SHS Web of Conferences (Jan 2018)

Framework and Development of Malaysian Business Ethics Module

  • Ali Khalidah Khalid,
  • Mohd Ali Mohd Nizam,
  • Panatik Siti Aisyah,
  • Rahman Abdul

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20185604004
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 56
p. 04004

Abstract

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Malaysia is striving to be a developed nation by the year 2020 as well as realize the aspirations of Dasar Transformasi Nasional within an open economy supporting globalization. The government, through its socio-economic and development policies has been promoting entrepreneurship and small businesses to sustain the nation’s economic growth in a challenging competitive global ecosystem. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the Malaysian economy and are considered to be the backbone of the nation’s industrial development. Latest statistics show that 99.6% of local businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises. As much as they play an important role in driving the nation’s economic growth, a quantitative research study by the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Integriti Malaysia and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in 2014 has significantly found that ethics has not been comprehensively applied in the conduct of small and micro-businesses in Malaysia. In addition, these businesses lack exposure to ethics training and education. As business ethics is important to sustain customers’ loyalty, avoid legal suits as well as drive foreign direct investment for the nation’s economic and societal wellbeing, there is a critical need to educate small and micro-businesses on ethics. Consequently, a collaborative government-academic national level research project was initiated in mid-2017 to develop a Malaysian business ethics module, Etika Perniagaan Malaysia (EPM) to address this gap. This paper shares the framework, method and content development of the business ethics module to establish and train the Professional Practitioners Group (PPG) from public and private institutions as well as related non-governmental institutions to impart business ethics knowledge to small and micro-businesses in Malaysia through active learning methods. The module hence aspires to create consciousness on the importance of ethics and its application in business for economic and social sustainability.

Keywords