Theory of Moral Development of Business Students: Case Studies in Brazil, North America, and Morocco

摘要

Ongoing concern about ethical behavior places research and discussion of this topic in a position of prominence in business and academia. We elaborate a student moral development theory of how universities influence themoral development of business undergraduates bymoving from a strictly American to a cross-cultural perspective. Applying the same instrument used in Hanson and Moore's (2014) student moral development theory, we compare qualitative data from three universities: oneAmerican, oneMoroccan, and one Brazilian. These universities differ substantially in identity, comprising secular and religious as well as public and private institutions. Sample participants range from 16 to 71 traditional business students enrolled as juniors or seniors at each university. Using qualitative coding methods, our work confirms the fundamental concepts of the original theory and improves the model by elaborating nuances in cross-cultural settings. We expand detail in two of the five original factors: moral cultural identity and institutional moral reinforcement. We also create a construct explaining relational dynamics governing student development between the student and model factors. Findings support that students are morally developed by the university system, showing ethical character outcomes. Implications suggest universities might maximize environmental artifacts and student-university relationships to develop students as effective moral agents in university, business, and community settings.