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Are Students Really Less Ethical Than Business Practitioners?

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Teaching Business Ethics

Abstract

Past research provides evidence of lower ethical standards amongst the student population when compared to business practitioners, using business-based survey instruments. This study examines the adequacy of this conventional research tool by assessing the influence of scenario context (university or business setting) on ethical intentions using data from 243 commerce tertiary students.

Students tended to respond more ethically to issues set in a university context than to equivalent issues in a business setting. The tolerance level for unethical behaviour in both contexts was also found to decline with full-time work experience and age. However, full-time work experience appears to be the major variable influencing ethical ratings set in a business context, whereas age was found to predict the ethical judgements of students in the university scenarios. The overall pattern of responses indicates that ethical standards vary according to scenario context.

The study illustrates the importance of considering respondents' exposure to the settings concerned when conducting ethical studies using scenario-based instruments. Respondents should have adequate knowledge and exposure to the type of setting they are asked to evaluate. Results of this study argue for caution in the interpretation of past findings involving student samples responding to ethical issues in business settings.

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  1. Commerce Division, Lincoln University, P.O. Box 84, Canterbury, New Zealand E-mail

    Kee Hock Loo, Jeff Kennedy & Daniel A. Sauers

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  1. Kee Hock Loo
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  2. Jeff Kennedy
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  3. Daniel A. Sauers
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Loo, K.H., Kennedy, J. & Sauers, D.A. Are Students Really Less Ethical Than Business Practitioners?. Teaching Business Ethics 2, 347–369 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026460624155

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