Ethics studies in graduate level organizational security management programs

Abstract

This study identified a grounded theory related to ethics in security management and ethics studies within graduate organizational security management programs in the United States. The study used data analysis of program curricula, course descriptions, and program websites, as well as interviews of program faculty and administrators to explore (1) how ethics studies are incorporated into graduate organizational Security Management program curricula in the U.S. and (2) how educators in graduate level organizational Security Management programs in the U.S. describe their definitions of ethics in security management, the role that ethics play in security management as a practice and as a profession, the role that ethics studies play in graduate organizational Security Management studies, instruction and evaluation methods for ethics studies within their programs, difficulties in teaching ethics, and barriers to incorporating ethics into a curriculum. The research findings resulted in the creation of a theoretical model for ethics in security management emphasizing a balance between various personal and professional factors. In addition, the findings resulted in a model for the role of ethics in organizational security, which is based on trust, and combines security's heightened authority and access to information with increased exposure to potential ethical decisions, which result in significant personal, organizational, and professional consequences for ethical failure. The research findings also resulted in the creation of theoretical models depicting ethics studies in graduate Security Management programs and the role of ethics studies in the professionalization of security.