Impact of ethical attitudes on the intention to act morally in future industrial engineers

Abstract

This study addresses how ethical attitudes influence the intention to act morally in future industrial engineers, using a model adapted from the UTAUT2 to examine ethical variables and related behaviors. A mixed research with a cross-sectional experimental design was conducted. The sample included 185 industrial engineering students. Data were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the UTAUT2 model and analyzed with SPSS and SmartPLS4. Ethical habits and social influence were the most significant factors in predicting ethical intention. Other factors, such as hedonic motivation, showed limited impact. The model explained 33.6% of the variability. The study highlights the importance of fostering ethical habits and a culture of responsibility in academic training to strengthen ethical decisions in professional practice.