Gender Differences In Students Ethical Impressions Of Questionable Marketing Practices

Abstract

In this study, we test the theory that female business majors are more sensitive than male business majors to the ethical issues in advertising promotions. We also examine whether or not business majors are as sensitive as liberal arts majors. Our sample is made up of 218 students from the Northeast area of the US. To measure ethical sensitivity in marketing situations, the participants responded to six scenarios developed from actual news data. The results indicate that female students and female business majors were more sensitive to potentially unethical advertising than male students. We also found that liberal arts students were more sensitive to ethical issues than their counterparts in business schools.