graduates’ perception of the value of ethics courses in university:...

Graduates’ Perception of the Value of Ethics Courses in University: A Case Study of UUM Alumni

MAHMOODN.MOHAMEDSABITHAMARICAN

ABSTRAK

Etika sering didefinisikan sebagai ilmu moral atau disiplin moral. Pengajian etika boleh menyediakan peraturan umum yang digunakan untuk mendefinisikan masalah serta menggunakan prinsip asasnya ke arah penyelesaian masalah berkaitan etika dan isu-isu moral. Dalam budaya Malaysia, etika didefinisikan sebagai pengetahuan dan pembelajaran yang diperolehi untuk tujuan kehidupan yang baik. Ia adalah konsep berkaitan dengan apa yang sepatutnya seseorang patut tahu atau buat. Selain pemerolehan pengetahuan, pendidikan universiti yang baik seharusnya juga berkaitan dengan pembinaan perilaku individu. Dalam konteks ini pengajian etika boleh menyediakan asas yang kukuh ke arah memperkembang dan memperbaiki perilaku individu. Kajian ini adalah berkaitan dengan pengalaman UUM dalam pengajaran kursus etika kepada pelajar sarjana muda. Tumpuan utama kajian ialah persepsi alumni UUM ke atas kursus-kursus etika yang telah diambil semasa mereka menjadi mahasiswa di UUM, serta persepsi mereka mengenai tahap kepentingan kursus tersebut kepada kedudukan dan pekerjaan mereka sekarang. Analisis dibuat berasaskan beberapa pembolehubah, seperti gender, etnik, pencapaian akademik, pekerjaan semasa serta gaji yang diperolehi. Hasil menunjukkan terdapat perkaitan di antara persepsi alumni mengenai kepentingan kursus etika ini berasaskan gender, etnik, lokasi geografi serta pencapaian akademik.

ABSTRACT

Ethics is generally defined as the science of moral or moral discipline. The study of ethics can provide some general prescriptions that can be used to define problems and use its basic principles to solve problems pertaining to ethical and moral issues. In the Malaysian culture, ethics is defined as the learning and knowledge acquired for the sake of right living. It is a concept of what a person should know, be and do. Apart from the acquisition of knowledge, it is generally agreed that a wholesome university education should also address the issue of building the character of the individual. Specifically the study of ethics may provide a strong basis for the development and improvement of

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ThestudyofethicscanbetracedbacktothedaysofancientGreece,andthroughtime,philosophershavearguedthesubjectmatterfromvariousstandpoints.Issuespertainingtovaluesandmoralarealsoverysynonymoustoethicsandtheyarefrequentlydiscussedinthecontextofeachother(Kerner,1966;White,1992).

EthicsisderivedfromtheGreekwordethos,meaningcharacterandmoralisfromtheGreekwordmoralis meaningcustomsormanners.Ethicsisaconstructthatisprimarilyusedpertainingtotheindividualcharacterofaperson,whereasmoral is the relationshipbetweenhumanbeings.However, theconstructofethicsandmoralareoftenusedinterchangeably(White,1992;Thiroux,1995;Denise,Peterfreund&White,1999).

Inphilosophy,ethicsisaspecificareaofstudy,whichisthestudyonmoralityandforthemostpart,concentratesonthehumanconductandvalues.Infact,ethicshasalsobeendefinedasthescienceofmoralormoraldiscipline.Itisconcernedwithgoodnessandbadnessofcharacterordisposition,orwiththedistinctionbetweenrightandwrong.Therefore,wealwaysrefertoethicsormoralinthecontextoftheperson(an ethical worker)ortoaspecificact(lying is an immoral act)(Thiroux,1995).Inspecificterms,whenwetalkaboutethics,weusuallymeannormativeethics.Theotherisknownasmetaethics.Theearlierconceptreferstotheoriesthatarebasedonvalidmoralprinciples;theseareactualmoralstatements(for example, abortion is wrong).Thecentralfeatureofnormativeethicsisthemoralprinciple(White,1992,Mahoney,1990).Principlesaregenerallyguidelinesfortherightconduct(for example, ethical conduct for psychologist).Theseprinciplesinethicaltheoriesareintentionallygeneralsothattheymayapplytoeverysituationwearelikelytoencounter(for example, do not unnecessary harm others).UUMbelievesthatthesebasicsmustbetaughtatthetertiarylevelsothatstudentscanunderstandtheunderlyingprinciplesofgood,moralandethicalbehavior,asitcanactasafoundationfortheirconduct.

Metaethics, on the other hand is the theoretical study centered on theanalysisandmeaningofthelanguageusedinethicaldiscourseandthelogicused to justify ethical reasoning.Their concern is conceptual analysis andinquiryintothecorrectmethodforansweringmoralquestions(White,1992;Percesepe, 1995;Denise, Peterfreund&White, 1999). This has beenoneapplicationespeciallyusefultosocialsciencestudents,whodwellinareasofreasoningandgeneralization(Cherrington,1998).Forthesocialscientist,theexaminationofmoralbehaviorsentailstheprocessesofdefinition,classificationandgeneralization.Weobserveandcomparemores,customs,traditions,moralsandlawsofdifferentsocietiesandformulatetheoriesabouttherolesofmoralsinsociety;westudytherelationshipsbetweenmoralandothervariablessuchascriminality,deviance,equityandproductivity,andthereforeformulatedthat

Graduates’ perception of the value of ethics 9

one’s character. This study is related to the experience of UUM in the teaching of ethics to undergraduate students. It focuses on the perception of UUM alumni on the ethics courses that they studied while in UUM and the level of usefulness of these subjects to their current profession and standing. Analysis was performed across several variables such as gender, ethnic groups, academic performance, present occupation and salary. The results show some association in student perception towards the usefulness of these ethics courses taught in the university according to gender, ethnic, geographical location and some achievement variables.

INTRODUCTION

Usually, students in introduction toethicsclassareconfusedbetweenwhatisnotethicalandwhat iswrongor illegal.Theyoftenprovidesomeillegalconduct as examples of unethical behaviors (Mahmood,Sabitha&Noran,2001).Thisisalsocommonamongthegeneralpublic(Mahmood&Sabitha,2001).Illegalconduct likestealing,sexualharassmentandcorruptionlendsnoethicaljustification,however,someindividualconjecturereasonsofsuchconductwithintherealmofethicalrelevance(Mahmood&Sabitha,1995).Thusthebasisforteachingacourseonethicsistoprovidestudentswithreasoningcapacityinunderstandingethicaldilemmasituation.Thiswillfacilitatethemtocometoadecisionbeforehandiftheiractionsareunethicaloracceptablethereforetakingthenecessarystepstoavoidit.

Ethicsisaninterestingfieldofstudybecauseitdealswiththesubjectivityofmoralvalues,anditisalwaysinterpretedonaright-wrongdichotomy.Wehaveseensuccessfulgovernment,businessandcorporatefiguresadvocatingthevirtuesofbeingethical(Mahoney,1990;Mahmood&Sabitha,2001).Thereareotherswhoalsoarguedthattherearesignificantrelationshipsbetweenthepresenceofcodeofethicsorconductandcorporateviolation(Matthews,1988;White,1992;Sabitha,1999).Someevenarguedthatwritingacodeofethicsisanimportantfirststeptowardsfewerviolationofconduct(Percesepe,1995;Denise,Peterfreund&White,1999;Sabitha,2000).Basically,theargumenttouchesonone’sbehavior,whichmustbeinlinewiththeacceptednormsofagroupororganization.Tobeethicalistobehavewithintheprescribednormsandculture.Thiscanbeacquiredthroughvicariousorexperientiallearning.However,canethicsthataretaughtinclassroomenvironmentleaveanimpactontheindividual’sbehaviorlateroninlife?Thisisbasicallythepurposeofthisstudy,whichintendstolookattheexperienceofteachingofethicsinauniversitysettingandifithasanyeffectonstudentslaterlifewhentheyentertheworkplace.

MORALITY AND ETHICAL BEHAVIORS


Thegeneral objective of the Introduction to Ethics course is to enablestudentstounderstand,internalizeanddemonstrateethicalbehaviorintheirdailylifeandeventuallyattheworkplace.Specifically,attheendofthecourse,studentsshouldbeabletoachievethefollowinggoals:defineanddescribethemainconceptsinethics;demonstratesomeethicalpracticesintheirbehavior;andabidebysomeguidingethicalprinciplesintheirdailyandworkinglife.

Looking at the objectives enumerated above, they comprise both thecognitiveand theaffectivedomains.Theobjective in thecognitivedomainseemstofocusmainlyonthelowerlevelofunderstanding.Thereisdefinitelyaneedtoaddressthehigher-levelobjectives.Thesecondandthirdobjectivesareaffectiveinnature.

The course comprises six sections, namely, (a) ethics as a branch ofphilosophy;(b)Islamicteachingandethics;(c)ethicsfromtheperspectivesofChristianity,HinduismandBuddhism;(d)Westernsecularethics;(e)ethicalvalues inMalaysianworking life; and (f) ethical practices in thefields ofbusiness,managementandadministration.Therationaleforfocusingonthefourreligionsasoutlinedinsections(b)and(c)istoaddressthefourmajorreligionsoftheMalaysianpeople.Twelveethicalworkvaluesthathadbeenoutlined and advocated by theMalaysian government are trustworthiness,cleanliness, dedication, discipline, responsibility, espirit de corp, justice,integration,knowledgeable,friendliness,accountability,andproductivitywerealsoaddressedinthecourse.

Studentswereevaluatedthroughtwomethods:(a)groupassignmentthatcomprises50percentofthetotalevaluationand,(b)afinalexamination,whichcarriesanother50percentofthetotalmarks.Studentswereencouragedtohavefourmembersineachgroupandeverygroupwasrequiredtowriteonanyethicalissuetheyperceivetobeimportant.Examplesofgroupprojectsincludetopicsonenvironment,globalization,healthylivingandcorruption.Thedurationofthefinalexaminationwastwoandahalfhours,inwhichstudentswererequiredtoanswerfouressayquestions.Thefirstpartofthiswrittenexamination,whichcontributes a total of 40percent, contains a compulsoryquestion inwhichstudentswere testedon their understandingof religious ethics.The secondpartoftheexaminationwasonWesternethics;thethirdonMalaysianworkethicsand thefourthwasonethicalpractices inbusiness,managementandadministration.Foreachofthesecond,thirdandfourthparts,studentsweregiventhechoicetochooseoneoftwogivenquestions.

Since student enrolment for Introduction to Ethicswas normally large–numberingtoabout3,000students,classeswerebrokenintosizesof150studentsperclass,easilymakingthiscourse into twentygroups.Therefore,


ethicsandvaluesareappropriatefortheworkingofacontemporaryproductivesociety.Itisonthisbasisandrationalethatcoursesonethicsareofferedtostudentsatthetertiarylevel.

Inourbusinessculture,itisimperativetoapplyethicsbecauseofseveralreasons,amongothersare thestrong tiesbetween religionandwayof life,publicsensitivityandcustomers’rights,increasingconsumersafety,civilrightmovementsandthepublicconcernoverissueslikehonesty,transparencyandjustice(Mahmood&Sabitha,2001;Oemar,Mahmood,Sabitha&Dzahir,2004).Infact,theseconcernsarenotonlydirectedtothebusinesscommunitybutalsomoreimportantly,tothegovernmentsector.Thepublicservicemustactandbeseenastransparent,efficient,competent,andservethepublicbestinterest(Sabitha&Mahmood,2005).Inanutshell,itisnotsodifferentfromtheconcernsthatwereexpressedinotherpartsoftheworld,likeourwesterncounterparts,andasstatedbyMahoney(1990),allconcernsaboutourenvironment,cultureandwayof life is towardspreserving theworldforourchildren.Thereforebehavinginanethicalmanneristheutmostconsideration.

TEACHING OF ETHICS AT UUM

Ingeneral,theelementsofethicalprinciplesandreasoningareembeddedinaplethoraofbusiness,managementandothercoursesatUUM.However,departingfromtheargumentsstatedaboveontheimportanceofthephilosophicalandtheoreticalaspectsofethics,ithasbeendeemednecessarythatethicsistobetaughtasacoursetomanagementstudents.Inaddition,apartfromacquisitionofknowledge,itisgenerallyagreedthatacompleteuniversityeducationshouldalso address the issueof building the character of the individual.A courseonethicsmayprovidethebasisforthedevelopmentofandimprovementofone’scharacter.Attheendofthatlongeducationaljourney,theindividualisassumedtohaveacquiredallthenecessaryknowledge,strengthofjudgmentandmoralvirtues.

It is in linewith this philosophy thatUniversitiUtaraMalaysia,whichwasestablishedon15thFebruary1984,offersauniversitycorecourseentitled“Introduction to Ethics”.Thiscoursewas initiallya three-creditcoursebuthasbeenreducedtoatwo-creditcourseintheyear2000.In1995,thiscoursewas taught at theSchool ofManagement targetedmainly formanagementandbusiness students.However, itwas thendecided that allundergraduatestudentsatthisuniversityneedtotakethiscourseaspartoftheiruniversity’scorecurriculum.ItwaslaterchangedtoIntroduction toEthics whichistaughtbytheSchoolofCognitiveScienceandEducation(UUMAcademicCalendar,2000).AtpresentallUUMstudentsarerequiredtotaketwo3-creditsethicscourses:Business EthicsandEthics and Cognitive Science.


considerations.A plethora ofMuslim,Christian,Hindu and contemporarymoderndayethicsandmoralitytextsareusedintheteachingofthesubjectmatter(forexample,AfzalIqbal,1992;Crooks,1995;DeCallieres,1994;Saral,1999).Thisisbasicallyalecture-examorientationcoursewitha20%groupwork,20%individualsubmission,20%midtermandtheremaining40%forthefinalexam.

UUMalso offers ethics at graduate level, for exampleEthics and LawfortheM.Sc(Management)program.Thispaperisforstudentswhowanttoincreasetheirunderstandingandknowledgeinthesubjectmatter.Thiscourseintroducesstudentstotheconceptofethicsandlaw,sometheoriesinethics,ethical practices inmanagement, business and other areas that has somebearingonthelawinpractice,somegeneralprinciplesinlawandthegeneralrelationshipbetweenethicalandlegalpractices.AmongstreferencesusedbythiscourseisamixtureofIslamicethicalprinciples(Quassem,1975),legalperspective(Bloom&Fischer,1988;Borrie,1980)andcontemporaryethics(Joshua,1988).Assessmentisdonebycasestudy(20%),presentationofcases(20%),tests(30%)andfinalexam(30%).

TRACER STUDY

After17yearsofitsestablishment,UUMhasconductedtwomajortracerstudies,and thedataobtainedfor thispaper is fromthesecondstudy thatsurveyedgraduates from1995 to 1999 (MohdSalleh,Mahmood,Mustafa,Zolkapli,AbdulRazak.S,AbdulMalek&AbdulRazak,C.,2001).Thetotalpopulationofthesecohortsis11,322.

Data were collected using several methods. One is by usingmailquestionnaires.Atotalof9,770questionnairesweresentouttoknownaddressesofUUMgraduates.Second ismedia (localnewspapers) advertising,wheregraduateswereasked toparticipate in the studybycontactingourwebsite;thirdisadvertisementonthenationalwebcoordinator,JaringandTMnet;andfinally,asnowballtechniquewasemployed.Stepsweretakentoavoiddoublesubmissionorcountsofrespondents.Extremitieswerealsoexcludedfromtheanalysis.

Atotalof1,586questionnaireswerereturned(14%),outofwhich41.3%weremaleand58.7%werefemale(thecurrentmale:femalestudentratioisabout1:3);72.1%wereMalays,23.3%Chineseand3.3%Indians.Almosthalfoftherespondentsdeclaredthattheywerebroughtupinaruralenvironment;theotherhalfwasfromtheurbanarea.Morethanhalf(54.2%)putUUMastheirfirstchoicewhenregisteringfortheirtertiaryeducation;1.3%graduatedwithfirstclasshonors,36.2%withsecondupperclassdegrees;and62%withsecond


thenumberoffacultymembersteachingthiscoursewasabouttwentypeople.Acoordinatorisresponsibleforensuringuniformityinteachingthecourse.

Theteachingofthecoursewasmainlythroughlectures.However,studentswere encouraged to participate in class discussion.An interviewwith thecoordinatorofthecourserevealedthattherewasaneedtousecasestudiesto promote discussion among students on the topics covered.The coursealsorequiredstudentstoreadsomemagazinesandidentifyethicalissuesfordiscussion.Nine facultymemberswhowere the initial group teaching thecoursehadwrittenamoduleonIntroduction to Ethics,andusedbystudents.

Before the Introduction to Ethics coursewasmade compulsory sincethe1997/1997academic sessions,UUMstudentswere required to take theManagement Ethicscourse(since1991/1992session),athreecreditcompulsorycoursethatemployedthecasestudyapproachasthemodeofteaching.Studentswhograduatedearlierhadtakenthiscourseinsteadoftheintroductionclass.TherearealsoothercoursesdesignedtoaddressethicswithinacertainfieldofstudysuchasEthics in the Helping Profession(SW3043),Ethics in Management & Diplomacy(SG3523)andEthics and Law(PN6013).

StudentstakingBachelorofSocialWorkManagement(BSWM)programarerequiredtotakeacourseentitledEthics in the Helping Profession(SW3043).This course is specifically designed to introduce the basic concepts andapplicationsofethicalprinciplesinthesocialworkprofession.Specificfocusis given to theunderstandingof ethical principlesof theprofession,whichisoutlinedbytheprofessionalaccreditationbodiessuchastheInternationalCouncilofSocialWork(ICSW)andtheNationalAssociationofSocialWork(NASW).Thiscourseisbeingconductedbyusingaseminarapproachwhichcanbedividedin threeparts;first,studentswillbeprovidedwith thebasicunderstandingofethicalprinciples,professionalconsiderationsandguidelines;secondly,studentswillbegroupedintoafourtosixpersonformatandwillgotothefieldtolookforfiveethicaldilemmasituations.Thegroupwillwriteallthesecases.Theywillpresentanddiscusstwoofthecasesinclassinthethirdphaseofthecourse.Atotalof60%isallocatedfortheseminarportion,ofwhich30%willbepeerevaluated.Finalexaminationcarriesaweightageof40%.

AnotherundergraduateprogramthatoffersacourseinethicsistheBachelorofInternationalAffairsprogramentitledEthics in Management & Diplomacy(SG3523).This course provides studentswith a general and conceptualunderstanding of the philosophy, concepts and issues in ethics inmodernlifewithspecificemphasisinthefieldofdiplomacyandinternationalaffairs.Inclusionsof“highpolitics”(theindependenceandsovereigntyofastate)“lowpolitics”(thepolitical,economicandsocialaspectsofthestate),diplomacy,ethicsmoral reasoningwith specific reference to global and international


78.1% 13.3% 4.8% 3.8% 10.7% 5.6% 12.2% 26.7%No 682 237 36 11 966 70.6% 24.5% 3.7% 1.1% 89.3% 94.4% 87.8% 73.3%Total 764 251 41 15 1071

χ2(3)=10.904,p<0.05

Table3looksattheassociationofthegeographicallocationswheretheywerebroughtup,where10.0%respondentswhohadmoreurbaninfluenceplacedthiscourseasimportanttotheirpresentcareerthanthosewithruralinfluence(9.9%)orrespondentisfromEastMalaysia(8.7%),buttheassociationisnotsignificant.

Table 3Introduction to Ethics is among the Top Five Courses which is

useful for My Present Career according to of Geographical Location

Geographicallocation Total More More East Urban Rural MalaysiaYes 42 59 4 105 40.0% 56.2% 3.8% 10.0% 9.9% 8.7%

No 378 537 42 957 39.5% 56.1% 4.4% 90.0% 90.1% 91.3%

Total 420 596 46 1,062

χ2(2)=0.079,p>0.05

Table4showsthatmoreofthesecondlowerclassdegreestudentsratedthiscourseinthetopfivelistcomparedtotheuppersecondorfirstclassgroup.Similarly,thosescoringlowerintheirCGPAs(2.00-2.49)rankedthiscourseasmoreimportanttotheircareer(Table5).Thosewhohavebeenemployedbutcurrentlynotholdinganyjob,andthosewhoareemployedbutpresentlystudying,bothtendtoagreemoreastotheimportanceofthiscoursetotheir


lowerclassdegrees.Atpresent,92.1%areemployedand58.8%aremarried.

INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS COURSE

Oneoftheitemsinthequestionnaire,askedrespondentstoratethetopfivecoursesthattheyconsideredasusefultothemintheirpresentcareer.Atotalof105(9.8%)studentsratedthecourseIntroduction to Ethicsasoneofthetopfiveasopposedto966(90.2%)whodidnotratethiscourseasonethetopfive.Thisisusedtoinvestigatestudents’perceptiononthevalueofethicscourseandthebackgroundofthoseperceivingethicsasanimportantsubject.

Tables 1 to 6 show the distribution of those respondentswho listedIntroduction to Ethicsasthetopfivecoursesimportanttotheircareerinrelationstotheirgender,ethnicgroup,theinfluenceofthegeographicallocationwheretheywerebroughtup,theclassofdegreereceivedtheiracademicperformanceandtheirpresentoccupationalstatus.

Table1indicatesthattherearemorefemalerespondents(10.3%)whorankedthiscourseasoneofthetop5comparedtotheirmalecounterparts(howeveritwasnotsignificant).Table2showsthatmorerespondentsfrom“otherraces”category(26.7%)rankedthiscourseasimportantfollowedbyIndians(12.2%),Malays(10.7%)andChinese(5.6%)(χ2(3)=10.904,p<.05).

Table 1Introduction to Ethics is among the Top Five Courses which is useful

for My Present Career according to Gender

Gender Total Male FemaleYes 38 67 105 36.2% 63.8% 9.0% 10.3%No 385 581 966 39.9% 60.1% 91.0% 89.7%Total 423 648 1071

χ2(1)=0.532,p>0.05Table 2

Introduction to Ethics is among the Top Five Courseswhich is useful for My Present Career according to Ethnic Group

Ethnicgroup Total Malay Chinese Indian OthersYes 82 14 5 4 105


still studying working studying beforeYes 90 0 7 0 8 105 85.7% 6.7% 7.6% 9.4% 16.3% 16.3%

No 868 2 36 19 41 966 89.9% 0.2% 3.7% 2.0% 4.2% 90.6% 100.0% 83.7% 100.0% 83.7%Total 985 2 43 19 49 1,071

χ2(4)=6.860,p>0.05


useful for My Present Career according to Present Employment Sector

Employmentsector Total Government Statutory Private Own Service Body BusinessYes 20 6 76 0 102 19.6% 5.9% 74.5% 10.2% 19.4% 9.7%No 177 25 711 2 915 19.3% 2.7% 77.7% 0.2% 89.8% 80.6% 90.3% 100.0%

Total 197 31 787 2 1,017

χ2(3)=3.335,p>0.05Table 8

Introduction to Ethics is among the Top Five Courses which is useful for My Present Career according to Income Group

Incomegroup Total Less RM1,000- RM1,501- Morethan RM1,000.00 RM1,500 RM2,000 RM2,000Yes 22 28 25 23 98


presentcareer(Table6).Similarly,thosewhoareemployedinthestatutorybodyandpublicservicehavethetendencytorankthecourseasmoreimportant(Table7).Quiteinterestingtoo,theseareamongthelowerandmidhigh-incomebracketgroup.Howevertheserelationshipsdonotoccuratasignificantlevel(Table8).


useful for My Present Career according to Class of Degree Received

Classofdegreereceived Total FirstClass SecondClass SecondClass Upper LowerYes 0 373 68 105 5.2% 64.8% 9.8% 10.1%No 16 340 608 964 1.7% 35.3% 63.1% 100.0% 90.2% 89.9%Total 16 377 676 1,069

χ2(2)=1.786,p>0.05

Table 5Introduction to Ethics is among the Top Five Courses which is useful

for My Present Career according to Academic Performance

Academicperformance Total 2.0-2.49 2.5-2.99 3.0-3.49 3.5-4.0Yes 19 46 31 5 101 18.8% 45.5% 30.7% 5.0% 15.1% 8.9% 10.9% 5.4%No 107 472 253 87 919 11.6% 51.4% 27.5% 9.5% 84.9% 91.1% 89.1% 94.6% Total 126 518 284 92 1,020

χ2(3)=6.777,p>0.05


useful for My Present Career according Present Occupational Status

Presentoccupationalstatus Total Yes No Havea Nojob Nojob jobbut butstill buthavebeen


(χ2(3)=20.148, p<.05) (Table 15), butwith slightly higher incomebracket,thoughnotsignificant(Table16).Therefore,theprofileofgraduateswhowereinagreementthattheManagement Ethicscourseisoneofthetop5coursesusefulfortheircurrentoccupationisamalegraduate,anon-Indianandnon-Chineseethnic background, thosewho are both high and low (extremes) academicachieversandperformers,servingthepublicsector,withamoderateincome.

Table 9Management Ethics is among the Top Five Courses

which is useful for My Present Career according to Gender

Gender Total Male FemaleYes 124 182 306 40.5% 59.5% 29.3% 28.1%No 299 466 765 39.1% 60.9% 70.7% 71.9%

Total 423 648 1,071

χ2(1)=0.189,p>0.05


which is useful for My Present Career according to Ethnic Group

Ethnicgroup Total Malay Chinese Indian OthersYes 246 44 11 5 306

(continued Table 10)

Ethnicgroup Total Malay Chinese Indian Others

80.4% 14.4% 3.6% 1.6% 32.2% 17.5% 26.8% 33.3% No 518 207 30 10 765 67.7% 27.1% 3.9% 1.3% 67.8% 82.5% 73.2% 66.7%


22.4% 28.6% 25.5% 23.5% 12.1% 9.6% 8.7% 10.2%No 160 263 264 203 890 18.0% 29.6% 29.7% 22.8% 87.9% 90.4% 91.3% 89.8% Total 182 291 289 226 988

χ2(3)=1.524,p>0.05

Therefore, theprofileof graduateswho rated the Introduction to Ethicscourse as important to their present career are female, Indians and otherminorityethnicgroup,thosewhowerebroughtupintheurbanenvironment,thosegraduatedwith2ndlowerdegrees,andserveingovernmentagencies,withlowertomidincomebracket.However,apartfromethnicvariable,othershavenosignificantrelationshipandthereforemustbeinterpretedincontext.

MANAGEMENT ETHICS COURSE

Asmentionedintheearlierpartofthispaper,priortotheIntroduction to Ethicscourse,allUUMstudentswererequiredtotaketheManagement Ethicscourse,athreecreditcompulsorycoursethatemployedthecasestudyasthemodeofteaching.Studentsgraduatedsince1995hadtakenthiscourseinsteadoftheintroductionclass.

Atotalof306respondents(28.6%)saidtheyrankedthiscourseasoneofthetopfivecoursesthatareusefultotheirpresentcareer.Table9presentsdifferencesbetweengenders,whereslightlymoremalerespondents(29.3%)agreedtotheusefulnessofthiscoursetotheirpresentcareerthanthefemalerespondents(28.1%).Whencomparedwiththeirethnicgroup,moreofthosefromotherracesrankedthecoursehigher(33.3%)(χ2(3)=20.148,p<.05),followedbytheMalays(32.2%),Indians(26.8%)andtheChinesegraduates(17.5%)(Table10). Interestingly the influenceof geographical locationyielded significantassociation,wherethosegraduateswhowerebroughtupinEastMalaysia(Table11)rankedthiscourseasmoreimportant(43.5%),followedbythosebroughtupintheruralenvironment(29.5%)andtheurban(25.5%)influences(Table11)(χ2(2)=7.254,p<.05).Table12showsthatmoreofthosefromthe2ndlowerclassdegreerankedthiscourseasoneofthetop5(32.2%)followedbythe1stclassgroup(31.3%)andthe2nduppergroup(21.8%)(χ2(2)=13.139.p<.05).Thisisalsotrueforthosewithloweracademicperformance(χ2(3)=22.213,p<.05)asopposetothosewithhigherCGPAs(Table12and13);andgraduateswithjobs(30.4%)(Table14),whoservedinthegovernmentsector(33.0%)


χ2(2)=13.139,p<0.05

Table 13Management Ethics is among the Top Five Courses which is

useful for My Present Career according to Academic Performance

Academicperformance Total 2.0-2.49 2.5-2.99 3.0-3.49 3.5-4.0Yes 51 154 70 12 287 17.8% 53.7% 24.4% 4.2% 40.5% 29.7% 24.6% 13.0%No 75 364 214 80 733 10.2% 49.7% 29.2% 10.9% 59.5% 70.3% 75.4% 87.0% Total 126 518 284 92 1,020

χ2(3)=22.213,p<0.05


which is useful for My Present Career according to Present Occupation

Presentoccupation Total Yes No Haveajob Nojob Nojobbut butstill butstill havebeen studying studying working beforeYes 291 0 11 0 4 306 95.1% 3.6% 1.3% 30.4% 25.6% 8.2%


Presentoccupation Total Yes No Haveajob Nojob Nojobbut butstill butstill havebeen studying studying working before

No 667 2 32 19 45 765 87.2% 0.3% 4.2% 2.5% 5.9% 69.6% 100.0% 74.4% 100.0% 91.8%


Total 764 251 41 15 1,071

χ2(3)=20.148,p<0.05


useful for My Present Career according to of Geographical Location

Geographicallocation Total MoreUrban MoreRural EastMalaysia

Yes 107 176 20 303 35.3% 58.1% 6.6% 25.5% 29.5% 43.5% No 313 420 26 759 41.2% 55.3% 3.4% 74.5% 70.5% 56.5% Total 420 596 46 1,062

χ2(2)=7.254,p<0.05

Table 12Management Ethics among the Top Five Courses which is

useful for My Present Career according to Class of Degree Received

Classofdegreereceived Total FirstClass SecondClass SecondClass Upper LowerYes 5 82 218 305 1.6% 26.9% 71.5% 31.3% 21.8% 32.2%


Classofdegreereceived Total FirstClass SecondClass SecondClass Upper Lower

No 11 295 458 764 1.4% 38.6% 59.9% 68.8% 78.2% 67.8% Total 16 377 676 1,069


χ2(3)=2.997,p>0.05

OTHER ETHICS COURSES

Respondentsarealsoaskedashowtheyperceivedtheusefulnessofthreeotherethicscourses,namelyEthics and Law(PN6013),Ethics in Management & Diplomacy(SG3523)andEthics in the Helping Profession(SW3043).Only10.6%(117)agreedthatethicsismoreimportantthanothercourses.Table17showsthatequalpercentageofmaleandfemalerespondentsagreethatethicscoursesarenecessary. Whencomparedamongstethnicgroup,moreof theMalaysagreedthatthesecoursesareimportant(12.6%)followedbytheIndians,otherraces,andtheChinese(χ2(3)=12.587,p<.05)(Table18).Respondentswhowerebroughtupinaruralenvironmentstatedthatcoursesinethicsaremoreimportant(12.9%)comparedtotheEastMalaysian(8.5%)andtheurban-influencedgroup(7.5%)(χ2(2)=8.067,p<.05)(Table19).

Table 17The Necessity of Ethics Courses Compared to other Courses

according to Gender

Gender Total Male FemaleYes 45 72 117 38.5% 61.5% 10.3% 10.8%

No 390 593 983 39.7% 60.3% 89.7% 89.2%

Total 435 665 1,100

χ2(1)=0.064,p>0.05

Table 18The Necessity of Ethics Courses Compared to other Courses according

to Ethnic Group

Ethnicgroup Total Malay Chinese Indian OthersYes 100 12 4 1 117 85.5% 10.3% 3.4% 0.9% 12.6% 4.8% 9.8% 6.7%


Total 958 2 43 19 49 1,071

χ2(4)=20.117,p<0.05


useful for My Present Career according to Present Employment Sector

Employmentsector Total Government Statutory Private Own Service Body BusinessYes 65 8 227 0 300 21.7% 2.7% 75.7% 33.0% 25.8% 28.8%No 132 23 560 2 717 18.4% 3.2% 78.1% 0.3% 67.0% 74.2% 71.2% 100.0% Total 197 31 787 2 1,017

χ2(3)=20.148,p<0.05


which is useful for My Present Career according to Income Group

Incomegroup Total Less RM1,000– RM1,501- Morethan RM1,000.00 RM1,500 RM2,00 RM2,000Yes 52 75 92 70 289


Incomegroup Total Less RM1,000– RM1,501- Morethan RM1,000.00 RM1,500 RM2,00 RM2,000

18.0% 26.0% 31.8% 24.2% 28.6% 25.8% 31.8% 31.0%No 130 216 197 156 699 18.6% 30.9% 28.2% 22.3% 71.4% 74.2% 68.2% 69.0%Total 182 291 289 226 988


Classofdegreereceived Total FirstClass SecondClass SecondClass Upper LowerYes 0 29 88 117 24.8% 75.2% 7.7% 12.5% No 17 350 614 981 1.7% 35.7% 62.6% 100.0% 92.3% 87.5%

Total 17 379 702 1,098 χ2(2)=8.226,p<0.05


to Academic Performance

Academicperformance Total 2.0-2.49 2.5-2.99 3.0-3.49 3.5-4.0Yes 14 72 24 5 115 12.2% 62.6% 20.9% 4.3% 10.3% 13.5% 8.4% 5.4% No 122 461 262 88 933 13.1% 49.4% 28.1% 9.4% 89.7% 86.5% 91.6% 94.6% Total 136 533 286 93 1,048

χ2(3)=8.504,p<0.05


to Present Occupation

Presentoccupation Total Yes No Haveajob Nojob Nojobbut butstill butstill havebeen studying studying workingbeforeYes 98 3 8 4 4 83.8% 2.6% 6.8% 3.4% 3.4% 117 10.2% 9.7% 18.6% 21.1% 8.2% No 860 28 35 15 45 983 87.5% 2.8% 3.6% 1.5% 4.6%


No 693 239 37 14 983 70.5% 24.3% 3.8% 1.4% 87.4% 95.2% 90.2% 93.3%

Total 793 251 41 15 1,100

χ2(3)=12.587,p<0.05


to Geographical Location

Geographicallocation Total MoreUrban MoreRural EastMalaysiaYes 32 80 4 116 27.6% 60.9% 3.4% 7.5% 12.9% 8.5%No 394 538 43 975 40.4% 55.2% 4.4% 92.5% 87.1% 91.5%Total 426 618 47 1,091

χ2(2)=8.067,p<0.05

Likewise, perceptionof theusefulnessof the ethics courses seem tobe

associatedwithacademicachievement(χ2(2)=8.226,p<.05)(Table20).WhentheChi-SquareanalysiswascarriedoutaccordingtoCGPA,itwasfoundthatmoreofstudentsfromthelowerCGPA(2.00-2.49)perceivedtheethicscoursestobeimportant(χ2(3)=8.504,p<.05)(Table21).Intermsofoccupationalstatus,moreofthosewhodonothaveajobbutstillstudyingagreedtotheimportanceof these ethics courses (21.1%) as compared to other groups, althoughnotsignificant(Table22).Thosewhoareworkinginstatutorybodiesalsostatehigherpercentageofagreement(16.1%)whencomparedtorespondentsworkinginthecivilservice(13.7%)orthoseemployedintheprivatesector(9.5%),butthistrendisalsonotatasignificantlevel(Table23).

Table 20 The Necessity of Ethics Courses Compared to other Courses according

to Class of Degree Received


No 161 259 254 208 882 18.3% 29.4% 28.8% 23.6% 88.5% 89.0% 87.9% 92.0%

Total 182 291 289 226 988χ2(3)=2.526,p>0.05

CONCLUSION

This paper looks at the profile of graduateswho perceived ethics coursestakenwhile theywere studying at the university as useful, imperative andapplicabletotheirworkenvironment.Basically,graduateswereaskedtoratetheusefulnessoftheseethicscoursestotheirpresentcareer.Thisinformationis particularly important to our university because all students are requiredtotaketheIntroduction to Ethicscourse,andwewantthiscoursetohaveanimpactontheirworklifelateroninlife.Ingeneral,wecanconcludetoapoint,theseethicscourseshavesignificancetotheirworklife,atleastbetweeneightto28%ofourgraduates.

However,uponcloserexamination,itwasfoundthatsomegraduatesstatedgreaterappreciationandrecognizetheusefulnessoftheIntroduction to Ethicscoursetotheirpresentcareerascomparedtoothergraduates.Specifically,itwasnotedthatonlyonedemographicvariablewassignificant,thatismorefemalegraduatesdeclaredgreaterappreciationtowardstheintroductoryethicscourse.TheMalayandChinesegraduates,thosewithurbanenvironmentalinfluence,graduateswithhighacademicattainmentandareemployedintheprivatesectorandgraduateswithhigherincometendtoviewtheintroductorycourseaslessbeneficialtotheircareerifcomparedtograduatesfromotherbackground.

For theManagement Ethics course, a slightly different graduate profilewasobserved.ThosewhorankedthiscourseamongthetopfivearefromotherracesandtheMalays,thosewhocomefromEastMalaysia(thestatesofSabahandSarawak), thosewith better academic attainments,which serve in thegovernmentsectorandwithslightlyhigh-incomebracket.Asforthenecessityofethicscourses,only10%affirmeditsimportanceandtheyaretheMalays,whoarefromtheruralarea,thosewithloweracademicachievements,andthosewhoservewiththestatutorybody.

Themain difference between the Introduction to Ethics course and theManagement Ethics coursemaybeattributed to thedifferent approachandmannerinwhichthecourseswerehandled.TheManagement Ethicscourseemployedthecasestudyapproach,meaningthatthestudentsarebroughtcloserto theactualsituationcompared toaclassroomlecturestyle,which tend tobetheoretical,abstractandmetaphoric.Thisgapmaycreatealackadaisicalattitudeanddetachmentfromthesubjectmatter,thushavingalesserimpact


89.8% 90.3% 81.4% 78.9% 91.8% Total 958 31 43 19 49 1,100

χ2(4)=5.553,p>0.05

Finally,thereseemstobenosignificantassociationastotheimportanceoftheseethicscourseswithincomelevelofourgraduates.Wefoundthatthemidhighincomegroup(>RM2,000.00)gavelessfavorableresponsetothisitem(Table24).Insummary,theprofileofgraduateswhoperceivethattheethicscoursesasusefulwhencomparedtoothercoursestakenwhiletheywerestudentsatUUMisasfollows:TheyareoftheMalayethnicgroup,whowerebroughtupandbeinginfluencedmorebytheruralenvironmentandobtainedlowacademicachievements.


to Present Employment Sector

Employmentsector Total Government Statutory Private Own Service Body BusinessYes 27 5 75 0 107 25.2% 4.7% 70.1% 13.7% 16.1% 9.5%

No 170 26 712 2 910 18.7% 2.9% 78.2% 0.3% 86.3% 83.9% 90.5% 100.0%

Total 197 31 787 2 1,017

χ2—(3)=4.214,p>0.05


to Income Group

Incomegroup Total Less RM1,000- RM1,501- Morethan RM1,000.00 RM1,500 RM2,000 RM2,000Yes 21 32 35 18 106 19.8% 30.2% 33.0% 17.0% 11.5% 11.0% 12.1% 8.0%


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Ingeneral,wealsoseethatthesenon-technicalcourseswerelessappreciatedby the high achievers, and that this groupgoes for the technical and highmarket-demandcoursesasmentionedabove.ThisisquitetypicalofstudentswithhighCGPAscores.Wealsoobserve thatgraduateswhowerebroughtupintheruralenvironmenthavemoreappreciationfortheethicscourses.InMalaysia,thegeneralobservationisthatcommunityrelationshipintheruralarea is closer,moreadherence to religiouspracticesandmoreparental andcommunalinvolvementintheupbringingofthechild.Thus,greateremphasisisgiventogoodmoralpracticesandvalues.

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Inconclusion,theethicscourseinUUMmayhavebroughtimpacttosomeeightto28%ofourgraduates.ThisnumbercanbeconsideredsmallsinceethicswasconsideredtobeoneofthecornerstonesofUUM’smanagementprogram.Itseemsthatstudentsputmorevalueoncourseswhichsupporttheircareerrequirements,suchascommunicationskills,English,IT,economics,quantitativemethods,accountingandfinanceasopposedtosocialsciencecoursessuchasethics.Howcanethicscoursebemademoreinterestingsothatstudentswillnaturallyhaveaninteresttolearnandlaterapplyitattheirworkplace?Thus,oneimplicationtothisobservationisthatUUMmustformulatenewapproachtotheteachingofethics.Casestudiesmethods,forexample,wereproventobemoreeffectivethenclassroom-lecturestyle,andthiscouldbeoneapproachthatcanbeusedtoincreasestudent’sinterestinlearningethicsandlaterapplyingit to theirworkplace.All inall,weareallhopingforamoreethicalworkenvironmentinthecountry.


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