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The Role of Business Schools in Ethics Education in Iceland: The Managers’ Perspective

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  • Throstur Sigurjonsson
  • Vlad Vaiman
  • Audur Arnardottir

Abstract

This article explores managers’ views on various ways in which business schools can contribute to providing solid ethics education to their students, who will ultimately become the next generation of business leaders. One thousand top level managers of Icelandic firms were approached and asked a number of questions aimed at establishing their view on the relationship between ethics education and the role of business schools in forming and developing business ethics education. Icelandic businesses were badly hurt by the 2008 crisis, and therefore Iceland provides an interesting foundation for an empirical study of this sort as the aftermath of the crisis has encouraged managers to consciously reflect on the way their business was and should be conducted. Based on the results of the survey, a few main themes have developed. First, it appears that according to practicing managers, business schools should not be held responsible for employees’ unethical behavior. Nevertheless, managers believe that business schools should assist future employees in understanding ethics by including business ethics in teaching curricula. Second, managers believe that the workplace is not where ethics are learned, while also insisting that former students should already have strong ethical standards when entering the workplace. Third, managers call for business schools not only to contribute more to influencing students’ ethical standards, but also to reshape the knowledge and capabilities of practicing managers through re-training and continuous education. Based on the results of the study, the article also offers some recommendations on how to begin reformulating the approach to business ethics education in Iceland, and perhaps elsewhere. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Throstur Sigurjonsson & Vlad Vaiman & Audur Arnardottir, 2014. "The Role of Business Schools in Ethics Education in Iceland: The Managers’ Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 25-38, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:122:y:2014:i:1:p:25-38
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1755-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hrafnmldur Mary Eyjolfsdotiir & Peter B. Smith, 1996. "Icelandic Business and Management Culture," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(3), pages 61-72, September.
    2. Robert Wade, 2009. "Iceland as Icarus," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(3), pages 5-33.
    3. Bitros, George C. & Karayiannis, Anastassios D., 2008. "Entrepreneurial Morality: Some Indications from Greece," MPRA Paper 13837, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 15 Dec 2008.
    4. Bowie, Norman E., 2000. "Business Ethics, Philosophy, and the Next 25 Years," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(1), pages 7-20, January.
    5. Vlad Vaiman & Throstur Sigurjonsson & Páll Davídsson, 2011. "Weak Business Culture as an Antecedent of Economic Crisis: The Case of Iceland," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 98(2), pages 259-272, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sandrine Frémeaux & Grant Michelson & Christine Noël-Lemaitre, 2018. "Learning from Greek Philosophers: The Foundations and Structural Conditions of Ethical Training in Business Schools," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 231-243, November.
    3. Ascaryan Rafinda & Tímea Gal & Putri Purwaningtyas, 2019. "Business Ethics Course On Student Moral Reasoning," Oradea Journal of Business and Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 4(Special), pages 60-68, May.
    4. Sandrine Frémeaux & Thibaut Bardon & Clara Letierce, 2020. "How To Be a ‘Wise’ Researcher: Learning from the Aristotelian Approach to Practical Wisdom," Post-Print hal-03232780, HAL.
    5. Joan A. Ballantine & Xin Guo & Patricia Larres, 2018. "Can Future Managers and Business Executives be Influenced to Behave more Ethically in the Workplace? The Impact of Approaches to Learning on Business Students’ Cheating Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 245-258, April.
    6. Sandrine Frémeaux & Thibaut Bardon & Clara Letierce, 2021. "How To Be a ‘Wise’ Researcher: Learning from the Aristotelian Approach to Practical Wisdom," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(4), pages 667-681, July.

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