THE EFFECTS OF PROFESSIONAL-EDUCATION ON VALUES AND THE RESOLUTION OFETHICAL DILEMMAS - BUSINESS SCHOOL VS LAW-SCHOOL STUDENTS

Prior research on the impact of ethics education within the business c urriculum has yielded mixed results. Although the impact is often foun d to be positive, it appears to be both small and short-lived. Interpr etation of these results, however, is sub ect to important methodologi cal limitations. The present research employed a longitudinal methodol ogy to evaluate the impact of an M.B.A. program versus a law program o n the values and ethical decision making behavior of a cohort of stude nts at two major universities in the northeast. The results suggest th at the M.B.A. curriculum remains a value-neutral experience for most s tudents. In contrast, the law school program had a significant impact on both values and ethical decision making.