Alternatives to teaching 'ethical entrepreneurship' in higher education: reflections and proposals on the use of religious approaches to ethics

This paper reflects on how ethical entrepreneurship can be taught in higher education institutions. During the past years, the concern for the ethics of entrepreneurship has become noteworthy, as unethical behaviours have expanded in the business world. The search for an ethically-driven entrepreneurship has turned the focus on universities and how lecturers address this teaching challenge. Without any consensus concerning the most appropriate means by which it can be accomplished, the proposal of alternatives contributes to nurture the debate and broaden the possibilities of teaching approaches. The alternative proposed in the article is based on the use of religious approaches to ethics. Particularly, it is proposed that a literary use of religious narratives-parables can bring a fresh perspective to the teaching of ethical entrepreneurship and contribute to improving students' ethical sensibility in ethical business dilemmas through a narrative reasoning. A teaching example is included to illustrate the arguments.