Reflection on the integration of ethics teaching into a Palestinian undergraduate management degree programme

This paper is concerned with the question of incorporation of ethics teaching into an undergraduate management degree that is currently lacking in all Palestinian universities, though ethics is needed most to build a transparent accountability in a newly born Palestinian Authority. It is argued that the contribution of teaching the overall programme can be understood in terms of particular characteristics common to mainstream management/organizational studies modules and those in ethics. These characteristics reflect a model for degree curriculum concerned with organizational process in general, as well as an institutional culture favourable to critical perspectives on the subject matter. The emphasis on generic processes would distinguish this curriculum from those that focus more on functional area of business organizations.The paper considers these contrasting models for curriculum design, the question of module evaluation, the institutional context, the rational and content of the ethics modules and their relationship to other elements of the degree programme. It concludes with a particular emphasis on the case for a critical perspective in business ethics teaching.