The ethical attitudes of students enrolled in the undergraduate economics program at the University of Debrecen regarding workplace behaviour
https://doi.org/10.30716/RSZ/26/1/1
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Copyright (c) 2025 Kira Vámosi, Edit Barizsné Dr. Hadházi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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Accepted 2026-07-10
Published 2026-07-10
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore the ethical attitudes of students enrolled in the undergraduate economics program at the University of Debrecen with regard to workplace behaviour, within the institutional context of a higher education environment in Eastern Hungary. The research is based on both secondary and primary data collection; the latter involved a quantitative analysis conducted through an online questionnaire completed by a sample of 174 respondents. The questionnaire focused on socio-demographic background, the evaluation of ethical and unethical actions, and the identification of factors influencing ethical behaviour and the workplace environment. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS software, including descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, and cross-tabulation analysis. The results revealed significant gender differences in ethical attitudes, particularly in the assessment of unethical behaviours. According to the respondents, respect, conscience, and upbringing are the most important motivators of ethical behaviour, while the most frequently mentioned unethical workplace behaviours were theft, disrespect, and lying. The findings indicate that the key element of an ethical workplace environment is mutual respect, whereas an unethical environment is primarily characterized by a lack of appreciation and honesty. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of ethical sensitivity among young adults through the student population of the University of Debrecen and provides a foundation for further studies that incorporate more detailed background variables—such as place of residence or country of origin—to examine regional characteristics and enable intra-regional comparisons (e.g., Debrecen vs. rural areas, domestic vs. international students).
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