HUMANISTIC AND SOCIAL SCIENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULA: A FACTOR THAT BRINGS TANGIBLE VALUE TO PRODUCTIVE COMPANIES

Many experts believe that the current global economic crisis is more of a crisis of values; caused by unethical behaviours where individual enrichment is paramount. In this context arises the question: are we forming our professionals on personal values? The answer is simple: not at all. Initiatives from many Governments undermine humanistic formation in favour of technical skills, e.g., the STEM in the USA, or the Japanese and Chinese governments’ initiatives; as they sustain that this education does not provide a tangible value for companies, thus only providing intangible value to the individual. This work aims to refute these arguments by carrying out an empirical study, proving how education in professional ethics provides tangible value to companies, as the ethical perception of public behaviour in the social environment impacts the tangible market value. Therefore, we propose such education should be considered as compulsory in the curriculum design of Higher Education.