Changes in attitudes towards business ethics held by former South African business management students

摘要

The objective of this study was to assess whether, and how, the attitudes towardsbusiness ethics of former South African business students have changed betweenthe early 1990s and 2010. The study used the Attitudes Toward Business EthicsQuestionnaire (ATBEQ) and applied a comparative analysis between leadingbusiness schools in South Africa.The findings of this study found a significant change in attitudes based on a set timeframe, with a trend towards stronger opinions on business ethics and espousedvalues. Eleven factors came out as fundamental, although they were less able toexplain the variation in the attitudes than the previous study. A significant change inthe rankings of variables was noted and indicated a shift in attitude toward ateleological moral philosophy as well as utilitarian motives. This shows a clear trend towards compliance-based ethics, which can be explained by the proliferation ofbusiness legislation and regulation in the wake of recent corporate governancefailures and the subsequent global financial crisis.