The influence of the school of business on the values of its students

To determine if student values are influenced by business education, the value orientations of freshman and senior business students at a Canadian university were studied. Subjects completed an 18-item values-ranking scale; a matched sample of students from other schools in the university, serving as a control group, also completed the ranking exercise. A significant difference was found between the value orientations of senior business students and those of freshman business students and students in other fields. Senior business students ranked individualistic and ego-centered values as being very important, while the other students expressed social- and other-directed value orientations. Senior business students also perceived their own values to be similar to those of the business administration school. These results suggest that business education may not be producing the type of managerial talent, focused on social and human needs, that will be needed in the future.