LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- The many league tables which rank MBA programs vary in their methodology , but mainly share a few assumptions , including that a prime mark of quality is a stream of graduates entering highly-paid jobs in financial services and consulting . The cuddlier side of business : More MBAs are taking in environmental factors . However , one MBA table , the latest version of which has just been released , factors in some entirely different considerations , namely how well the programs incorporate wider social and environmental issues into their teaching . Beyond Gray Pinstripes , the `` alternative '' MBA top 100 , is produced every two years by the Aspen Institute Center for Business Education ( CBE ) in Colorado , drawn from studies of nearly 600 full-time MBA programs worldwide . These days , almost all business schools have `` at least a beachhead '' of environmental and social awareness , according to Rich Leimsider , director of the CBE , although the extent of this varies greatly . The issue is an important one , he says : `` It matters what the senior executives of companies do , say and think . `` If you can change business education to include an appreciation for the social and environmental context you wind up with leaders who are really good at creating value all around . '' Overall , however , the issue is being taken more and more seriously -- while in 2001 , little more than a third of schools surveyed required students take a course examining the wider issues of business and society , in this year 's survey it has risen to 63 % . Perhaps unexpectedly , the research shows that such courses are not inevitably housed within a dedicated department of ethics or corporate social responsibility . In fact , such departments are only the fifth-most popular home for social or environmental courses , behind those of management , marketing , strategy and finance . Despite the differences , the Beyond Gray Pinstripes table is topped by a familiar big hitter -- Stanford University 's Graduate School of Business , also in the number one slot for the last such survey in 2005 . Stanford , which offers MBA students more than 30 elective courses on subjects such as ethics , social responsibility and the environment , says it views the leadership of an organization as `` a noble and critical pursuit '' . This approach now includes a new joint MBA in the environment and resources , as well as a course in which business and engineering students join up to solve problems -- one project this year came up with the idea of cheap and easy-to-power LED lights for those without mains electricity . The U.S. dominates the top 10 , with one Canadian school -- York University 's Schulich School of Business -- in third , and Spain 's well known Instituto de Empresa in 10th . Schools are themselves seeing the need for this new type of business education . Duke University 's Fuqua School of Business , ranked art 26 in the Beyond Gray Pinstripes table , is planning a link up with the university 's environmental school to study sustainable business . `` What we 're seeing at Duke , and we 're seeing this probably everywhere , is the business community now has reached a point where they recognize that to be globally competitive , you have to have an understanding of the risks and the opportunities that natural environments pose for firms , '' says Michael Lenox , associate professor of business . E-mail to a friend .
' Alternative ' rating table ranks programs by social consciousness . Business schools increasingly consider social and environmental issues . Business community provides opportunities for change .