BUSINESS STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS BUSINESS ETHICS: EVIDENCE FROM KUWAIT

Fuad N. Alshaik
Mohammed I. Elian
Luay Tahat
Gulf University for Science and Technology, State of Kuwait
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the ethical orientation of students of business schools in the
Middle East, with special reference to the state of Kuwait. It examines whether differences in
students’ demographics and professional characteristics, including gender, academic level,
participation in business ethics training programs, and working status, have any influence on their
attitudes towards business ethics. Further, this study compares and contrasts the ethical
orientations of business students in the departments of management, finance, accounting, and
management information system in Kuwait and their counterparts in other countries. Results
support the view that there is a significant difference between male and female respondents in
terms of their attitudes towards ethics.
The results indicate that higher academic levels (i.e., senior and graduate students) have
more positive views towards business ethics compared to lower academic levels. Participation in
business ethics training programs and working status do not have an influence on the ethical
orientation of the respondents. A comparison of the overall mean of the present study with means
of previous studies shows that the ethical orientations of business students in Kuwait cluster with
those of the Iranian and Malaysian students. On the contrary, significant differences seem to exist
between the Kuwaiti respondents and those in the USA, Australia and Israel, concluding that
culture is an important factor that may explain the differences in attitudes to business ethics
across countries.