Future global hospitality leaders: a comparison of European and US ethics

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this research paper is to describe the results and implications of an ethics survey completed by students attending hospitality schools in Europe and the USA. Designmethodology/approach -A questionnaire containing ten scenarios with five oriented to work issues and five to school issues was given to students attending hospitality programs in Europe and the USA. For each scenario, the students indicated whether the action in the scenario was ethical, not ethical or not a question of ethics (NQE). In addition, students were queried regarding influences on their ethical beliefs. Findings -The ethical beliefs of both groups of hospitality students were most influenced by their parents and least influenced by college courses in religion. The majority of European and US hospitality students indicated the actions in the scenarios were not ethical while a moderate minority indicated NQE. Overall, US students appear to be slightly less tolerant than their European counterparts.Research limitations/implications -The majority of European students are within their third and fourth years of college while the majority of US students are in their first and second years of study. Originality/value -Both hospitality executives and students should find these research results most interesting as they reveal students' ethical views in a variety of settings oriented to work and school. Further, influences of the students' ethical beliefs are clearly reported from most to least important.

The effects of ethical leadership on manager job satisfaction, commitment, behavioral outcomes, and firm performance

“…Although previous studies (i.e., Brymer et al, 2006) regarding ethical leadership in the hospitality industry exist, because this topic is still nascent in the hospitality literature, more studies are needed to explore the antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership. Also, this current study is not free from limitations.…”

Delineating the Gray Areas in Hospitality Workplace Ethics: Perceptions of International Interns

“…The appearance of numerous descriptive studies related to ethics within the hospitality industry indicates ethics is considered to be important (Brymer, Wilborn, & Schmidgall, 2006;Calvert, Martin, Beck, & Lin, 2008;George, 2008;Stevens, 1997;Stevens & Brownell, 2000;Stevens & Fleckenstein, 1999;Vallen & Casado, 2000;Wilborn, Brymer, & Schmidgall, 2007). Yet, attempts to tie ethical theory to either ethical beliefs or ethical behaviours have been limited.…”

“…Other researchers that emphasize the importance of culture in ethical decision making include Robertson and Fadil (1999), Wines and Napier (1992), and Sower and Sower (2004). In the hospitality literature the inclusion of culture in research related to ethics is more recent, less developed, and focuses on comparisons between U.S. and European respondents (Josiam et al, 2008;Brymer et al, 2006;Wilborn et al, 2007). Although the existing knowledge base does not facilitate specific predictions regarding culturally based ethical assessment, the precedent to investigate the impact of culture on ethical orientation is clearly supported.…”

The Impact of Youth Sports on Leadership Styles in the Hospitality Industry

“…Undergraduate hospitality programs were designed to combine students' learning styles with managerial competencies to produce effective and efficient leadership traits among hospitality students (Iun & Huang, 2007). Brymer, Wilborn, and Schmidgall (2006) recognized that students selected undergraduate hospitality programs that prepared them for entry-level management positions.…”