PERSONAL VALUE SYSTEMS OF BUSINESS LEADERS, STATE-SCHOOL BUSINESS STUDENTS, AND CHURCH-SCHOOL BUSINESS STUDENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY (OKLAHOMA

Scope and Method of Study. Personal values form the basis for ethical action by the individual and are the foundation for corporate culture in the organization. The study of values, therefore, has important implications for business. This study examines the value systems of Oklahoma Chief Executive Officers and Business Policy students from both a state school and a church school in Oklahoma. Rokeach's (1973) Value Survey (RVS) was sent to Oklahoma CEOs and administered to senior business students in the classroom. The RVS requires the respondent to rank order two lists of values. One list consists of 18 terminal values and the other list consists of 18 instrumental values. Usable responses were received from 49 CEOs, 77 state-school business seniors, and 81 church-school business seniors. A composite value system profile was developed for each group in the study, and differences were detected using the nonparametric Kruskall-Wallis test of significance.;Findings and Conclusions. The three groups in the study (CEOs, state-school business students, and church-school business students) were found to differ on 24 of the 36 values in the RVS. This difference in two-thirds of the values is strong evidence that a difference in value systems does exist between the groups. The largest number of differences were between the two student groups and the CEOs. Students were more interested in what Maccoby (1976) called "qualities of the heart," and CEOs were more interested in the "qualities of the head." These value differences could cause problems as students graduate and look for jobs in their chosen field if steps are not taken to assist them in the socialization process. Religious activity, as measured by church attendance, was found to be a contributing factor to value system differences. The major field of study and sex of the respondent were determined to not be closely related to value preferences.