Using the PET Assessment Instrument to Help Students Identify Factors that Could Impede Moral Behavior |
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Authors: | Debra R Comer Gina Vega |
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Institution: | (1) Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University, 225 Weller Hall, Hempstead, NY, 11549-1340, U.S.A.;(2) Bertolon School of Business, Salem State College, 352 Lafayette street, Salem, MA, 01970, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | We present an instrument developed to explain to students the concept of the personal ethical threshold (PET). The PET represents
an individual’s susceptibility to situational pressure in his or her organization that makes moral behavior more personally
difficult. Further, the PET varies according to the moral intensity of the issue at hand, such that individuals are less vulnerable
to situational pressure for issues of high moral intensity, i.e., those with greater consequences for others. A higher PET
reflects an individual’s greater likelihood of adhering to the morally correct path, even in the face of high situational
pressures (personal costs) and low moral intensity (collective importance). PET questionnaires were completed by 506 students
representing eight business schools throughout the United States. Relationships between respondents’ PET and their gender,
age, and major field of study, as well as the geographical location of their school, are explored. Results indicate that older
students have higher PETs and that students attending schools in the northeastern part of the United States have lower PETs.
These findings are discussed. It is argued that the PET instrument can be used to help students identify organizational pressures
and intrapersonal processes that can impede their moral behavior in organizations. |
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Keywords: | ethical decision-making moral courage moral intensity pedagogy situational pressure |
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