Teaching Ethics To Undergraduates: An Examination Of Contextual Approaches

Abstract

Our purpose was to advance the current academic discussion on how to most effectively teach managerial ethics at the undergraduate level.  We argued that undergraduate ethics education should be comprehensive, multi-dimensional and woven into the fabric of each student’s experience.  In particular, we hypothesized that the inclusion of service-learning experiences and a rigorous honor system would lead to better identification and resolution of ethical dilemmas.  A survey of 304 undergraduates from four colleges and universities yielded modest support for our hypotheses.  In conclusion, we discuss possible explanations for the results and avenues for future studies.