Developing Business Ethics as an Academic Field in Romania

Abstract

This article introduces a number of important issues regarding ethical behavior and practices in small and medium enterprises in Romania in relation to the development of business ethics as an academic field. As a starting point, a research project was formed from the results of an online survey conducted within 850 companies, illustrating managerś general perceptions related to the most important factors that influence ethical practices in Romanian companies. Since two of the most common answer options were: (a) managers’ conduct and their personal values and (b) employees’ features: level of education and professional expertise; the second section of this paper will analyze the response of the academic field regarding this need. Based on the premise that today's students will be tomorrow's managers and employees, this study is intended to produce a deeper understanding of the role of moral character in Economic activity, as well as to identify ways in which moral character development can be promoted. Thereby, this paper analyzes if Romanian universities have settled, as an educational target, the development of moral reasoning and behavior of their students.