CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

            Background of the Study

The need to maintain high moral ethical standards in all aspect of life has become a necessary requirement for sustainable operations in organizations in all areas and sectors of the World. Ethics is generally defined “as an underlying principle that would produce an action to prevent a substantial harm to others, when an individual or group has an opportunity to do so for their own benefit” (Boddy, 2011). The concept of ethics an individual’s moral standard is based on the perception that, it can injure or severely benefit another (Churchill, 1982).

The need to be ethical as an individual or business has garnered serious relevance in the world which is based on the grounds of “one’s moral judgment to serve as a function to condemn and impede plans or activities that would import unfortunate circumstances unto other people. Self, morality plays the role of restricting selfish actions that would cause harm to others, despite one’s own benefit” (Carlson, Carlson, and Ferguson 2011) and being ethical in business as an organization contributes much to the success of business.

Ethics in business is very essential component in that ensures sustainability and achievement of the global goals of sustainability. Inculcating ethics in students and teaching techniques is a strategy which will help create a higher degree of awareness in the students. Ethics program in the syllables is also a component of business ethics that can help encourage knowledge of ethics in the students. In enhancing and creating awareness on the knowledge of ethics, students must be recognised as active stakeholders in the society and their knowledge and awareness of business ethics as relevant component of business course in the second cycle institutions.

Awareness of business ethics in students will propagate proper decision making process in the students Business students in the Ghanaian second cycle institutions

Academic literature has addressed the issue of how, and to what extent, business ethics play a critical role in shaping the attitudes and future behaviour of students (Desplaces, Melchar, Beauvais & Bosco, 2007). Over the years, there has been growing interest of accounting students in other areas of studies like law, sciences, nursing and other areas for further studies in the country. The increase in the interest of these areas of further studies has resulted to the need to investigate this phenomenon in line with the awareness of business ethics awareness of second cycle accounting students in the country.

            Problem Statement

“Despite the many ethical theories that have been developed with a view to guiding our conduct, and the considerable body of writing on the application of these theories to practical issues, there is uncertainty about what exactly we are doing-and are justified in doing – when we make ethical judgements, or engage in ethical argument. Are we trying to get the facts right, as a scientist might do? Or simply expressing our feelings, or perhaps the feelings of our society as a whole?” (Singer, 2001: 16)

In the Ghanaian context the business or accounting education basically deal centrally with the acquisition of knowledge and how the student will be able to understand and appreciate the concepts being thought in the class. Lack of awareness of the ethics in business at this early stage in the students’ life and this affects the extent to which decisions about further studies in accounting or business related areas are affected. The bias of the business syllabus towards knowledge acquisition in the second cycle institutions has however affected the relevance and the extent to which ethical decision making is affected and made at higher business level. This

is due to the fact that, knowledge and awareness of business ethics is not a component of business education that is earlier introduced in business students at the earlier level.

The literature on business ethics only focuses that extent to which business ethical decisions are made in the business level and top managerial positions and their ethical awareness and corporate citizenship level, Adler (2002); Crane & Matten, (2004); Davis, Edmister, Sullivan & West (2003); Evans & Marcal, (2005). Also Studies in business ethics have exhausted to what extent, business ethics education plays a critical role in shaping the attitudes and future behaviour of students Desplaces, Melchar, Beauvais & Bosco, (2007); Fisher & Bonn (2011); Giacalone, & Thompson (2006); Saat, Porter & Woodbine, (2010). However, little or no attention has been centred on business ethical decisions awareness at the students’ level more specifically by using the second cycle or the secondary level students. This study therefore investigates students’ awareness of business ethics and the extent to which the level of awareness shapes the students’ attitudes towards further studies in the business arena. Since knowledge and awareness of business ethics is a necessary factor that will help accounting students in making better career choice. This will also enable the second cycle students to pursue further studies in accounting and other related field like the sciences and other related areas.