Factors influencing students' reactions to ethical dilemmas in advertising'

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to extend existing research on ethics in advertising through investigating the key factors that influence students' reaction towards ethical dilemmas.Design/methodology/approachSeveral hypotheses are developed and tested across twenty three ethical dilemma scenarios relative to advertising and business. Using information collected from business students (1297 useable responses) at a large Western Australian university.FindingsThe results indicates significant differences amongst culture, educational background, gender, work experience and corporate culture towards students' reactions to ethical dilemmas.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that providing a stronger emphasis on ethics in educational institutions will increase the likeliness for students in behaving ethically. The managerial implications of these findings are also discussed, including the development of a potential ethical work context and programmes that enhance ethical sensitivity. Managers and executives would also benefit from this study by encouraging better ethical performance through understanding employees' behaviour.Originality/valueExtant studies on ethical dilemmas in advertising highly focus on European's and North American's ethical beliefs. Thus, this paper look at the Western Australian sample of students at a broader context through acknowledging East Asian student sample in Western Australia; Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Taiwanese.