This article makes two contributions to the teaching of business ethics literature. First, it describes the steps involved in developing effective ethical dilemmas to incorporate into a computer-based business simulation. Second, it illustrates these steps by presenting two ethical dilemmas that an instructor can incorporate into any business simulation. Instructors who use business simulations in their courses can use the sample dilemmas as presented or modify them as desired or necessary to fit their course design and objectives. Instructors can also use the steps described to develop their own ethical dilemmas.
AACSB Ethics Education Task Force. (2004). Ethics education in business schools: Report of the Ethics Education Task Force to AACSB International’s Board of Directors. Retrieved June 1, 2005, from www.aacsb.edu/resource_centers/ethicsedu/default.asp
2.
Ake, C. (1975). Justice as equality. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 5, 69-89.
3.
Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. New York: Longman.
4.
Anderson, P. H., Beveridge, D. A., Lawton, L., & Scott, T. W. (2004). Merlin: A marketing simulation. Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill.
5.
Anderson, P. H., Beveridge, D. A., & Scott, T. W. (2000). Threshold entrepreneur: A new business venture simulation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
6.
Anderson, P. H., Beveridge, D. A., Scott, T. W., & Hofmeister, D. L. (2003). Threshold competitor: A management simulation (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
7.
Bayles, M. D. (1968). Contemporary utilitarianism. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
8.
Bebeau, M. J., & Thoma, S. J. (2003). Guide for DIT-2. Minneapolis: Center for the Study of Ethical Development, University of Minnesota.
9.
Bentham, J. (1907). An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. Oxford, UK: Clarendon.
10.
Bjork, R., & Druckman, D. (1991, November). How do you improve human performance?APS Observer, 4, 13-15.
11.
Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals; Handbook 1: Cognitive domain. New York: David McKay.
12.
Brandt, R. B. (1979). A theory of the good and the right. New York: Oxford University Press.
13.
Burns, A. C., Gentry, J. W., & Wolfe, J. (1990). A cornucopia of considerations in evaluating the effectiveness of experiential pedagogies. In J. W. Gentry(Ed.), Guide to business gaming and experiential learning (pp. 253-278). New York: Nichols/GP Publishing.
14.
Chiesl, N. E. (1994). Don’t teach ethics to business students!Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Exercises, 21, 155-156.
15.
Conry, E. J., & Nelson, D. R. (1989). Business law and moral growth. American Business Law Journal, 27, 1-39.
16.
Cotter, R. V., & Fritzsche, D. J. (2002). The Business Policy Game: An international strategy simulation (5th ed.). Retrieved June 1, 2005, from www.eskimo.com/%7Efritzsch
17.
Dempster, F. N. (1988, August). The spacing effect: A case study in the failure to apply the results of psychological research. American Psychologist, 43, 627-634.
18.
Dennehy, R. F., Sims, R. R., & Collins, H. E. (1998). Debriefing experiential learning exercises: A theoretical and practical guide for success. Journal of Management Education, 22, 9-25.
19.
Dillon, R. S. (1992). Care and respect. In E. Browning Cole & S. Coultrap-McQuin (Eds.), Explorations in feminist ethics: Theory and practice (pp. 69-81). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
20.
Donovan, J. J., & Radosevich, D. J. (1999). A meta-analytic review of the distribution of practice effect: Now you see it, now you don’t. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 795-805.
21.
Driskell, J. E., Willis, R. P., & Copper, C. (1992). Effect of overlearning on retention. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 615-622.
22.
Feinberg, J. (1973). Social philosophy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
23.
Ferris, W. P. (1996). The effectiveness of teaching business ethics using moral philosophy and personal ethical codes. Journal of Management Education, 20, 341-357.
24.
Fisher, C. D., Schoenfeldt, L. F., & Shaw, J. B. (2003). Human resource management (5th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
25.
Frank, R. H. (1988). Passions within reason: The strategic role of the emotions. New York: Norton.
26.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
27.
Gold, S. C., & Pray, T. F. (1990). Modeling demand in computerized business simulations. In J. W. Gentry (Ed.), Guide to business gaming and experiential learning (pp. 117-138). East Brunswick, NJ, London: Nichols/GP Publishing, Kogan Page.
28.
Goldstein, I. L. (1986). Training in organizations: Needs assessment, development, and evaluation (2nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
29.
Gunz, H. P. (1995). Realism and learning in management simulations. Journal of Management Education, 19, 54-74.
30.
Husami, Z. I. (1980). Marx on distributive justice. In M. Cohen, T. Nagel, & T. Scanlon (Eds.), Marx, justice, and history (pp. 42-79). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
31.
Johne, M. (2003, February). Virtual environments. CMA Management, 76(10), 28-32.
32.
Kant, I. (1964). Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals (H. J. Paton, Trans.). New York: Harper & Row.
33.
Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1998). Evaluating training programs: The four levels (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
34.
Kohlberg, L. (1976). Moral stages and moralization: The cognitive-developmental approach. In T. Lickona (Ed.), Moral development and behavior: Theory, research, and social issues (pp. 31-53). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
35.
Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals; Handbook 2: Affective domain. New York: David McKay.
36.
Kuhn, J. W. (1998). Emotion as well as reason: Getting students beyond “interpersonal accountability.”Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 295-308.
37.
LeClair, D. T., Ferrell, L., Montuori, L., & Willems, C. (1999). The use of a behavioral simulation to teach business ethics. Teaching Business Ethics, 3, 283-296.
38.
Lickona, T. (1976). Moral development and behavior: Theory, research, and social issues. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
39.
Liedtka, J. (1992). Wounded but wiser: Reflections on teaching ethics to MBA students. Journal of Management Education, 16, 405-416.
40.
MacIntyre, A. (1981). After virtue. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
41.
Mallinger, M. (1997). Decisive decision making: An exercise using ethical frameworks. Journal of Management Education, 21, 411-417.
42.
Marx, K. (1938). Critique of the Gotha program. London: Lawrence and Wishart.
43.
McMurtry, J. (1978). The structure of Marx’s world view. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
44.
McNamara, C. (1998). Complete guide to ethics management: An ethics toolkit for managers. Retrieved June 1, 2005, from www.mapnp.org/library/ethics/ethxgde.htm
45.
Mill, J. S. (1957). Utilitarianism. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.
46.
Nozick, R. (1974). Anarchy, state, and utopia. New York: Basic Books.
47.
O’Neill, O. (1989). Constructions of reason: Explorations of Kant’s practical philosophy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
48.
Parks, D. M., & Lindstrom, G. L. (1995). Achieving higher levels of learning in the business policy and strategy course through integration of a business simulation. Journal of Management Education, 19, 219-227.
49.
Payne, S. L. (1993). Ethics integration: The management/organizational behavior fundamentals course and broader concerns. Journal of Management Education, 17, 472-484.
50.
Perelman, C. (1963). The idea of justice and the problem of argument. New York: Humanities Press.
51.
Pincoffs, E. L. (1986). Quandaries and virtues. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press.
52.
Piper, T. R., Gentile, M. C., & Parks, S. D. (1993). Can ethics be taught?Boston: Harvard Business School.
53.
Pojman, L. P. (1989). Ethical theory: Classical and contemporary readings. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
54.
Rachels, J. (1999). The elements of moral philosophy (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
55.
Raugust, M. C. (1992). Feminist ethics and workplace values. In E. Browning Cole & S. Coultrap-McQuin (Eds.), Explorations in feminist ethics: Theory and practice (pp. 69-81). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
56.
Reed, D. R. C. (1997). Following Kohlberg: Liberalism and the practice of democratic community. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.
57.
Rest, J. R. (1988, Winter). Can ethics be taught in professional schools? The psychological research. Ethics: Easier Said than Done, 1, 22-26.
58.
Rest, J. R., Narvaez, D., Bebeau, M. J., & Thoma, S. J. (1999). Postconventional moral thinking: A neo-Kohlbergian approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
59.
Ricci, P., & Markulis, P. M. (1992). Can ethics be taught? A simulation tests a traditional ethics pedagogy. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Exercises, 19, 141-145.
60.
Schumann, P. L. (2001). A moral principles framework for human resource management ethics. Human Resource Management Review, 11, 93-111.
61.
Schumann, P. L., Anderson, P. H., & Scott, T. W. (1997). Using computer-based simulation exercises to teach business ethics. Teaching Business Ethics, 1, 163-181.
62.
Schumann, P. L., Anderson, P. H., Scott, T. W., & Lawton, L. (2001). A framework for evaluating simulations as educational tools. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Exercises, 28, 215-220.
63.
Scott, T. W., Kaliski, J. A., & Anderson, P. H. (2005). Micromatic: A strategic management simulation (3rd ed.). Retrieved June 1, 2005, from www.oaktreesim.com/micromatic/
64.
Sims, R. R. (2002a). Business ethics teaching for effective learning. Teaching Business Ethics, 6, 393-410.
65.
Sims, R. R. (2002b). Debriefing experiential learning exercises in ethics education. Teaching Business Ethics, 6, 179-197.
66.
Smith, D. (2003). Capstone. Retrieved June 1, 2005, from www.capsim.com/
67.
Smith, J. R., & Golden, P. A. (2002a). Airline: A strategic management simulation (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
68.
Smith, J. R., & Golden, P. A. (2002b). Corporation: A global business simulation (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
69.
Sullivan, R. J. (1989). Immanuel Kant’s moral theory. New York: Cambridge University Press.
70.
Teach, R. D. (1990). Designing business simulations. In J. W. Gentry (Ed.), Guide to Business Gaming and Experiential Learning (pp. 93-116). East Brunswick, NJ, London: Nichols/GP Publishing, Kogan Page.
71.
Thompson, A. A., Jr., & Stappenbeck, G. J. (2001). The Business Strategy Game: A global industry simulation (7th ed.). Burr Ridge, IL: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
72.
Thompson, K. R. (2004). A conversation with Milton Blood: The new AACSB standards. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 3, 429-439.
73.
Thompson, T. A., Purdy, J. M., & Fandt, P. M. (1997). Building a strong foundation: Using a computer simulation in an introductory management course. Journal of Management Education, 21, 418-434.
74.
Velasquez, M. G. (1996). Why ethics matters: A defense of ethics in business organizations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 6, 201-213.
75.
Velasquez, M. G. (2002). Business ethics: Concepts and cases (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
76.
Wolfe, J. (2003). The Global Business Game: A simulation in strategic management and international business (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Publishing.
77.
Wolfe, J., & Fritzsche, D. J. (1998). Teaching business ethics with management and marketing games. Simulation and Gaming, 29, 44-59.
