An Examination of Business Ethics Attitudes Through Major Philosophical Categories

Abstract

This study aims to assess the attitudes of associate degree students, who are prospective employees in the business world, towards work ethics. It investigates whether these attitudes differ based on various factors, including gender, department, and work experience. Additionally, the study evaluates participants' attitudes through the lens of major business ethics philosophies—Machiavellianism, Social Darwinism, Ethical Relativism, Moral Objectivism, and Legalism. The findings indicate a significant difference in business ethics attitudes between students enrolled in administrative programs and those in tourism programs. However, no clear distinction was observed in the participants' business ethics attitudes when analyzed according to different ethical philosophies. Following statistical analysis, attitudes towards business ethics were categorized into two factors: "benefit-based business ethics" and "behavior-based business ethics." The results demonstrate that male students exhibit higher benefit-based work ethic attitudes compared to their female counterparts. Furthermore, students with no job experience tend to exhibit stronger self-interest-based business ethics attitudes. Conversely, students from administrative and tourism programs display distinct business ethics attitudes, influenced by both benefit and behavior considerations.

Keywords

• ethics;
• ethical attitude
• business ethics
• business ethics philosophy
• ATBEQ

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