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Promoting Moral Repair in Business Ethics Education: Making the Case for Restorative Practices Following Cheating
in Academic Contexts
Chris Riley and Andrew Little
Abilene Christian University, USA
Volume 21: 2024 pp. 00-00: ABSTRACT
Academic integrity is a growing concern in colleges and universities worldwide, with
business programs no exception. Business educators have wrestled with the best ways to promote a
culture of ethical behavior by implementing effective policies and practices to prevent and respond
to academic misconduct (McCabe et al. 2006). Traditional punitive systems often fail to deter
misconduct effectively. This paper explores both historical approaches to academic integrity and
proposes adopting restorative alternatives that are centered on a foundation of moral repair.
Considering the unique challenges of the business school context, the paper advances the idea that
promoting moral repair through restoration could reshape academic integrity enforcement, fostering
a culture of trust and responsibility in business education and beyond. It specifically suggests
applying Goodstein and Butterfield’s restorative justice model, which was developed with the
workplace in mind, to the academic context, emphasizing proactive community standards, faculty
involvement, and trust and accountability. The paper includes a case study, which describes an
initial effort in applying these models through the curriculum. The discussion concludes with
lessons learned, opportunities and challenges in implementing such approaches, and opportunities
for future research.
Keywords: academic integrity, restorative justice, business ethics, moral repair
