Cultures and Economies Apart – Similar Business Ethics Education Needed

Abstract

We investigate the areas in which cultural differences influence managers’ views of business ethics, the role of business schools in preparing students to address ethical issues, and cooperation between schools and industry. Responses from 82 Chinese and 98 Icelandic managers reveal close agreement on such issues as the need for business ethics education, the role of employers in ethics training, and the benefit of cooperation between schools and businesses. Managers diverge on the tactics suggested to achieve these aims, indicating areas where cultural differences may be affecting their attitudes. Our choice of China and Iceland highlights vividly contrasting cultures. As such, it can serve as a building block for further study into the specific areas where culture affects both managers’ support for business ethics education in schools and corporate tactics for enhancing that education through training. Given business schools’ global competition for students, knowing how to attain these cultural differences is likely to be crucial for student and institutional development.