Meaning in professional ethics: The case of business students

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to present the significance and experiences that economics and business students report to have acquired in professional ethics classes at the university level. Professional ethics, by nature, is both theoretical and practical, which means that the theory that students learn must be applied to real situations. In this sense, what students learn serves as a paradigm for action. Among the most significant findings herein was that students value the ethical training offered by the university as a complement to their technical training, however, they consider innovative strategies in teaching fundamental to their classroom experience. Students share that the significance they acquire about ethics ranges from the personal to the professional and the social, highlighting the eminently relational nature of this subject.