Ethical Inclinations of Tomorrow's Advertising Practitioners

Abstract

This study, which examines the ethical inclinations of undergraduate advertising students (N = 257) who indicate career interests in advertising, finds that student responses to four scenarios about advertising ethics tend not to indicate an application of absolute moral standards. A factor analysis of student responses to 17 statements about the ethics of advertising practices show three underlying dimensions; these are labeled, respectively, Advertising Claims and Standards, Agencies' Public Responsibility, and Agencies' Moral Standards. This study also offers suggestions for research.