Wharton students will have the chance this fall to show off their business skills at the largest global-development organization in the world - the United Nations.
But the students will be the ones doing the grading.
As part of Management 353 - also known as the Wharton Field Challenge, a course started by professor Keith Weigelt - the U.N. will turn to the undergraduates in the class for evaluations on its Global Compact program.
The Global Compact - which was started by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2000 - is an attempt to "bring business together with U.N. agencies," Annan said in a statement.
Under the program, businesses are encouraged to adopt more socially responsible policies and report them to the U.N. Participating businesses are expected to adhere to 10 principles that promote human rights and environmental sustainability.
The Wharton School has had a long-term relationship with the U.N., Wharton Field Challenge Associate Director Stacy Franks said. U.N. officials said they contacted Wharton to set up this latest project since the two organizations had worked together in the past.
Undergraduates in the class work on their evaluations with their professor and report on them to U.N. officials. They also take trips to U.N. offices in Washington to present their work directly to the global organization.
"We are very impressed by the dedication of the students," said Lila Karbassi, a spokeswoman for the Global Impact project. "I'm happy that they are investing so much time in this project."
Students in the class seem pleased with the arrangement as well.
"You don't get to work with an organization like the U.N. every day," said Kyle Goldman, a Wharton junior and a team member on the Global Compact project.
Goldman and his team construct surveys that will be sent out to all companies participating in the Global Compact program. The surveys are designed to measure the extent to which these companies have incorporated the program's 10 principles into their organizations.
"Some companies don't have environmental issues, for instance, so the challenge is to design surveys such that we can send out to all companies," Goldman said.
"Our goal is to produce surveys that can be used year after year," added Goldman's teammate Jackie Inglesby, also a Wharton junior.
The team meets with Weigelt once a week. Members also hold conference calls with U.N. representatives every two weeks to report on their progress and get additional feedback.
Not all past Wharton Field Challenges have focused on corporations - or at least traditional ones.
For example, Wharton Field Challenge students have helped establish a cotton farmer cooperative in a village in India in collaboration with the Indian School of Business.
