Encouraging Ethical Behavior in the Workplace by Way of the Classroom: Examining the Use of Social Media in Marketing Ethics Instruction to Influence Millennials‘ Perception of Workplace Ethics

摘要

An emphasis on marketing ethics instruction in higher education may be needed now more than ever. The Ethics Resource Center (ERC) reports that employees of the millennial generation are less cognizant of unethical practices in the workplace than previous generations, and suggests that the millennialsu27 exposure and frequency to social media contributes to their disregard of unethical workplace behavior (―2011 National Business Ethics Survey,‖ 2012). Social media communication is popular among the millennial generation and is a requirement for modern-day businesses; yet, the nature of social media seems to be affecting this new generation of employees negatively. Could social media be used positively in marketing ethics instruction to enhance inductive learning of the millennial generation and encourage ethical workplace behavior? This quasi-experimental study sought to answer that question through a control and treatment group research design. Both groups received the same marketing ethics instruction, but the treatment group engaged in instruction through social media while the control group‘s instruction was delivered in class. A comparison of pre- and post-surveys of both groups sought to evaluate if social media could be used to make a positive impact on millennials‘ ethical workplace behavior. Noteworthy findings of the study included: (1) The preference of a closed Facebook page for academic use rather than other social media formats; (2) The tendency of frequent YouTube users to respond unethically to workplace behavior and marketing ethics scenarios; and (3) The support for marketing ethics instruction as a standalone course.