Abstract
This paper takes a critical look at the empirical studies assessing the effectiveness of teaching courses in business and society and business ethics. It is generally found that students' ethical awareness or reasoning skills improve after taking the courses, yet this improvement appears to be short-lived. The generalizability of these findings is limited due to the lack of extensive empirical research and the inconsistencies in research design, empirical measures, and statistical analysis across studies. Thus, recommendations are presented and discussed for improving the generalizability and sophistication of future research efforts in this area.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arlow, P. and T. A. Ulrich: 1983, ‘Can Ethics Be Taught To Business Students’, The Collegiate Forum 14 (Spring), 17.
Arlow, P. and T. A. Ulrich: 1985, ‘Business Ethics and Business School Graduates: A Longitudinal Study’, Akron Business and Economic Review 16 (Spring), 13–7.
Barach, J. A. and E. A. Nicol: 1980, ‘Teaching Ethics in Business School’, Collegiate News and Views Fall, 5–8.
Bok, D.: 1976, ‘Can Ethics Be Taught?’, Change October, 26–30.
Boyd, D. P.: 1981–1982, ‘Improving Ethical Awareness Through the Business and Society Course’, Business and Society 20-1 and 21-1, 27–31.
Buchholz, R. A.: 1979, Business Environment/Public Policy: A Study of Teaching and Research in Schools of Business and Management (AACSB, Saint Louis, MO).
Buchholz, R. A.: 1981, ‘Ethics and Management Education’, paper presented at the annual Academy of Management meeting, August.
Cheit, E. F.: 1978, ‘What Is the Future of Business and Society and Where Is It Going?’, in E. M. Epstein and D. Votaw (Eds.) Rationality, Legitimacy, Responsibility: The Search for New Directions in Business and Society (Goodyear Publishing Company, Inc., Santa Monica, CA) pp. 183–202.
Clark, J. W.: 1966, Religion and the Moral Standards of American Businessmen (South-Western Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH).
Colby, A. and L. Kohlberg: 1987, The Measurement of Moral Judgment: Theoretical Foundations and Research Validations, and Standard Issues Scoring Manual, Volumes 1 and 2 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Forsyth, D. R.: 1980, ‘A Taxonomy of Ethical Ideologies’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39, 173–84.
Frederick, W. C.: 1988, ‘An Ethics Roundtable’, Management Review August, 48–50.
Fritzsche, D. J. and H. Becker: 1984, ‘Linking Management Behavior to Ethical Philosophy — An Empirical Investigation’, Academy of Management Journal 27, 166–73.
Glenn, J. R.: 1988, ‘Business Curriculum and Ethics: Student Attitudes and Behavior’, paper presented at the Society for Business Ethics meeting, August.
Gordon, R. A. and J. E. Howell: 1959, Higher Education for Business (Columbia University Press, New York).
Hanson, K. O.: 1987, ‘What Good Are Ethics Courses?’, Across the Board September, 10–11.
Hoffman, W. M. and J. M. Moore: 1982, ‘Results of a Business Ethics Curriculum Survey Conducted by the Center for Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 1, 81–3.
Hosmer, L. T.: 1985, ‘The Other 338: Why a Majority of Our Schools of Business Administration Do Not Offer a Course in Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 4, 17–22.
Hosmer, L. T.: 1987, The Ethics of Management (Richard D. Irwin, Inc., Homewood, IL).
Konrad, A. R.: 1978, ‘Are Business Ethics Worth Studying?’, Business and Society Review Fall, 54–7.
Long, J. D.: 1984, ‘The Responsibility of Schools of Business to Teach Ethics’, Business Horizons 27 (2), 2–4.
Martin, T. R.: 1981–1982, ‘Do Courses in Ethics Improve the Ethical Judgment of Students?’, Business and Society 20-2 and 21-1, 17–26.
Mathison, D. L.: 1988, ‘Business Ethics Cases and Decision Models: A Call for Relevancy in the Classroom’, Journal of Business Ethics 7, 777–82.
Miller, M. S. and A. E. Miller: 1976, ‘It's Too Late for Ethics Courses in Business Schools’, Business and Society Review 17, 39–42.
Penn, Jr., W. Y. and B. D. Collier: 1985, ‘Current Research in Moral Development as a Decision Support System’, Journal of Business Ethics 4, 131–36.
Pierson, F. C.: 1959, The Education of American Businessmen (McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York).
Porter, L. W. and L. E. McKibbin: 1988, Management Education and Development: Drift or Thrust Into the 21st Century? (McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York).
Purcell, T. V.: 1977, ‘Do Courses in Business Ethics Pay Off?’, California Management Review 19 (4) 50–8.
Rest, J.: 1974, ‘Judging the Important Issues in Moral Dilemmas — An Objective Measure of Development”, Developmental Psychology 10, 491–501.
Rest, J.: 1979, Development in Judging Moral Issues (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN).
Shad, J. S. R.: 1987, ‘Business's Bottom Line: Ethics’, New York Times July 27.
Stead, B. A. and J. J. Miller: 1988, ‘Can Social Awareness Be Increased Through Business School Curricula?’, Journal of Business Ethics 7, 553–60.
Toffler, B. L.: 1986, Tough Choices: Managers Talk Ethics (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York).
Waters, J. A., F. Bird, and P. D. Chant: 1986, ‘Everyday Moral Issues Experienced by Managers’, Journal of Business Ethics 5, 373–84.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
James Weber is currently an Assistant Professor of Management at Marquette University. His research publications have focused upon values, moral reasoning, and ethical behavior on both the individual and organizational levels.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Weber, J. Measuring the impact of teaching ethics to future managers: A review, assessment, and recommendations. J Bus Ethics 9, 183–190 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382643
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00382643