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Journal of Business Ethics

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01-06-2013

Building Ethical Leaders: A Way to Integrate and Assess Ethics Education

Authors: Ann C. Dzuranin, Rebecca Toppe Shortridge, Pamela A. Smith

Published in: Journal of Business Ethics | Issue 1/2013

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Abstract

The Building Ethical Leaders using an Integrated Ethics Framework (BELIEF) Program was introduced in 2006 at the Northern Illinois University College of Business. The Program was developed to support two learning objectives: (1) increase students’ awareness of ethical issues and (2) strengthen their decision-making abilities regarding these ethical issues. This article provides an overview of the development and integration of this Program. We also provide assessment data on our two learning objectives. The assessment measures improvement from 2005, before the implementation of the program, to all of the post-year measures. Thus, the BELIEF Program appears to enhance our students’ ability to recognize issues and identify appropriate decision alternatives. We hope that the description of the components of BELIEF will aid other schools as they integrate ethics into their curriculum.

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The handbook was written by NIU faculty and is specifically tailored to the BELIEF Program framework. The handbook is integrated into a required junior-level course. Students must successfully complete an online quiz regarding the content of the handbook before registering for subsequent semesters. Students are admitted to the College of Business when they are juniors. All take the same required course their first semester.

The guide was developed based on several resources in the ethical decision-making literature (Davis 2003; Jennings 1998; Johannesen 2002; Nash 1993; Paton 1947; Peale and Blanchard 1988).

All students are provided a wallet-sized card resembling a credit card that contains the 7-steps and the 12 tests that are part of the BELIEF decision-making guide.

Currently the COB provides approximately 40 % and corporate partners and sponsors provide the remaining 60 % of the funding for the operations of the BELIEF Program. The goal is for BELIEF to be 100 % self-funded in the near future.

During ethics week in 2011, more than 20 different speakers delivered presentations in over 30 different classes addressing over 1,000 students.

Current corporate partners include AT&T Mobility, Caterpillar, Experian, KPMG, Microsoft, The National Bank & Trust, NICOR, and Road Ranger.

The general academic scenario and the six scenarios for each major were developed by faculty in that discipline and pilot tested using a sample of COB students. Student responses were reviewed to determine if anything in the scenario was unclear or confusing. Minor modifications were made to the scenarios after the pilot test.

The ten variables are the five questions for two scenarios (academic and discipline).

The COB assurance of learning goal for ethics is that at least 80 % of the students meet or exceed expectations.

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Title: Building Ethical Leaders: A Way to Integrate and Assess Ethics Education
Authors: Ann C. Dzuranin
Rebecca Toppe Shortridge
Pamela A. Smith
Publication date: 01-06-2013
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Journal of Business Ethics / Issue 1/2013
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1371-x

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