WASHINGTON _ The most popular class this year at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business involves the intersection of business and politics. Graduate students play the roles of business leaders who are being pushed _ by customers, employees or shareholders _ to address matters of political and social concern like never before.
Professor Aaron Chatterji forces his students to take and defend controversial positions that real CEOs confront while under attack from President Donald Trump, such as Nike's strategy behind its "Just Do It" ads. The ad campaign features Colin Kaepernick, the former pro quarterback who has become a polarizing figure and Trump foil for leading pregame protests of racial injustice during the singing of the national anthem.
"You have to be careful, but if you walk away from that stuff, how can we be saying that we're training leaders of consequence across all these schools unless we're dealing with these issues they actually have to face?" said Chatterji, adding that he first thought of calling the class Business and Politics in the Age of Trump.
