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Can Students' Perceptions of Professional Ethics Be Influenced? An Examination of Three Small Colleges
James R. Davis,
Anderson University
Lynnette S. Smyth, Gordon College
Charles O. Kroncke, College Of Mount St. Joseph
ABSTRACT. Since today’s college students will enter the workplace at a time when ethical issues are under greater scrutiny, it is worthwhile to examine their perceptions of varying ethical situations. This study of 786 college students at three institutions (one public, one Baptist-affiliated and one Catholic-affiliated) uses a survey and statistically analyzes student assessment of questionable academic and business situations that the student ranks on a seven point Likert scale. Out results indicate that on average female respondents evaluate every surveyed situation as more unethical than the males respondents. When analyzing the results by class, several instances show that upper division students assess the statements as representing more unethical behavior than do lower division students. Disturbingly, this trend is likewise found for non-business and business majors with business majors on average less likely to evaluate a number of the questionable situations as unethical.
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