The test is difficult and it determines whether a student passes. No one is looking and the answer to the question is on the first page of the study guide that comes out of the students' backpack. The teacher is reading a book and won't notice if the individual cheats, what will he do? That is the question: to challenge ethical beliefs and to cheat or not. The thoughts that wander through individuals' brains when deciding whether or not to cheat are a struggle. Ethics is a set of moral principles that dictate a person's behavior. The importance of ethics for students is astronomical. Employers look at students' ethical values ​​and perspectives to determine the future of their company. In 2001, the Journal of Academic & Business Ethics stated: "By gaining insight into how students perceive an activity to be ethical or unethical, companies can determine how these potential recruits will make ethical business decisions when they will face similar moral dilemmas around the world. real world” (Lau 2). Over the years, many surveys and studies have been conducted to understand the behavior behind students' ethical ideas. Faculty member involvement, Internet use, and difference in definitions of cheating all impact whether students make ethical or unethical decisions in college. The definition of cheating is: the use of tools to gain an unfair advantage over others, but that is considered "unfair." Herein lies the problem: what is cheating? Everyone has their own moral compass and there is no way to determine a precise definition. For example, according to the literary article College Students' Perception of Ethics, "working together on a take-home exam is considered 'possible' in the middle of a sheet of paper...and the accessibility of cheating affects all if students are forced to commit academic misconduct. The issues behind the ever-changing definition of cheating make it difficult for students to meet the ethical standards that are expected of them. Works Cited Bloodgood, J., Turnley, W., & Mudrack, P. (2010, August). Teaching ethics and the perceived acceptability of cheating. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(1), 23-37. doi:10.1007/s10551-009-0345-0 Keith-Spiegel, P. & Whitley, B. (2001). Ethics and behavior. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum.Lau, L., Caracciolo, B., Roddenberry, S., & Scroggins, A. (2011). Perception of ethics by college students. Journal of Academic & Business Ethics, 5, 1-13. Stoller, E. (2011). Ethics and college studies. In higher education live. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from: http://higheredlive.com/ethics-and-college-students/