Abstract

Career Aspirations and Development of Moral Leadership from the Perspectives of Undergraduate Business School Students

Asmah Zakaria, Zulkarnian Ahmad, Marhaini Ibrahim and Adibah Zainualdin

The main objectives of the study are to comprehend participants’ career aspirations and how moral leadership can be inculcated in organizations from the perspectives of undergraduate business students. Forty-one participants took part in the study. They were asked to write their thoughts on their future careers 10 to 15 years in the future and second, as leaders, how they can inculcate moral leadership at their workplace. The 250 to 400 words essays were analyzed for similar themes and categories. Results from the study show the participants as ambitious, with females being more ambitious than males. The number of females who want to become entrepreneurs far outnumbered the males, 4 to 1. There are more males who want to become managers compared with females, 2 to 1. All of the participants agree that the development of moral leadership begins from very young age and permeate into their daily adults’ lives, both personal and work life. The participants generally agree that to inculcate moral leadership in organizations start with the person, and then develop relationships with others, then focus on what is right for the organizations and the people involved. The fourth is to ensure that society at large exercise their rights and be courageous. Their line of thoughts is similar to Covey (2006), Kohlberg (1973, Super (1953) and Henderson (2000).