Ethics: In the Real World, Kant Can't Help (but Here's What Does)

Every decade or so, scandals rock the business world and revive a long-running debate about the place of ethics in the business school curriculum. On one side stand advocates for greater attention to ethics in management education. On the other side are skeptics who say that ethics can’t be taught; businesspeople facing ethical dilemmas aren’t likely to draw on some long-ago class for guidance; and no amount of exposure to the subject will deter future Bernie Madoffs.

I am a professor of business ethics, and I agree with the skeptics on those charges. But the response to their objections should not be to neglect or abandon ethics in management education but to take a more comprehensive approach—in focus, scope, and ultimate goals—and integrate ethics with the institution’s mission and the entire curriculum.