P21-22 MBAS8 Contraversial.qxd 25/3/08 11:11 Page 1
Editorial
CAREERS
CSR: Controversial MBA employers
use Corporate Social Responsibility as
leverage for recruiting top talent
By Ross Geraghty
his is not particularly newsworthy,
A recent survey showed that
some of the more
T
until, you consider that, according
to figures released in the QS
International Recruiter Survey
2007, salaries for masters graduates
controversial industries that in pharmaceuticals, energy and aerospace/defense
pay salaries comparable with those in the service
recruit business school industries that are more on the traditional MBA
career trajectory. This suggests that its not low
graduates, such as tobacco, salaries that are keeping MBAs away.
Employers in controversial industries are
oil and defense, come low fighting the war for talent in an already highly
competitive marketplace, where salaries, interna- Europe for British American Tobacco (BAT), the
down the list of priorities for tional opportunities and job satisfaction are world’s second largest tobacco company, says:
high in several other sectors. Not only are they “Our industry is not a straightforward one. It is at
MBA aspirants. The service competing with all those other major MBA-recruit- times very controversial, with a lot of differing
ing industries, but also, many are up against a not public opinion, which presents an additional
industries, particularly entirely favourable public perception of their challenge for us to communicate our vision, about
industry. what it is like to work for a tobacco company, that
banking, finance and “I looked at careers in the defense and oil people understand our core strategy and our
industries, though I didn’t consider the tobacco responsibility strategy and our role in global
consulting, are still industry for personal reasons,” says one MBA. “But, society.”
at the time, there was one news story after another, Indeed, many of the controversial employers,
considered far more all very negative, especially about the arms particularly those whose products have a direct and
industry, not so much about oil. I just thought the known impact on human health, such as the
attractive. lifestyle working in that industry would be tobacco, defense, pharmaceuticals and energy
problematic on some level, even though salaries industries, embrace their controversial nature
were competitive and the offers enticing.” and understand it is part of their mission to
“Employers in controversial industries are fighting
the war for talent in an already highly
competitive marketplace”
Equally, though, there are those who find communicate what they regard as a common
such industries uncontroversial. A source in the public misunderstanding.
oil industry says: “There is nothing controversial Mike Turner, CEO of BAE Systems,
about the oil industry. It is legal and everyone here formerly British Aerospace, and the UK’s largest
is doing their very best to find ways of extracting oil defense manufacturer echoes BAT. “We
in environmentally friendly ways and to give back recognize that ours is a controversial industry and
to the communities they are in and so on.” respect the rights of individuals to have differing
The tobacco industry also finds itself in a opinions from our own. But we often find
difficult position. While most western countries that those opinions are not based on a full
are busy finding ways to help their populations stop understanding of the issues. Through a program
smoking, and anti-smoking regulations have come of engagement with serious stakeholders on our
into effect in almost all western nations, enticing CR (corporate responsibility) agenda, we aim to
educated people into the industry is no simple task. better inform and provide a basis for intelligent
Michelle Healy, Regional Head of HR in discussion and debate.”
TopMBA CAREER GUIDE
www.topmba.com 21
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