Abstract
While the media and public opinion polls suggest that the state of business ethics is declining, surveys of corporate managers on the subject are less than conclusive. This study presents results of a survey of 487 adult, MBA, and undergraduate business students on the business philosophies of Machiavellianism, Darwinism, Objectivism, Relativism, and Universalism. The findings were consistent with earlier research which showed prospective managers to be less ethical than practicing ones and that women and those reporting a strong religious conviction tend to be more ethical. Explanations and several recommendations for improving the situation are offered.
‘If you saw Atlas... trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders — what would you tell him to do?’
‘To shrug.’
—Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
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Paul Miesing is Assistant Professor of Business Management at the State University of New York at Albany. He previously taught Business Policy and Business, Government, and Society at the School of Commerce, University of Virginia. Professor Miesing has published in the areas of strategic management, business environments, and business simulation. His articles have appeared in Managerial Planning, Journal of Marketing, Long Range Planning, Small Group Behavior, Urban Analysis and Public Management, and Journal of Public Policy and Marketing.
John F. Preble is Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Delaware. He previously taught Business Policy and Business, Government, and Society at the School of Business, State University of New York at Albany. Professor Preble has published in the areas of environmental scanning, futuristic methodologies, and business simulation. His articles have appeared in Michigan Business Review, Long Range Planning, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Strategic Management Journal American Review of Public Administration, and Small Group Behavior.
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Miesing, P., Preble, J.F. A comparison of five business philosophies. J Bus Ethics 4, 465–476 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382609
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382609