BizEd

JanFeb2005

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Look who's reading BizEd! Methodology To collect information about ethics education, I first drafted an open-ended questionnaire and administered it to an initial class of undergraduate business ethics students. Their answers were converted into the official question- naire, which was administered over three years to students in business ethics classes required of management majors at the University of Georgia, a large state university. The questionnaire was administered by two professors within the management department. One taught from a more traditional management perspective, the other from a philosophy-oriented perspective. The management pro- fessor gave multiple-choice exams, and the philosophy professor gave essay exams. Nonetheless, the two courses were structured similarly so comparative longitudinal data could be gathered from multiple classes. The data in this study were drawn from four sections "BizEd is an invaluable tool that 'boots' up business education awareness to the next level, ensuring that I'm always in the know and equipped to meet the changing needs of industry, students, and faculty." Dean Sueann Ambron Business School University of Colorado at Denver taught by the management professor and three sections taught by the philosophy professor over a three-year peri- od. All questionnaires were administered during the final week of the semester. By the end of the survey period, 204 students had provided data. In a few instances, some of the rankings did not match exactly between the manage- ment teacher's classes and the philosophy teacher's class- es, but variations were minimal. Results for the combined class rankings are presented in this article. the International Association for Business and Society. Even 2,000 years ago, philosopher Socrates argued the issue with his fellow Athenians. He believed that ethics consisted of "knowing what we ought to do," and he asserted that this knowledge could and should be taught. Maybe the appropriate question is not whether ethics can be taught, but whether ethics can be learned. Considering my own personal experiences, I would say the answer is "yes." People who doubt it should think about what they believed was right and acceptable when they were teenagers, and compare those beliefs to the ones they hold today. Case closed. The next question, then, would be one of pedagogy: Can The only way to ensure receipt of your personal copy is to subscribe. Visit www.aacsb.edu/publications for more information or to download subscription forms and rates. BizEd 40 BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 business ethics be learned in the classroom? My survey indi- cates to me that they can. While this study was limited in scope, I believe it accurately portrays how students perceive their ethics courses, not only in terms of what they learn, but in terms of how ethics will affect their business careers. I feel it is essential to understand what methods students respond to and how professors can reach students more effectively. Armed with that information, we can make sure our students leave their undergraduate studies with a firm grasp on how to behave ethically in the corporate world. ■ z Archie B. Carroll is professor of management at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in Athens. He also holds the Robert W. Scherer Chair of Management and Corporate Public Affairs and is director of the Nonprofit Management and Community Service Program.

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