Ethics and Values

Book reviewed in this article:
Serageldin, Ismail and Martin-Brown, Joan (eds) Ethics and Values: A Global Perspective     

Propensity to Support Sustainability Initiatives: A Cross-National Model

Businesses and the social sciences are increasingly facing calls to further scholarship dedicated to understand sustainability. Furthermore, multinationals are also facing similar calls given their high profile and their role in environmental degradation. However, a literature review shows that there is very limited understanding of sustainability at a cross-national level. Given the above gaps, we contribute to the literature by examining how selected GLOBE [House et al., Culture, leadership and organizations: The GOBE study of 62 societies. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, 2004] cultural dimensions are related to individuals’ propensity to support sustainability initiatives in 33 countries. We use data from the World Values Survey [World Values Study Group, World Values Surveys and European Value Surveys, 1999–2001. Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Ann Arbor, 2004] and test our hypotheses using Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). Results support all but one hypothesis. Specifically, uncertainty avoidance is not related to propensity to support sustainability initiatives. In contrast, performance orientation and assertiveness have the desired negative relationship with our dependent variable while collectivism, future orientation, and human orientation have the desired positive relationship. We discuss the conceptual and practical implications of this study.     

Now Read This: Book Reviews Translating Corporate Values into Business Behaviour

C. Henry, J. Drew, N. Anwar, D. Benoit-Asselman and G. Campbell, EVA Project Report of the Ethics and Values Audit , Preston: University of Central Lancashire, 1992, pp. iii + 131, pb, £12.     

Do people really support trade restrictions? Cross-country evidence

We investigate the effect of trade restrictions on the perception of well-being. Using combined cross-sectional micro data from the World Values Survey and the European Values Survey of individuals in 89 countries, we find that citizens of a country with a lower degree of trade restrictions are more satisfied with their lives. The results are also robust across different measures of well-being, different definitions of trade restrictions, different estimation methods, and different sample sizes.     

HR与企业文化落地研究——基于对立价值架构的视角

本文试图在对立价值架构的基础上来解决HR(企业人事部门)如何让企业文化落地这个难题。对立价值架构将企业文化划分为部落式、临时体制式、等级森严式和市场为先式四个象限。文章在原有理论的基础上,构建了HR在企业文化落地中的对立价值图,指出了在不同企业文化类型下人力资源部门所需的不同角色、技能和行为。作为企业文化落地的推动者,HR在服务内部以及外部客户时,需要不断关注外部竞争的差异性以及内部管理,在内外中取得平衡。同时,HR在引领企业文化落地时,一定要识别评估企业主导文化的类型,落地强化机制要与文化创建者的根植机制保持一致。     

The individual dual needs for assimilation and distinctiveness as a segmentation mechanism: developing the concept among students

The present study proposes that the individual's needs for assimilation and distinctiveness serve as a valuable mechanism for consumer segmentation and suggests that augmenting the List of Values with these dual needs enriches the understanding of consumer responses to marketing strategies. Results of a study using a sample of 536 students in an Israeli university identified five segments with significantly different needs for assimilation and differentiation. These segments showed different preferences for marketing communications and distribution channels in their purchasing decision of a cell phone. Mass media and website usage influenced segments marked by high assimilation, while word of mouth influenced segments characterized by high distinctiveness. Augmenting the List of Values with dual needs based segmentation moderated students’ tendencies to favour/dislike marketing communications and distribution channels.     

An exploratory study of motives for Mexican nationals to shop in the US: More than meets the eye

Outshopping within a country's boundaries and international outshopping across national borders has been long researched. Previous studies have mainly focused on immediate (outer) motives as the fundamental reasons for outshopping. Building on this tradition, we categorized immediate motives for outshopping into the following four groups: (1) product quality, (2) service quality, (3) fashion consciousness, and (4) shopping enjoyment. Our results confirmed previous findings that those four motives are positively related to outshopping frequency. A point of departure from previous research, however, is that based on Hofstede's works [1980. Culture's Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA; 2001. Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations, second ed. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA] we identified four inner motives: (1) desire for showing off power, (2) desire for rule of law, (3) egoism, and (4) masculinity. Through structure modeling technique, these psychological needs that exist at a higher level not only influence the outer motives, but also have a direct impact on outshopping frequency. In other words, cross-border shopping can fulfill shoppers’ obvious secular needs existing at a low level, as well as their psychological needs hidden at a higher level. Although our study examined why Mexican nationals choose to shop in the US, the results are applicable to outshopping in general where shopping environments differ in terms of economic, social, and cultural development in different countries. Managerial and research implications are also discussed.     

会计教学中渗透价值观的实际运用

价值现是文化中最深层的一部分,它支配着人们的信念、行为.本文分析了中职学生普遍的价值现现状,运用教学案例来论述如何在会计教学中渗透价值观.     

Cultural Meaning,Advertising, and National Culture: A Four-Country Study

Cultural meaning transfer theory and GLOBE dimensions were employed in this comparative study to examine the extent to which cultural meaning presented in advertisements reflected national cultures of the target countries. Content analysis was applied to advertisements from four countries to investigate whether the use of advertising appeals presented in these advertisements mirrored variations in cultures as described by GLOBE Society Values. Results revealed that, in line with the hypotheses, there were similarities and differences in the use of appeals, and only some of them mirrored the cultural variations. GLOBE Society Values were more likely to predict the use of appeals than GLOBE Society Practices, but not for all appeals. Advertisers can draw on national cultures for cultural meanings to be used in advertisements only to a limited extent. It may be that advertisements mold rather than mirror societal values, or that only certain cultural traits are important for advertisers.     

Executive values and the ethics of company politics: Some preliminary findings

A model of correlates of executives' views of organizational politics was presented. The model incorporated three sets of variables: executives' background, values and attitudes. Data collected from 302 managers were used to validate the model. The results showed that precursors of executive perceptions of the ethics and effect of company politics were different. Values were stronger than background variables in explaining executives' views of company politics.Dr. Shaker A. Zahra is Associate Professor of Strategic Management, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. His research centers on the role of boards of directors in the strategic process, determinants of innovation in large corporations, and ethical issues associated with strategic choices. His research received several awards.     

Problems of regulation

This paper offers a critique of regulation based upon the belief that commissions often try to satisfy conflicting goals.Reprinted from the Proceedings: 12th Conference on Value Inquiry, Human Values and Economic Activity (State University College at Geneseo, 1978), pp. 214–227.     

Rights and risks

A satisfactory normative theory of acceptable risk would be useful in resolving current disputes over government safety regulation of the workplace, consumer products, and technology. Alan Gewirth has attempted to develop such a theory, arguing from the individual's right not to be harmed by the risk-imposing activities of others. His theory is analyzed in detail, and the difficulties faced by such rights-based (deontological) approaches are pointed out. It is argued that a satisfactory theory will not be of a simple rights-based form. Reason is also given for doubting that it will be of a simple utilitarian form. Eric Von Magnus is Assistant Professor of Humanities at the University of New Haven, and Fellow at the Center for the Study of Values, University of Delaware. His most important publication is: Risk, State, and Nozick, Midwest Studies in Philosophy, Vol. 7, Social and Political Philosophy.The author gratefully acknowledges support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Center for the Study of Values, University of Delaware.     

1990—2007年中国居民主观幸福感的影响因素研究

对世界价值观调查数据中1990—2007年的中国部分数据进行分析,可以了解近20年来中国居民主观幸福感的变化趋势和影响因素。通过描述统计和分层回归模型分析,研究发现:近20年来,中国居民的主观幸福感呈下降趋势;人口学变量中的性别、年龄、健康、婚姻、教育和工作都对主观幸福感有影响;相对收入和社会失范对主观幸福感的影响比较大。为了提高中国居民的主观幸福感,在增加绝对收入的同时,缩小社会的相对收入和搞好精神文明建设是非常重要的。     

Long- versus short-term orientation: new perspectives

Long- versus short-term orientation, a national value dimension originally found by Bond among students in 23 countries, became Hofstede's (1991 Hofstede, G. 1991. Cultures and organizations: software of the mind, London: McGraw-Hill.  [Google Scholar]) fifth dimension of national cultures. Recent analyses by Minkov (2007 Minkov, M. 2007. What makes us different and similar: a new interpretation of the World Values Survey and other cross-cultural data, Sofia: Klasika i Stil.  [Google Scholar]) of World Values Survey data, collected from representative samples of national populations, allow the calculation of a new version of this dimension, this time across 93 countries. National scores on the dimension correlate with certain family values, with school results, with business values, with environmental values and, under favorable historical conditions, with economic growth. In 1988 the dimension scores led to a prediction of China's economic success. The new scores allow new predictions for economic developments in different parts of the world.     

Culture, economic development, and national ethical attitudes

To understand the influence of culture on ethical attitudes, a variety of countries must be compared simultaneously to avoid confounding of cultural dimensions. This study uses data from the World Values Survey to develop a measure of ethical attitudes that shows partial measurement invariance across 44 countries. Regressing the resulting latent means on four cultural dimensions [Hofstede G. Culture's Consequences: comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. 2nd ed. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 2001] and per capita gross domestic product (PCGDP) reveals effects that are not suggested by examining the predictors in isolation, and explains more variance than analysis of the raw means. However, the model does not account for ethical attitudes reported in Brazil, Japan, and the Philippines. In the remaining 41 countries, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and PCGDP are found to have negative influences on national ethical attitudes.     

The Virtuous Manager: A Vision for Leadership in Business

This article seeks to contribute to a vision for leadership in business based on a recovery of virtue. The vision for leadership articulated here draws principally on the writings of the classical philosopher Aristotle and of the contemporary philosopher Josef Pieper. Without discounting the ever-increasing complexity of modern business, this essay will attempt to reconstruct Aristotle’s emphasis on virtue and moral character, and argues for the philosopher’s relevance to modern management and corporate leadership. The paper concludes that the message of virtue is a message of hope and attempts to find plain language to articulate its value to those engaged in business or concerned with the formulation of government policy. Gabriel Flynn teaches at Mater Dei Institute, Dublin City University in Dublin. He holds higher degrees in moral and systematic theology. He received his doctorate from the University of Oxford. He is editor of Leadership and Values for Business: European and American Perspectives (New York/Berlin: Springer, forthcoming 2007). He has contributed scholarly articles to Louvain Studies, Concilium, New Blackfriars and elsewhere.     

风油精中REACH高关注物质-二甲苯麝香的测定——气相色谱-质谱联用法

本文采用甲苯做溶剂,试样经过超声波提取后,加无水硫酸钠除去水分,离心沉淀悬浮物,取上层澄清液体过中性氧化铝柱净化,用气相色谱-质谱仪进行检测,外标法定量。方法检出限（10 S/N）为0.5mg/kg,加标样品的回收率在96.5%-109.1%,测定值的相对标准偏差小于7.8%。     

Values and ethics-related measures for management education

Various measures related to individual values, ethical attitudes and moral reasoning exist and are being increasingly applied for research in business and professional ethics. The England Personal Values Questionnaire, the Rokeach Value Survey, and Rest's Defining Issues Test have received stronger support and application for management and organizational behavior research than other instruments, such as Gordon's Survey of Personal Values and Hogan's Survey of Ethical Attitudes. Beyond research usage, many of these measures offer potential for instructional purposes. Knowledge of the characteristics and limitations of values and ethics-related measures allows business educators to make better selections of possible supplements to traditional instructional methods. Stephen L. Payne is an Associate Professor of Management at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. His primary teaching assignments in recent years have been courses in organizational behavior, business and society, and management in technical organizations. Previous articles by Dr. Payne have appeared in journals including The Academy of Management Review, Personnel Administrator, The Journal of Psychology, The Organizational Behavior Teaching Review, Supervisory Management, and others.     

t分布下期货套期保值VaR风险的敏感度分析

使用风险价值的方法度量期货套期保值的风险,并且分析套期保值风险价值的敏感性。在t分布下,分别导出空头和多头套期保值风险价值关于期货量的一阶、二阶变化率,并解释其经济意义,这样就为套期者根据套期保值风险价值的敏感程度增减期货量提供指导。     

Communicating Services Brands' Values Internally and Externally

This paper explores the ways that services brand values are communicated to both staff and customers. Values are communicated to employees via overt internal communications, the ripple effect, senior management example/involvement, HR activities and external communications. A number of failure factors which could hinder the communication of values to employees are identified. For consumers, values are communicated via their holistic experiences of the brand, interactions with employees, external brand communications and the tangible elements of the service offering. The results highlight the need for consistency in all brand value communications.