| In recent years, unethical business practices at the workplace have cause billions of dollars in losses in the economy of the United States, as in the cases of Enron, WorldCom, Arthur Andersen, and Madoff. This quantitative study, explored work experience as a potential contributor that may affect attitudes towards business ethics (ATBE) of graduate students in the United States. Studies examining the relationship between work experience and ATBE have relevance in business and in academia, considering the potential leadership roles of graduate students. ATBE was measured on a five-point Likert scale using the attitudes towards business ethics questionnaire (ATBEQ). A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to explore for significant differences among groups of graduate students who were grouped according to their length of work experience. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to explore for significant differences at the business-philosophy level (Social Darwinism, Machiavellianism, & Objectivism). The results of the one-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of work experience on ATBE between the group 2 to 3 years of work experience and the more than 10 years of work experience group, indicating a more relaxed ATBE for the group 2 to 3 years. Results from a one-way MANOVA indicated significant differences between the groups for Machiavellianism and Objectivism; however, only Machiavellianism results were considered relevant, since the internal consistency for Objectivism was questionable. This study, although not without limitations, contributes to the gap in the literature exploring the effects that work experience may have on ATBE of graduate students in the United States. |
