Why Teaching Business Ethics is Key to a Healthy Business Climate

Yosra Ben-Ameur (Dr), Senior Lecturer in Private Law and Criminal Sciences at the FDSPS, Globethics expert and member of the Globethics MENA Centre. February 2026.

Sharing insights on her recent article on ‘Business Ethics Education as a Pillar of the Business Climate’ published in the Journal of Ethics in Higher Education, Dr Yosra Ben Ameur Garna, author of the doctoral thesis on Essay on the Relationship Between Ethics and Business Law, reflects on the importance of disseminating business ethics, both through teaching and training, in various universities, to promote applied ethics for a healthy business climate.

Why Higher Education Is Key to Applied Ethics

Teaching business ethics is a concrete way to translate theoretical ethics into practical, sustainable impact. Ethics is not isolated; it permeates law and all fields. Therefore, the priorities we pursue in teaching and research become shared and globalised.

Collective and inclusive engagement in higher education allows the seeds of ethical practice to be planted through “teaching business ethics in the service of the business climate.” The aim is to make ethics more applicable, enabling society to face environmental, social, and technological challenges.

To this end, we must revisit the traditional definition of teaching beyond the transfer of knowledge. Higher education is at the heart of major societal concerns, as reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals. Teachers must embrace innovation, ambition, and responsiveness to societal—particularly economic—needs. An incremental approach is advocated.

Equipping Students for the Business Climate

Students are the future actors of the business world. Teaching them business ethics equips them with the tools to act responsibly. Therefore, ethics education should primarily adopt a transversal approach, spreading knowledge about socio-economic human rights. This reflects a humanistic vision of business law, particularly through the duty of vigilance.

Secondly, teaching business ethics must cover governance, the cornerstone of a healthy business climate. Students must learn standards of conduct to ensure financial transparency, compliance, and ethical management, while respecting business confidentiality. Ethics provides the framework to balance these demands.

Students trained in ethics will be either decision-makers or implementers of business ethics strategies. This refers both to public decision-makers, who will adopt ethical laws and regulations to ensure efficient administration, and private actors—entrepreneurs and investors—who will develop ethical strategies in fair competition, CSR, ethical profits, fiduciary duties, and responsible citizenship. Education allows ethics to move from abstract principle to concrete practice, enabling the use of codes of conduct, ethical charters, non-financial reporting, and navigating ethical dilemmas.

Responding to Business Climate Challenges

We are entering “a new era of development,” requiring constant reflection on the business climate. Ethics education provides an evolving, neutral framework for this reflection. Higher education can connect students with economic ecosystems, improving employability and preparing them to act responsibly.

As Head of Training at the Career and Skills Certification Center at FDSPS, I have seen firsthand how higher education can cultivate ethical professionals. We are building a “university of the future” focused on training the next generation of professors and students through the implementation of a quality culture (certifications and CSR initiatives), and alignment with the SDGs.

Students—the adults of tomorrow—must “reflect, prioritise, create, adopt intuition, and act in complex situations.” They are encouraged to adopt ethical decision-making processes when reflecting on the current challenges of the business climate. They must know how to anticipate crises and resolve conflicts to ensure fairness for economic actors. Clearly, a stable business climate depends on economic stability, highlighting the importance of fostering harmonious and ethical relationships.