Mired in Myth: Students’ Misguided Expectations of Marketplace Behavior
Keywords:
business education, economics education, social normsAbstract
This study evaluates whether business and non-business students have different impressions of the attitudes and behaviors that lead to success in business. The extent to which business and non-business students are similar, or dissimilar, has important implications for the business curriculum. To teach business ethics effectively, professors ought to understand students’ beliefs before entering the classroom. This study focuses on the degree to which selfish, self-interested, and self-sacrificing attitudes impact behavior in commercial settings. The data analyzed are from a survey administered at 14 colleges and universities across the country. The final data set contains 665 responses. Results from this study suggest that both business and non-business students believe that selfish and self-interested behavior is common in business. Students believe that to be successful, business decisions need to be motivated by these antisocial attitudes. This finding reveals a level of ignorance regarding the role of prosocial attitudes and behaviors in commerce. It also reveals that societal metanarratives, rather than business education alone, are likely fueling student perceptions. This provides an opportunity to move the business curriculum towards highlighting the prosocial attitudes that contribute to success in business. Antisocial attitudes and behaviors should not be ignored, but they need to be put alongside examples of businesspeople contributing to the common good.
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