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Moral Identity as Leverage Point in Teaching Business Ethics

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  • Jun Gu
  • Cristina Neesham

Abstract

This paper examines whether appealing to learners’ moral identity makes a significant contribution to improving their ethical decision making beyond traditional, rule-based teaching. In response to criticisms leveled at rule-based ethics teaching by alternative approaches, we identify moral identity theory and experiments in moral psychology as useful sources to draw on for the creation of a new, identity-based ethics teaching approach. We develop and apply a set of regular self-reflection focused writing tasks added to the traditional teaching program over a one-semester period, and assess the outcomes of an overall sample of 149 postgraduate business school students, who were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: exposure to both identity-based tasks and rule-based teaching, exposure to rule-based teaching only, and the control condition (i.e., no exposure to ethics teaching). Our findings show that, while the three groups reported the same level of ethical decision making at the beginning of the semester, at the end of the semester the students who were exposed to both identity-based and rule-based teaching reported higher level of ethical decision making compared to those who were only exposed to rule-based education. In addition, the students who received rule-based teaching reported higher ethical decision making compared to those in the control condition. These results suggest that a teaching approach which appeals to the learner’s moral identity can act as an effective leverage point when complementing rule-based teaching. This simple approach should be widely adopted as common practice in graduate business schools. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Jun Gu & Cristina Neesham, 2014. "Moral Identity as Leverage Point in Teaching Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(3), pages 527-536, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:124:y:2014:i:3:p:527-536
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-2028-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shao, Ruodan & Aquino, Karl & Freeman, Dan, 2008. "Beyond Moral Reasoning: A Review of Moral Identity Research and Its Implications for Business Ethics," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 513-540, October.
    2. Rakesh Khurana, 2007. "Introduction to From Higher Aims to Hired Hands The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession," Introductory Chapters, in: From Higher Aims to Hired Hands The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession, Princeton University Press.
    3. Shanda Traiser & Myron Eighmy, 2011. "Moral Development and Narcissism of Private and Public University Business Students," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 99(3), pages 325-334, March.
    4. Uri Gneezy, 2005. "Deception: The Role of Consequences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(1), pages 384-394, March.
    5. McFerran, Brent & Aquino, Karl & Duffy, Michelle, 2010. "How Personality and Moral Identity Relate to Individuals’ Ethical Ideology," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 35-56, January.
    6. Barbara Ritter, 2006. "Can Business Ethics be Trained? A Study of the Ethical Decision-making Process in Business Students," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 68(2), pages 153-164, October.
    7. Thomas Donaldson, 2012. "Three Ethical Roots of the Economic Crisis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 5-8, March.
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    1. Cristina Neesham & Jun Gu, 2015. "Strengthening Moral Judgment: A Moral Identity-Based Leverage Strategy in Business Ethics Education," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 527-534, October.
    2. Suzy Jagger & Haytham Siala & Diane Sloan, 2016. "It's All in the Game: A 3D Learning Model for Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(2), pages 383-403, August.
    3. Daniel Arce & Mary Gentile, 2015. "Giving Voice to Values as a Leverage Point in Business Ethics Education," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 535-542, October.
    4. Maribel Blasco, 2022. "“We’re Just Geeks”: Disciplinary Identifications Among Business Students and Their Implications for Personal Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 178(1), pages 279-302, June.
    5. Ine Paeleman & Nadja Guenster & Tom Vanacker & Ana Cristina O. Siqueira, 2024. "The Consequences of Financial Leverage: Certified B Corporations’ Advantages Compared to Common Commercial Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(3), pages 507-523, January.
    6. Katrin Hummel & Dieter Pfaff & Katja Rost, 2018. "Does Economics and Business Education Wash Away Moral Judgment Competence?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(2), pages 559-577, June.

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