Innovative Role-Play Strategies in Business Ethics Education: The ChatGPT Approach

Abstract

ChatGPT, a chatbot representing generative artificial intelligence (AI), has rapidly gained transformative power in various areas since its launch in late 2022. This paper explores the innovative integration of ChatGPT in teaching business ethics, contrasting it with traditional role-play methodologies. Utilizing existing role-play learning activity designs, we provide a comparative analysis of these approaches based on the four key pillars identified by Boud & Prosser (2002), which include learner engagement, acknowledgment of the learning context, learner challenge, and practical involvement. Additionally, we analyze the 'simulation triad' of time, group dynamics, and environment to evaluate the efficiency of the GPT-powered learning design, as presented by Wills et al. (2011). Our analysis reveals that ChatGPT in business ethics education offers a novel approach to learning, effectively breaking through traditional boundaries while cultivating an enriched, accessible learning experience. We suggest that a hybrid model, which combines the strengths of both traditional and GPT-enhanced methods, is the optimal approach for comprehensive ethics education in the business field.