The test is difficult and determines whether a student passes. No one is looking and the answer to the question is on the first page of the study guide peeking out of the student's backpack. The professor is reading a book and will not notice if the individual cheats, what will he do? This is the question: to challenge ethical beliefs and to cheat or not. The thoughts that wander through individuals' brains as they decide whether to cheat are a struggle. Ethics is a set of moral principles that dictate a person's behavior. The importance of ethics for college students is astronomical. Employers examine the ethical values ​​and opinions of college students to determine the future of their companies. In 2001, the Journal of Academic & Business Ethics stated, “By delving into how college students perceive a business as ethical or unethical, companies can determine how these potential hires will make ethical business decisions when faced with to similar moral dilemmas in context. real world” (Lau 2). Numerous surveys and studies have been conducted over the years to understand the behavior underlying college students' ethical ideas. Faculty involvement, Internet use, and differences in definitions of cheating impact whether students make ethical or unethical decisions in college. The definition of cheating is as follows: the use of tools to gain an unfair advantage over others, but what is considered “unfair”. Here lies the problem: what is cheating? Everyone has their own moral compass and there is no way to determine a fixed definition. For example, according to the literary article College Students' Perceptions of Ethics, "working together for a take-home exam is considered 'possible... middle of the paper... and the accessibility of cheating affects the possibility to cheat." students are forced to commit academic misconduct. The issues behind the ever-evolving definition of cheating make it challenging for college students to meet the ethical standards expected of them. Works Cited Bloodgood, J., Turnley, W., & Mudrack, P. (2010, August). Ethics instruction and the perceived acceptability of cheating. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(1), 23-37. doi:10.1007/s10551-009-0345-0Keith-Spiegel, P., & Whitley, B. (2001). Ethics and behavior. Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum. Lau, L., Caracciolo, B., Roddenberry, S., & Scroggins, A. (2011). Perception of ethics in university students. Journal of Academic and Business Ethics, 5, 1-13.Stoller, E. (2011). Ethics and university students. In Higher Ed. live. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from: http://higheredlive.com/ethics-and-college-students/