Are the business school rankings a proof of the quality of a business school?
  No. Absolutely not. They are at best one of several approximations of quality. Any applicant should visit a school, meet fellow students, meet the faculty, and determine for himself/ herselfwhether this is a good fit and a place they would be satisfied. And employers should evaluate graduates and job applicants in the same complex way.