Perception of What the Ethical Climate is and What it Should be: The Role of Gender, Academic Status, and Ethical Education

Conclusion
This study using a multivariate design found that
men and women had differing perceptions of
how ethical behavior should be related to positive
business outcomes, and that the senior business
students appeared to be more cynical than the
freshmen in their attitude toward the current
ethical environment. Interestingly, being exposed
to integrative ethical education predicted more
positive attitudes towards how the current ethical
climate is as well as how it should be. The con-
clusions of this study are consistent with the
research literature in this area. From a practical
perspective, focusing on concrete ethical issues
within functional courses and rigorously applying
a structured ethical decision-making format to
ethical issues can be done (Petrick et al., 1991)
and may be superior to forcing students to simply
take “ethics courses.” Because an educational
investment does appear to influence attitudes of
students regarding ethical behavior, common
sense implies that ethical education must per-
meate the entire curriculum.
It has been suggested that critical thinking
about and discussion of important social issues
as well as the transmission of ethical values
depends primarily on professors who do not
necessarily have training in teaching ethics
(1988). Sauser (1990) has pointed out that the
actual behavior of business professors teaches
students more about ethical behavior than any
particular teaching technique. This behavior may
indicate to the student whether the professor
considers it proper to honor a contract (the
syllabi), whether the professor believes in giving
value for the tuition money (instructive lectures,
stimulating class discussions), and whether the
professor rewards meritorious performance (by
giving deserving grades).
It is quite possible that in teaching ethics, both
the message and the messenger may play an
equally important role. Indeed, future research
needs to look at both of these factors in deter-
mining how ethical values can be taught. Perhaps
there should be less debate now on “should”
ethics be taught or “can” ethics be taught.
Certainly, the indication from the literature seems
to be that the emphasis needs to shift to “how”
Perception of Ethical Climate
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ethics can be taught. Today, that seems to be a
relevant and practical question. Exploring the
“how” of ethical teaching may reveal the subtle
ways in which knowledge, values, and attitudes
are exchanged between teachers and students.