Developing an Essay Approach to Business Ethics Assessment

Unethical choices and behavior in organizations damage individuals, negatively impact organizations, and reduce society\u27s confidence in institutions. Many business schools teach ethics both in specific ethics courses and as a component of other courses as a means of integrating ethics into the curriculum. However, some question the impact of these efforts on students’ ethical reasoning. This pilot study examines the validity of an essay-format business ethics assessment. The assessment instrument addresses four dimensions of students’ ethical thinking: recognizing ethical issues in hypothetical business/engineering cases, consideration of stakeholders, reasoning and thinking critically in the analysis of these cases, and developing ethical solutions. The pilot instrument was administered to seventy-four sophomore and senior business students as part of a business school’s effort to assure and assess student learning. The students answered questions about the cases in an essay format. Five faculty members, blind to whether the essay was produced by a senior or sophomore, rated students’ analyses. Average ratings were higher for seniors. Faculty who rated the essays identified several opportunities for improvement of the assessment instrument and rubrics. The revised instrument and rubrics will be used in a full-scale assessment for both business and engineering students. The problem motivating this study is the growing concern over the ethical choices and behavior of both individuals and corporations and the subsequent effect on society. For several years, the idea that ethics should be taught as a component of business and professional programs has been gaining in popularity