Student Beliefs and Attitudes about Business: Shaping the Views of First-Year Business Students-A Preliminary Study

摘要

Although business majors account for over 20% of all bachelor's degrees in the U.S., "business" has a somewhat tarnished reputation in our society today. Are undergraduates making a cynical or materialistic choice? Could a positive orientation program focusing on "conscious capitalism " change attitudes and improve ethical conduct in future business careers? Based on surveys before and after an orientation stressing the responsibility of a business toward all its stakeholders (not just shareholders), the answer seems to be "yes." Students respond positively to the concept that a business should care about much more than maximizing profits and agree that, "... if practiced ethically, business can be a noble undertaking."