Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of moral philosophies namely deontology and teleology on ethical judgments. Deontology is evaluations made by referring to a set of predetermined rules and guidelines. On the other hand, teleology is evaluations made based on the consequences. Three hypothesized relationships were tested using a sample of 424 business students from 4 public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia.  Based on the results of regression analysis SPSS 16.0, it can be concluded that both deontology and teleology were found to have a significant positive effect on ethical judgments. In addition, deontology was more likely to be used as opposed to teleology in the formation of ethical judgments. Hence, the findings of this study emphasize the importance of usage of these moral philosophies among future businessmen in enhancing ethical judgments.

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