Rotman apologizes for ‘inappropriate’ MBA assignment

Related Articles

• IIT-Delhi to announce new MBA curriculum 0 20.Sep
• Just These 5 Lessons Made the MBA Worth the Money 0 20.Nov
• Steve Ballmer Goes to College: On Campus With Stanford’s New Professor 0 21.Oct

The Rotman School of Management has formally apologized to its students following backlash over a sexist MBA assignment.

The apology, issued by dean Tiff Macklem and obtained by the Star, acknowledged the assignment featuring a fictional shoe-obsessed female character was “inappropriate.”
“The assignment unfortunately did not reflect the standards and commitment to diversity that are core beliefs at the Rotman School,” wrote Macklem.

He said professors have apologized to the first-year finance students given the assignment and that it will not be used again.

The Star reported on the assignment Sunday after being forwarded a copy by a dismayed student.

It follows business student Elle Forest, who is contemplating accepting a public relations job at jeweller Tiffany and Co. “Confused about the subtleties of the offer,” Forest turns to her fiancé Chip, a Yale grad, for help.

The assignment spells out different possible compensation packages and along the way refers to Forest’s love of Tiffany and designer shoes — “Sorry. I was dreaming of that pair of Louboutins,” she tells her boyfriend at one point, later falling asleep while “dreaming of those little blue boxes and beautiful shoes.” Her post-grad plans involve a wedding in the Hamptons…