College courses in ethics: do they really make a
difference?
Keywords
Business education,
Higher education,
Business ethics, Ethics
Abstract
Ethics in business is an issue that
has long received considerable
attention. As a result of
accreditation requirements, many
universities have attempted to
address this issue by making a
course in ethics a part of business
programs. This paper examines
the values of current college
students studying business with
regard to professional and
business ethics. Attitudes of
students who have taken a course
in ethics are compared with those
who have not.
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
# MCB University Press
[ISSN 0951-354X]
Spero C. Peppas
Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Barry A. Diskin
Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
Introduction
In recent years, as a result of public demand
for higher ethical standards in business,
there has been considerable interest in the
topic of teaching ethics to business students.
The college-student population has become
used to seeing unethical behavior on the part
of many role models, and academicians also
feel that students, and business students in
particular, no longer show a disinclination
toward cheating and academic dishonesty
(Kidwell, 2001). To address this problem and
promote ethical behavior in business, many
universities are requiring their students to
take a course in ethics or are requiring that
ethics be included as a part of business
courses. In fact, the accrediting body for
schools of business AACSB-The International
Association for Management Education
(formerly The American Assembly of
Colleges and Schools of Business) (1993)
requires that its accredited institutions
address the issue of ethics in at least one of
these two methods.
This paper examines the attitudes of
current university students regarding
professional and business ethics. We wish to
gain an insight into the behaviors of future
businesspeople once they complete their
university studies, enter the business world,
and are forced to make difficult decisions. We
compare the attitudes of business students
who have taken a course in ethics with those
who have not, in terms of a series of value
statements. Despite an increase in
consumerism and corporate transparency
over the last decades, with a resultant
increase in information available to
consumers and stakeholders, there remains
ample opportunity for unethical behavior on
the part of business people. For example,
there is still imperfect knowledge in the
male students believed that career
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emerald-library.com/ft
market and consumers may be unable to
judge for themselves the quality of a product
or the truthfulness of advertising. In
addition, financial statements may not
always give a perfectly clear picture of the
firm. As a result of these and for other
reasons, universities and professional
organizations have attempted to address the
issue of ethics through courses and/or
training. This study examines how future
business persons are affected by some of
these attempts.
Relevant literature
As one might expect, there exists
considerable research on the topic of ethics.
Following is a representative, rather than
exhaustive, summary of some of the more
relevant findings. For the purposes of this
study, the review is divided into two sections:
one devoted to individual characteristics and
ethics and the other devoted to teaching and
ethics.
Individual characteristics and ethics
The majority of the existing research on
ethics is devoted to examining the effects of
individual characteristics on attitudes
toward ethics (see Ford and Richardson,
1994). This includes such attributes as
gender, age, employment experience and
industry, and nationality.
A number of studies sought to determine if
there was a relationship between gender and
attitudes toward ethics. Some of these studies
(approximately 50 percent) suggested that
women were more likely to exhibit ethical
behavior than are men. Interestingly, the
other half did not show that men were more
ethical, but rather showed that there was no
relationship. A study by Betz et al. (1989)
examined the relationship between gender
and unethical behavior. They found that
advancement was more important than
developing and building relationships or
[ 347 ]
Spero C. Peppas and
Barry A. Diskin
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference?
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
[ 348 ]
helping others. They also found that men
were at least twice as likely to engage in
unfair practices as were women. Another
study by Malinowski and Berger (1996)
supported these findings. When questioned
regarding marketing dilemmas,
undergraduate women took a more ethical
stance than their male counterparts.
Hoffman (1998) further developed the issue
of gender and ethics by adding a situational
dimension to the question of gender
influence. He discovered that the situational
variable affected whether women were more
ethical than men. In his study, women
managers of a large firm in the Southeast
were more ethical than their male colleagues
with respect to unsafe products, but not with
respect to product misrepresentation.
In another study of gender influence,
Deshpande (1997) found that male managers
objected less to the notion of accepting favors
for special treatment than did female
managers. Age was also linked to ethics in
that older managers were bothered more by
certain categories of unethical behavior, e.g.
divulging of confidential information, than
were younger managers.
In a study delving further into gender and
age among business professionals, Peterson
et al. (2001) found that for both males and
females, ethical beliefs increased with age.
Further, it was found that external factors,
such as the employee's family and
supervisor, had an impact on beliefs about
ethics, especially among younger males.
In an empirical study using attitudes
toward classroom behaviors as a surrogate
for attitudes toward future business
behaviors, Allmon et al. (2000) found age to be
significant in that it affected student
attitudes toward classroom ethics, with older
students indicating more ``ethical'' attitudes.
Cooper and Frank (1987) studied seven
professional groups in the accounting and
insurance field. Their study showed that
when compared to other groups within these
professions, CPAs and CLUs relied more
heavily on their respective codes of ethics to
help solve ethical questions. Of particular
importance were company-specific policies
emphasizing ethical conduct, encouraging
employees to put ethics ahead of
organizational goals, and facilitating
discussions of ethical issues between
superiors and employees.
Another stream of research centers on
issues of nationality and ethics. For example,
White and Rhodeback (1992) indicated that
there is a significant relationship between
unethical behavior and non-US citizenship.
As did Deshpande (1997), Jackson and Artola
(1997) studied attitudes toward accepting
favors for special treatment. Their study
compared French and German managers and
examined whether ethical beliefs differed
between the two groups. They discovered
that attitudes and behavior varied by
nationality of the manager as well as by
home-country ownership of the firm. In
studies comparing Australian, Canadian, and
Hong Kong managers, Armstrong and
Sweeney (1994) and Chan and Armstrong
(1999) found that Australian managers had
different ethical perspectives than the other
two groups.
Other studies have also shown that
nationality influences ethics. For example,
Singhapakdi et al. (1994, 1995) showed that
perceptions of ethical problems and
professional and personal values were
different for American (US) and Thai
marketers.
Regional economic integration has given yet
another impetus to ethics research. A recent
study established a case for ``regional'' ethics.
Polonsky et al. (2001) showed differences in
attitudes of university students in northern
and southern EU countries with regard to
consumer ethics. Focusing on one southern EU
country, Peppas and Peppas (2000) examined
ethical attitudes of Greek college students and
found significant differences along several
demographic dimensions. Should further
research support and broaden these findings,
the stage would be set for interesting debates
regarding harmonization of standards within
regional blocks.
Teaching and ethics
A review of the literature examining whether
college-level ethics courses, and/or courses
in which ethics is incorporated into course
content, have an impact on attitudes toward
ethics shows that the results of the studies
are mixed.
Luoma (1989) suggested that teaching
students the rules and guidelines of a
particular profession to achieve a
certification or license, such as in
accounting, would not ensure that students
would act more ethically. In Wynd and
Mager's (1989) longitudinal study over a two-
and-a-half-year period, it was determined
that a course in business and society
produced no significant effect on students'
attitudes toward ethical decisions. They
advanced that a single class focusing on
ethical dilemmas in business was not enough
to effect changes in ethical perspectives. A
study by Davis and Welton (1991) produced
similar results to those of Wynd and Mager.
In research examining attitudinal differences
toward ethics in business based on
university class level (lower, upper, or
Spero C. Peppas and
Barry A. Diskin
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference?
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
graduate), they found that courses did not
influence ethical behavior. Instead, they
contended that long-term exposure to
business circumstances was more effective in
bringing about attitude change than was
formal training. Using self reporting,
projective techniques, and different
scenarios, Duizend and McCann (1998)
examined the effects of teaching ethics in
business and society courses projected onto
small business owners and found the courses
had a positive impact on attitudes in only one
scenario. Supporting the no/little effect
findings, Peppas and Diskin (2000), in a more
recent study, found that taking an ethics
course made no difference in marketing
majors' attitudes toward a marketing code of
ethics.
Other research on the effects of teaching
ethics shows different outcomes. Glenn (1992)
conducted a four-year longitudinal study to
measure the effects of a business and society
course on students' ethical judgments. He
found that such a course did indeed cause
some students to move in a more ``ethical''
direction. Using an experimental approach,
Hiltebeitel and Jones (1992) studied
accounting students in two universities.
They found that the integration of ethics into
accounting courses resulted in a greater
reliance on ethical standards by the students
participating in the study. Similarly, Eynon
et al. (1997), also concentrating their research
on accounting education, found that taking
an ethics course significantly affected
students' attitudes toward ethics. In yet
another study, Carlson and Burke (1998)
found that college students' thinking evolved
from a rigid right and wrong conception of
ethics at the beginning of the semester to a
more flexible and enlightened approach at
the end. In a study examining student
recognition of ethical issues, Gautschi and
Jones (1998) found that a course in business
ethics improved students' abilities in this
regard.
When surveyed, business students feel that
teaching ethics is important. According to
Shannon and Berl (1997), in a study at eight
universities across the USA, students
indicated their strong belief that the
discussion of ethics was worthwhile.
Students felt that the topic of ethics was
covered most fully in sales and sales
management courses and that a course in
business/marketing ethics should be a
requirement. Also based on survey findings,
Kerr and Smith (1995) found that accounting
students believed that a lack of ethics was
damaging to their profession and that these
students wanted ethical and moral guidance.
In a study of auditing professors and ways
of teaching ethics, Smith (1993a, b) found that
a vast majority felt that ethics and personal
integrity should be included in the
curriculum. However, several authors have
suggested that offering an ethics course is not
sufficient. Trevino and McCabe (1994)
proposed that students gain the most through
``meta-learning'', learning not only from their
classes but also by being part of an
``honorable'' business school community
where real ethical issues are discussed
openly and regularly. Owens (1998) suggested
that, as many universities include within
their missions a desire to graduate students
able to make ethically-informed decisions,
business ethics should take on more
importance than simply being included in
the curriculum as a single course. He
suggested that business ethics should be the
``conceptual glue holding together the
curriculum.'' On the other hand, however,
according to a survey by Hosmer (1999),
many involved in teaching business ethics
indicated that neither teaching nor research
in this area was rewarded in terms of
promotion or pay raise. It was further found
that few of the respondents received much
support from their academic superiors,
colleagues, or students.
While business students, business
professors, and accrediting bodies such as
AACSB believe that teaching ethics is
important, it is evident that the results of the
different studies have been contradictory. As
a result, these authors believed that research
to see if courses in ethics do indeed have an
effect on ethical values of students enrolled at
a large university in the southern USA would
add to the body of knowledge. The following
paragraphs are devoted to an examination of
this issue.
Methodology
The primary purpose of this study was to
determine if university business students
who had taken a course in ethics (defined as a
course with the word ``ethics'' in the title) had
significantly different attitudes toward
business ethics than those who had not. Of
interest was whether taking such a course
had an effect on certain ethical values.
Sampling
The non-probability sample used in this
study consisted of students in their
sophomore, junior, and senior years enrolled
during spring semester, 1998, in the College
of Business at a large public university in
Florida. The sample included students
[ 349 ]
Spero C. Peppas and
Barry A. Diskin
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference?
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
[ 350 ]
majoring in: accounting, general business,
finance, hospitality administration,
insurance, international business,
management, management information
systems, marketing, and real estate. A total of
341 usable responses were obtained.
Measurement instrument
The survey instrument included a
demographic information section and a
section consisting of eight ethical value
statements. The part of the survey focusing
on ethics was derived from a survey used by
Becker and Fritzsche (1987). Students were
asked to indicate their levels of agreement/
disagreement, on a scale of 1 (agree) to 5
(disagree), with the value statements.
The demographic section gathered
information on major, class standing, sex,
age, nationality, religious affiliation, work
experience, and whether respondents had
taken a course in ethics.
Methods of analysis
The demographic data were analyzed to
provide frequencies. For students who had
taken a course in ethics and for those who
had not, the data were analyzed to provide
mean scores reflecting students' attitudes
toward eight ethical value statements. Using
ANOVA, the means of the two groups were
tested for significant differences.
Results
Demographics
Of the 209 females and 132 males
participating in this study, nearly 30 percent
were majoring in accounting, 14.7 percent in
finance, 12.9 percent in real estate, and 12
percent in marketing. Insurance majors were
the smallest category, representing only 0.9
percent of the sample. Most respondents were
in their junior and senior years of study (42.8
percent and 50.4 percent respectively). While
the ages of the respondents ranged from 18 to
49, most were 20 to 22 years old (71.5 percent).
Almost all of the students in this survey were
US citizens (94.1 percent). In terms of
religious affiliation, 37.2 percent of the
students were Protestant, with 32.6 percent
having no religious affiliation. Nearly 25
percent were Catholic with the remainder
divided among several other denominations.
Almost all students had some work
experience (95.9 percent). Approximately 20
percent had taken a course in ethics.
Ethics
The following list reports the responses of
students who had taken a course in ethics,
and those of students who had not, with
respect to eight statements measuring
certain ethical values. Responses of students
who had taken an ethics course, as reflected
by their agreement/ disagreement levels, are
compared to those of students who had not, to
test for significant differences.
. Doing what is ethically right is good
business in the long run. Both students
who had taken a course in ethics and
those who had not felt more strongly
about this value statement than they did
about any other, with agreement levels of
1.67 and 1.53 respectively. The difference
in the mean scores of the two groups was
not significant.
. Let the buyer beware. Students having
taken an ethics course agreed a bit less
strongly with this statement than did
students without the course, with mean
scores of 2.88 and 2.74 respectively. The
difference was not significant, however.
. Business people working in my field tend to
ignore ethical considerations when doing
business. While both groups disagreed
somewhat with this statement, students
having taken an ethics course disagreed
somewhat less strongly with a
disagreement level of 3.32 as opposed to
3.45 for other business students. The
difference of the means was not
significant.
. Whatever is good business is good ethics.
Both groups indicated that they did not
feel that good business equaled good
ethics, by indicating their disagreement at
the 3.91 and 3.84 levels. While those who
had taken an ethics course disagreed
somewhat more strongly with this
statement, the small difference in the
means of the two groups was not
significant.
. For managers to act in the interest of
shareholders alone, and not also in the
interest of employees and consumers, is
unethical. Both students who had taken a
course in ethics, and those who had not
agreed with this statement with mean
scores of 1.95 and 2.17 respectively. This is
an interesting finding, given that business
schools are stressing the importance of
maximizing shareholder value. While the
difference in the mean scores of the two
groups was not significant, future
researchers may wish to further examine
this issue.
. Religious beliefs should play no role in
making business decisions. In a nation that
stresses separation of religion from most
matters, it is perhaps not surprising that
both groups agreed with this statement.
Mean scores for those having taken an
Spero C. Peppas and ethics course and those who had not were
Barry A. Diskin 2.58 and 2.43 respectively. The difference
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference? in the mean scores was not significant.
. As a result of stiffer competition today,
The International Journal of
Educational Management many business people find themselves
15/7 [2001] 347353 forced to resort to practices which are
considered shady, but which appear
necessary to survive. Both groups agreed
with this statement. Those having taken
an ethics course indicated an agreement
level of 2.56 as opposed to 2.47 for those
who had not. The difference in the mean
scores was not significant.
. Business people exist for the sole purpose of
creating and delivering value satisfaction
at a profit to themselves. Therefore,
business decisions should be made without
regard to moral issues. Both groups
disagreed with this statement. Students
having taken an ethics course indicated
slightly stronger disagreement, with a
mean score of 4.24 as compared to 4.18 for
other business students. However, the
difference in means was not significant.
Conclusions
We embarked on this study to examine
college students' attitudes toward business
ethics and to determine if college students
who had taken a course in ethics and those
who had not had significantly different
attitudes regarding professional morality. Of
interest was whether taking a course in
ethics had an effect on ethical values.
In terms of the ethical values examined in
this study, we found that there were no
significant differences between students who
had taken an ethics course and those who
had not. In light of AACSB's emphasis on
including ethics in the curriculum of
business programs and a general concern
about a decline in business ethics, we feel
that this is a most interesting finding that
begs for further research in an attempt to
definitively answer a number of questions.
More specifically, while some authors have
focused on the ``who'' issue, i.e. which
professors are best qualified to teach ethics
(see, for example, Klein, 1998; Oddo, 1997),
further research is needed in this area.
Should ``ethicists'' teach courses in ethics or
should business professors teach such
courses? While most business faculty have
not been trained to teach such courses, they
may well be in better positions to know the
kinds of ethical dilemmas facing college
graduates in today's business environment.
Also related to this train of thought is the
``what'' issue. Should the focus be on the
conduct of groups of businesses, of specific
firms, or of individuals within firms? If the
focus is to be on the behaviors of individuals,
one would question if business ethics are
different from personal ethics and how
effectively any kind of ethics values can be
taught to individuals of university age.
Future researchers may also wish to direct
their efforts toward the ``how'' of teaching
ethics (see, for example, Schaupp and Lane,
1992; Smith, 1993a, b; Warren, 1995). While
we, as did Wynd and Mager (1989) and Davis
and Welton (1991), found that classes did not
appear to affect students' ethics, future
researchers may wish to gather additional
empirical evidence in terms of the effects of
different ways of teaching ethics. Is a
separate course more effective or would the
inclusion of ethics in standard business
courses have a greater positive impact? If a
separate course, when in a student's program
of study should this course be required? If
ethics topics are included in standard
courses, should they be included in some or
all courses? What is the optimal exposure
level? Could there be too much emphasis on
ethics leading to desensitization? Would a
theoretical or more practical approach work
best (see, for example, Oddo, 1997)? In all
cases, what kinds of teaching materials
should be used? Berger and Pratt (1998) found
that there was instructional value in using
films showing ethically questionable
behavior to teach ethics. As Davis and
Welton (1991) suggested that long-term
exposure to business circumstances was
more consequential than formal training in
affecting attitudes toward ethics, perhaps an
emphasis on case studies could help simulate
this experience for students and bring about
changes in students' ethical pre-dispositions.
Finally, when is the ideal time to measure
to see if a course or courses have had an
effect on attitudes toward ethics? It has been
established that the effects of commercial
advertising may not peak until some time
after exposure to the ad. Perhaps the full
effects of the classroom experience do not
take hold until students have spent time in
their respective career positions. While
many college students work part- or full-time,
most are probably not in decision-making
positions where they would be faced with
ethical dilemmas. It would thus prove useful
for future researchers to focus more on the
attitudes of professionals in different
business fields to see if differences exist and
to determine if, as a result of time in the field,
attitudes of professionals who had taken a
course in college ethics are different from
those who had not.
Clearly, while the study at hand found that
taking a course in ethics did not significantly
[ 351 ]
Spero C. Peppas and
Barry A. Diskin
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference?
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
[ 352 ]
affect student attitudes, despite the existing
research in the field, there are many
unanswered questions in the teaching ethics
equation. It is hoped that this study will fuel
further research that will shed more light on
this important topic.
References
AACSB The International Association for
Management Education (1993), Standards for
Business Accreditation, St Louis, MO, p. 17.
Allmon, D.E., Page, D. and Roberts, R. (2000),
``Determinants of perceptions of cheating:
ethical orientation, personality, and
demographics'', Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 23 No. 4(2), pp. 411-22.
Armstrong, R.W. and Sweeney, J. (1994),
``Industry type, culture, mode of entry and
perceptions of international marketing ethics
problems: a cross-culture comparison'',
Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 13 No. 10,
pp. 775-85.
Becker, H. and Fritzshe, D.J. (1987), ``Business
ethics: a cross-cultural comparison of
managers' attitudes'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 6 No. 4, pp. 289-95.
Berger, J. and Pratt, C.B. (1998), ``Teaching
business-communication ethics with
controversial films'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 17 No. 16, pp. 1817-23.
Betz, M., O'Connell, L. and Shephard, J.M. (1989),
``Gender differences in proclivity for
unethical behavior'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 8 No. 5, pp. 321-4.
Carlson, P.J. and Burke, F. (1998), ``Lessons
learned from ethics in the classroom:
exploring student growth in flexibility,
complexity, and comprehension'', Journal of
Business Ethics, Vol. 17 No. 11, pp. 1179-87.
Chan, T.S. and Armstrong, R.W. (1999),
``Comparative ethical report card: a study of
Australian and Canadian managers'
perceptions of international marketing ethics
problems'', Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 18
No. 1, pp. 3-15.
Cooper, R.W. and Frank, G.L. (1987), ``Helping
professionals in business behave ethically:
why business cannot abdicate its
responsibility to the profession'', Journal of
Business Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 12/13, pp. 1453-66.
Davis, J.R. and Welton, R.E. (1991), ``Professional
ethics: business students' perceptions'',
Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 10 No. 6,
pp. 451-63.
Deshpande, S.P. (1997), ``Manager's perception of
proper ethical conduct: the effect of sex, age,
and level of education'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 79-85.
Duizend, G. and McCann, K. (1998), ``Do collegiate
business students show a propensity to
engage in illegal business practice'', Journal
of Business Ethics, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 229-38.
Eynon, G., Hill, N.T. and Stevens, K.T. (1997),
``Factors that influence the moral reasoning
abilities of accountants: implications for
universities and profession'', Journal of
Business Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 12/13,
pp. 1297-1309.
Ford, R.C. and Richardson, W.D. (1994), ``Ethical
decision making: a review of the empirical
literature'', Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 13
No. 3, pp. 205-21.
Gautschi, F.H. III and Jones, T.M. (1998),
``Enhancing the ability of business students to
recognize ethical issues: an empirical
assessment of the effectiveness of a course in
business ethics'', Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 205-16.
Glenn, J.R. Jr (1992), ``Can a business and society
course affect the ethical judgment of
managers'', Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 11
No. 3, pp. 217-23.
Hiltebeitel, K.M. and Jones, S.K. (1992), ``An
assessment of ethics instruction in
accounting education'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 11 No. 1, pp. 37-46.
Hoffman, J.J. (1998), ``Are women really more
ethical than men? Maybe it depends on the
situation'', Journal of Managerial Issues,
Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 60-73.
Hosmer, L.T. (1999), ``Somebody out there doesn't
like us: a study of the position and respect of
business ethics at schools of business
administration'', Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 91-106.
Jackson, T. and Artola, M.C. (1997), ``Ethical
beliefs and management behavior: a cross-
cultural comparison'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 11, pp. 1163-73.
Kerr, D.S. and Smith, L.M. (1995), ``Importance of
and approaches to incorporating ethics into
the accounting classroom'', Journal of
Business Ethics, Vol. 14 No. 12, pp. 987-95.
Kidwell, L.A. (2001), ``Student honor codes of
conduct as a tool for teaching professional
ethics'', Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 29
No. 1(2), pp. 45-9.
Klein, E.R. (1998), ``The one necessary condition
for a successful business ethics course: the
teacher must be a philosopher'', Business
Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 8 No. 3, pp. 561-74.
Luoma, G.A. (1989), ``Can ethics be taught?'',
Business & Economic Review, Vol. 3 No. 1,
pp. 3-5.
Malinowski, C. and Berger, K.A. (1996),
``Undergraduate student attitudes about
hypothetical marketing dilemmas'', Journal
of Business Ethics, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 525-35.
Oddo, A.R. (1997), ``A framework for teaching
business ethics'', Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 16 No. 3, pp. 293-7.
Owens, D. (1998), ``From the business ethics
course to the sustainable curriculum'',
Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 17 No. 15,
pp. 1765-77.
Peppas, S.C. and Diskin, B.A. (2000), ``Ethical
perspectives: are future marketers any
different?'', Teaching Business Ethics, Vol. 4
No. 2, pp. 207-20.
Peppas, S.C. and Peppas, G.J. (2000), ``Business
ethics and the European Union: a study of
Spero C. Peppas and
Barry A. Diskin
College courses in ethics: do
they really make a difference?
The International Journal of
Educational Management
15/7 [2001] 347353
Greek attitudes'', Management Decision,
Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 369-76.
Peterson, D., Rhoads, A. and Vaught, B.C. (2001).
``Ethical beliefs of business professionals: a
study of gender, age, and external factors'',
Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 31 No. 3(1),
pp. 225-31.
Polonsky, M.J., Brito, P.Q., Pinto, J. and Higgs-
Kleyn, N. (2001), ``Consumer ethics in the
European Union: a comparison of Northern
and Southern views'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 31 No. 2(2), pp. 117-30.
Schaupp, D. and Lane, M.S. (1992), ``Teaching
business ethics: bringing reality to the
classroom'', Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 225-9.
Shannon, J.R. and Berl, R.L. (1997), ``Are we
teaching ethics in marketing? A survey of
students' attitudes and perceptions'', Journal
of Business Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 10, pp. 1059-75.
Singhapakdi, A., Rallapalli, K.C. and Rao, C.P.
(1995), ``Personal and professional values
underlying ethical decisions: a comparison of
American and Thai marketers'', International
Marketing Review, Vol. 12 No. 14, pp. 65-76.
Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S.J. and Leelakulthanit,
O. (1994), ``A cross-cultural study of moral
philosophies, ethical perceptions and
judgements: a comparison of American and
Thai marketers'', International Marketing
Review, Vol. 11 No. 6, pp. 65-78.
Smith, L.M. (1993a), ``Teaching ethics: an update
part I'', Management Accounting, Vol. 74 No. 9,
pp. 18-19.
Smith, L.M. (1993b), ``Teaching ethics: an update
part II'', Management Accounting, Vol. 74
No. 10, p. 18.
Trevino, L.K. and McCabe, D. (1994), ``Meta-
learning about business ethics: building
honorable business school communities'',
Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 13 No. 6,
pp. 405-16.
Warren, R.C. (1995), ``Practical reason in practice:
reflections on a business ethics course'',
Education and Training, Vol. 37 No. 6,
pp. 14-22.
White, L.P. and Rhodebach, M.J. (1992), ``Ethical
dilemmas in organizational development: a
cross-cultural analysis'', Journal of Business
Ethics, Vol. 11 No. 8, pp. 663-70.
Wynd, W.R. and Mager, J. (1989), ``The business
and society course: does it change student
attitudes?'', Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 8
No. 6, pp. 487-91.
[ 353 ]