Gain access to valuable instructional and training resources for ethical leadership through the Center for Ethical Organizational Cultures. Through the Center, you can find information on current research projects supported by the Harbert College of Business as well as information on the Student Center for the Public Trust (SCPT), a student organization supported by the center.
Dive into the Essence of Ethical Leadership! Our 2024 Fall Newsletter is here, unveiling the program highlights and introducing our guest speaker, Jeff Stillwell. 🔗 Read the newsletter here:Fall Newsletter 2024
Dive into the Essence of Ethical Leadership! Our 2023 Fall Newsletter is here, unveiling the program highlights and introducing our guest speaker, Robert Chesnut. 🔗 Read the newsletter here: Fall Newsletter 2023
Dive into the Essence of Ethical Leadership! Our 2022 Fall Newsletter is here, unveiling the program highlights and introducing our guest speaker, Alfonzo Alexander. 🔗 Read the newsletter here: Fall Newsletter 2022
Embark on a journey of enlightenment with our Ethics Speakers series! Join us in exploring the profound wisdom shared by thought leaders, industry experts, and scholars in the realm of Business Ethics. Don't miss the opportunity to broaden your perspectives, engage in meaningful discussions, and deepen your understanding of ethical leadership.
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Explore the Center for Ethical Organizational Cultures' latest articles that cover a broad spectrum of subjects, including ethical leadership, business ethics, and organizational cultures. Keep yourself updated on the most recent trends, compelling case studies, and research projects that spotlight the indispensable role of ethics in today's business arena.
The Center for Ethical Organizational Cultures provides teaching resources, including a wide variety of cases, debate issues, and classroom simulations. These resources are designed to spark discussions about different types of ethical dilemmas and decisions.
Many of our simulations offer students the opportunity to work as a team on a role-playing exercise that imitates a real-world issue in organizational ethics.
Usage Disclaimer: You may only share direct links to cases on the CEOC website, not download or distribute full‑text copies.
The Student Center for the Public Trust has 48 chapters in 24 states and consists of students that show dedication to ethical leadership. This organization focuses on the importance of not only ethical leadership but also the necessity for accountability, integrity, and trust across all avenues of business. Student chapters have resources, mentors, and networking opportunities available through the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center for the Public Trust.
Take your next steps with the Center for Business Ethics at Auburn University and be part of the change you want to see.
All students in its Harbert College of Business are required to complete a course in business ethics and pass an independently administered ethical leadership certification prior to graduation. The certification is conducted by the National Association of State Board of Accountancy’s (NASBA) Center for the Public Trust.
These ethics requirements are designed to better prepare young professionals to handle the ethical dilemmas they will face in their careers. According to Alfonzo Alexander, Ethics and Diversity Officer of NASBA and President of the Center for the Public Trust, Auburn is the first university in the country to require its business school graduates to complete ethical leadership training and attain independent certification. Since 1908, NASBA has served as a forum for the nation’s 55 State Boards of Accountancy, which administer the Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Examination, license more than 650,000 CPAs and regulate the practice of public accountancy in the United States.
“Ethical conduct has always been a key component of the accounting profession — in fact, it is a core competency for all business leaders,” reported Alexander. “The development of this new curriculum and certification serves the growing need to educate our young professionals to meet the critical demand for ethical conduct in today’s challenging business environment.”
The course and curriculum were developed by a panel of leading business ethics professors from across the country, including Drs. O.C. and Linda Ferrell from Auburn’s Harbert College of Business as well as NASBA’s Alexander. The online curriculum, which has been developed for all functional areas of business, is available for any university to adopt through NASBA’s Center for the Public Trust.
According to O.C. Ferrell, James T. Pursell, Sr. Eminent Scholar in Ethics and Director of the Center for Ethical Organizational Cultures at Auburn University, instilling ethical conduct is critical to shaping organizational culture in today’s highly competitive business environment.
“Students need to understand their ethical responsibilities in an organizational culture and how to develop the skills necessary to motivate and manage those who report to them later in their careers. Recruiters are asking us for more certification programs,” noted Ferrell. “Ethical conduct is an important component of an Auburn education, and this initiative is the latest in an ongoing effort to equip our business students with the tools they need to be successful throughout their careers.”
“The Ethical Leadership certification has been extremely beneficial to college students across the nation,” added Alexander. “The curriculum is continually updated and can be customized to meet specific university needs. We hope that Auburn University’s decision to require this independent certification for all its business students will serve as a role model for other colleges of business and a call to action for them to join this critical initiative.”
The certification program has six modules. Students are required to complete all six modules and pass an exam at the conclusion of each section.
Below are publications created by Raymond J. Harbert College of Business faculty that are related to organizational ethical cultures. The topics include ethical decision making, ethical cultures, social responsibility, sustainability, and stakeholder relationships.
Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L. (2025, September). The self-regulation imperative: Effectively managing legal and ethical risks. Journal of Direct Selling Research.
Ferrell, L., Hansen, J., Levin, M., Wilson, P., & Cloud, K. (2025). Pandora’s box reopened: Can generative AI restore hope or result in a decline in the quest for academic integrity? Journal of Macromarketing. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1593-5418
Ferrell, L., Radish, P., & Key, M. (2025). The current state of marketing doctoral programs: Trends, challenges, and opportunities. Journal of Marketing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753251346813
Ferrell, L., Brockett, P., Coughlan, A. C., Golden, L., Ingene, C., Pelton, L., & Peterson, R. A. (2025, January). Direct selling under scrutiny: Separating fact from fiction. Journal of Direct Selling.
Ferrell, L., Gleim, M., McCullough, H., & Gabler, C. (2025). Examining the customer experience in the metaverse retail revolution. Journal of Business Research, 198, 115045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115045
Ferrell, L. (2024). Building a better world: The role of AI ethics and social responsibility. Journal of Macromarketing, 44(4), 928–935. https://doi.org/10.1177/02761467241285793
Ferrell, L., Hockstein, B., Ajjan, H., & Harrison, D. (2024). A theoretical framework to guide AI ethical decision making in marketing. AMS Review, 14, 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-024-00275-9
Ferrell, L., Ahluwalia, S., & Gandhi, P. (2024). Does being ethical pay? Evidence from the implementation of SOX Section 406. Journal of Business Research, 183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114865
Ferrell, L. (2024). Navigating the nexus: Teaching marketing ethics, social responsibility, and sustainability. Journal of Marketing Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/02734753241292830
Ferrell, L., Gleim, M., McCullough, H., & Gabler, C. (2024). Metaverse: Shifting the reality of services. Journal of Services Marketing, 38(1), 13–27. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-01-2023-0021
Ferrell, L. (2024). Trailblazing the path for marketing ethics: The profound influence of Shelby Hunt. Journal of Marketing Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2023.2295273
Ferrell, L., Gillespie, B., Manning, K., & Ferrell, O. C. (2022). Clearance vs. sale: Promotion keywords and their implications for retailers and public policy. Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2022.2081207
Ferrell, L. (2022). Broadening the definition of socially responsible marketing. Journal of Macromarketing.
Ferrell, L. (2022). Perspectives on socially responsible marketing: The chasm widens. AMS Review, 12, 1–7.
Ferrell, L., Hopkins, C., & Hopkins, K. (2021). Changing perceptions of marketing ethics and social responsibility in principles of marketing. Journal of Marketing Education.
Ferrell, L., Hair, J. F., & Merkle, A. (2021). Evaluating e-book effectiveness and the impact of student engagement. Journal of Marketing Education.
Ferrell, L. (2021). New directions for marketing ethics and social responsibility research. Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice.
Ferrell, L., Key, T. M., Clark, T., Stewart, D. W., & Pitt, L. (2021). Re-institutionalizing marketing. AMS Review, 11(3–4), 446–453.
Ferrell, L. (2021). Addressing socio-ecological issues in marketing: Environmental, social, and governance. AMS Review, 11(3–4), 140–144.
Ferrell, L., Key, T. M., Clark, T., Stewart, D. W., & Pitt, L. (2021). Addressing socio-cultural issues in marketing: Environmental, social, and governance (ESG). AMS Review, 11, 140–144.
Ferrell, L., Conduit, J., Edvardsson, B., & Vargo, S. L. (2021). The past and future of marketing theory and practice: A tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Academy of Marketing Science. AMS Review, 11(3–4), 390–395.
Ferrell, L., & Ferrell, O. C. (2021). Applying the Hunt–Vitell ethics model to artificial intelligence ethics. Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science.
Ferrell, L., Bock, D., & Wolters, J. (2020). Artificial intelligence: Disrupting what we know about services. Journal of Services Marketing, 34(3), 317–334.
Ferrell, L., Merkle, A., Hair, J. F., & Woods, B. G. (2020). An examination of pro-stakeholder unethical behavior in the sales ethics subculture. Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2020.1777434
Ferrell, L., Key, M., Clark, T., Stewart, D., & Pitt, L. (2020). Marketing’s theoretical and conceptual value proposition: Opportunities to address marketing’s influence. AMS Review, 10, 151–167.
Ferrell, L., Hopkins, C., Hopkins, K., & Merkle, A. (2020). Self-efficacy, locus of control, and engagement as determinants of grades in a principles of marketing class. Marketing Education Review.
Ferrell, L., & Ferrell, O. C. (2020). Challenges and opportunities facing marketing education in new technology. Marketing Education Review.
Ferrell, L., Marshall, G. W., Bush, V., & Johnston, M. W. (2020). The sales ethics subculture. In L. Eagle, S. Dahl, P. De Pelsmacker, & C. R. Taylor (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of marketing ethics (pp. 317–334). London: Sage Publishing.
Ferrell, L. (2020). Evaluating the current status of the marketing discipline. AMS Review, 10, 151–167.
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