Business education and students' ethical orientations in a Latin American business school

Abstract

This study explored a way of assessing the impact of business education on students' ethical orientations, by comparing MBA students' entry-exit responses to two different instruments. Results showed significant reductions in the propensity for unethical decision scores, but not in the propensity for moral disengagement score. This study had also a practical purpose: to illustrate a way business schools could evaluate their efforts at ethical education and present their achievements in compliance with accreditation requirements (particularly, assurance of learning procedures). By highlighting the study's limitations (particularly, measurement and research design), the authors propose a research program for business schools.

Keywords:

• Assurance of learning
• business education
• moral disengagement
• theory of reasoned action
• unethical decision

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).