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Is it Unethical to not Teach Ethics?

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We Live In an Unscrupulous Society Financial Scandals Callous CEOs Scandalous Mayors Disreputable Congressmen Deceitful Researchers Dishonest Authors

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Turning a Blind Eye

More than half of all business students admit to unethical behavior

Only 5% of business school deans think dishonesty is a problem

AACSB does not require business schools to teach EthicsLess than one third of accredited schools

require stand-alone Ethics class

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AACSB International

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

International organization that establishes “accreditation for undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs in business and accounting”

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AACSB Does not require stand-alone Ethics class Specifies avoidance of independent classes Prefers ethics distribution across the

program of study via:Codes of conductValue statementsHonor codes

Schools are responsible for integrating Ethics classes into their curriculum

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Opposition to AACSB’s Decision

CEOs, deans, faculty, practicing managers Ethics Resource Officers (D.C.) Academy of Management

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Ethics Education Issues

Faculty, in general, lacks expertise to teach complex ethical issues

Faculty often resistant to adding ethics to their curriculum

Some institutions have reduced or eliminated ethics courses

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Academy of Management

Tasked with improving ethical standards Opted to concentrate mostly on clarifying

academic publication rules

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Ethics Survey

Conducted to determine importance of ethics

Survey outcomes identify major areas of ethical concern

Respondents:Business studentsBusiness school deansBusiness ethics experts

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Survey Outcomes

Foundations of decision making Clarifying rules for academic publication Motivating others to understand values Examining the pressures of the current

business environment Identifying consequences of unethical

behavior

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Survey Outcomes

Establishing a culture that reinforces integrity

Creating better monitoring systems Identifying the benefits of virtuous conduct Fostering dialogue about ethics and

values Increasing communication between

academics and practitioners

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Foundations of Decision Making Students need to understand basic ethics

concepts and foundations Some ethical models produce conflicting

conclusions that are not easily understood Replacing stand-alone ethics course with

cross-curriculum teaching does not provide enough information for students to make accurate ethical decisions

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Clarifying Rules for Academic Publications Plagiarism and fabrication is rampant

among scholars Publishing of academic research despite

inaccuracies“Publish or Perish”

Institutions can be discredited based on unscrupulous actions

Unethical actions are a bad role model for students

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Examining the Pressures of Current Business Environment Business today are under increased

pressure to perform and produce Increased competition Worldwide economic woes Uncertain future Actions influence its employees’ actions

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Identifying Consequences of Unethical Behavior Unethical behavior is on the rise in

business schools Faculty largely ignore dishonesty and do

not report it Results in appearance that schools do not

consider integrity important “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

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Identifying Consequences of Unethical Behavior Enron

Unethical behavior was well-known and encouraged

“We won’t get caught” attitude Impact on investors was of little importance

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Establishing a Culture that Reinforces Integrity Some schools embrace ethics University-established Ethics Centers Ethics-oriented studies often a focus after

occurrence of violations Ethical values must be implemented from

the top down to reinforce employee awareness

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Creating Better Monitoring Systems Establishing and maintaining honesty

monitoring systems is imperative within business schools and the workplace

Faculty and students need to jointly enforce ethical monitoring to combat dishonesty epidemic

Businesses must be accountable for unethical practices and prevent their reoccurrence

Monitoring systems should be established BEFORE incidents occur

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Identify the Benefits of Virtuous Conduct Schools that identify and promote ethical

behavior are recognized and applauded for their efforts Increased recognition and credibility

Promotes an ethically aware student body and work environment

Fosters high level of trust and commitment

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Foster Dialogue About Ethics and Values Ethics education supports comprehension

of ethical dilemmas, value system, and business decision consequences

Students and employees are aware of their ethical obligations and their responsibility to act accordingly in a timely manner

Encourages open dialogue and effective leadership

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Increasing Communication Between Academics and Practitioners Academics is not the same as “Real Life” Academic studies present ethical theories

and models Guest speakers add value to the lessons

with experiences and opinions Business schools often hesitant to

implement out-of-classroom instruction Businesses often questions academic

applications

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Improving Ethics in Business Schools and the Workplace Make Business Ethics education a priority

Mandatory course(s) early in the academic schedule to apply values to other courses

Reverse AACSB policy regarding Ethics curriculum to ensure schools teach the classesFewer than 1/3 of all business schools

currently offer Ethics classes

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Improving Ethics in Business Schools and the Workplace Academy of Management should expand

the Ethics Education Committee’s responsibilitiesFocus should be on ethical academic

publication standards AND ethical issues identified by deans, students, and ethics experts

Business Ethics education should be a priority for business schools, colleges, and universities

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Improving Ethics in Business Schools and the Workplace Business schools must recognize the lack

of ethical practices that currently exist Deans should nurture a culture of

academic integrity on their campuses Student and faculty involvement with

ethics monitoring process should be implemented

Faculty must be required to support the effort

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Improving Ethics in Business Schools and the Workplace In addition to lectures, students should

experience ethics in actionPublic service projectsCommunity involvement

Enhances ethical awareness and moral reasoning capabilities

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Improving Ethics in Business Schools and the Workplace Faculty should educate themselves about

the importance of ethics Faculty should lead by example by

practicing ethical behavior and encouraging their students to do the same

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Conclusions

Growing evidence supports the theory that student ethical behavior would be positively influenced by positive conduct and education by faculty

Support from college and university deans would enhance faculty’s efforts

Ethical conduct is not only important for educational facilities and businesses, but for all of society

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Conclusions

Ethical standards need to be diligently applied to current applications in the academic world and workplace

Students and employees must understand the importance of conducting business in an ethical manner