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Does teaching ethics do any good?

Elizabeth Prior Jonson (Department of Management, Monash University, Clayton, Australia)
Linda McGuire (Department of Management, Monash University, Clayton, Australia)
Brian Cooper (Department of Management, Monash University, Caulfield, Australia)

Education + Training

ISSN: 0040-0912

Article publication date: 11 April 2016

1397

Abstract

Purpose

This matched-pairs study of undergraduates at an Australian University investigates whether business ethics education has a positive effect on student ethical behaviour. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a matched-pairs design to look at responses before and after students have taken a semester-long unit in business ethics. The authors used ethical scenarios and analysed both the starting position and changes in responses for the total student group, and by gender and citizenship.

Findings

The results from this matched-pairs study show ethics education has a limited impact on students’ responses to ethical dilemmas.

Practical implications

Ethics subjects are now ubiquitous in business schools, but it may be time to consider alternatives to the philosophical normative teaching approach.

Originality/value

This paper is significant in that it uses 142 matched pairs to look at responses before and after students have taken a semester-long unit in business ethics. This study provides qualified support for the proposition that business ethics education has an impact on students’ ethical decision making.

Keywords

Citation

Jonson, E.P., McGuire, L. and Cooper, B. (2016), "Does teaching ethics do any good?", Education + Training, Vol. 58 No. 4, pp. 439-454. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-11-2015-0110

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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