Source: The New York Times
by Julie Dunn
Nov 25, 2001
Most business schools offer ethics courses, but a survey suggests that many students who take them are not paying close attention.
MBA Jungle, a magazine based in New York, recently questioned 445 business school students on a dozen campuses nationwide to see just how moral the next generation of corporate executives might be. The results were published in its November issue.
Nineteen percent of the respondents said they would exaggerate their previous salary to get a higher offer from a potential employer, while 50 percent would reveal corporate secrets to a spouse or family member and 65 percent would not return $1 to a cashier if they realized that they had been given too much change.
The survey also found that 6 percent of students had lied about a job description on their résumés.
While a few white lies and exaggerations may appear harmless, they can ultimately hurt a career, said Jon Housman, publisher of MBA Jungle.
”Your integrity and reputation are really important,” said Mr. Housman, who is also an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business. ”These are assets you would want to think about before jeopardizing.” Julie Dunn
