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Advocacy, Neutrality, or Indifference: Should Business Ethics Instructors Share Their Personal Opinions?
Mark S. Schwartz
York University, Canada
David Saiia
Southstar Management Institute, Duy Tan University, Vietnam
Volume 23: 2026 pp. 00-00: ABSTRACT
Determining whether business ethics instructors can or should share their personal
opinions in the classroom presents both pedagogical and ethical challenges. This paper argues that
instructors should act as subject-matter experts in ethical reasoning by forming and then sharing
their professional opinions with their students based on their intensive study and understanding of
the pertinent issues under discussion. The instructor’s ‘moral authority’ to do so, however, must be
established by the cogency and consistency of the arguments presented and the demonstration of
appropriate moral reasoning. Based on the analysis presented, this paper contends that personal
views may be shared—but only under ethically constrained conditions—that help to minimize
potential undue influence while fostering independent moral reasoning by their students. These
conditions are then operationalized through the provision of a series of practical pedagogical
guidelines addressing the timing, framing, and suitable context for disclosure.
Keywords: bias; business ethics education; ethical pedagogy; indoctrination; instructor advocacy;
instructor perspectives; student learning outcomes; teaching business ethics; undue influence
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