An Aspirational Reframing of Business Ethics Education

Robert A. Giacalone; Lisa Calvano

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An Aspirational Reframing of Business Ethics Education

Robert A. Giacalone

Temple University, USA

Lisa Calvano

West Chester University, USA

Volume 9: 2012, pp. 377-394: ABSTRACT

The past decade has seen an increasing number of critiques of business schools and the education they provide, particularly at the MBA level. In this paper, we summarize the limitations of a minimalist approach to business ethics education and then provide a new direction that enlarges its scope and reframes its educational goals, course content, and analytical methods to inculcate higher-order aspirations among students. We propose that the outcome of business ethics education should be a desire among students to use business to enhance the well-being of all stakeholders, repair damage done to the economy, society, and the environment, and leave the world better than they found it.