A Moral Cleansing Process: How and When Does Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior Increase Prohibitive and Promotive Voice

Journal of Business Ethics - In this study, we draw on moral cleansing theory to investigate the consequence of unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) from the perspective of the actors....     

Consumer Response to Unethical Corporate Behavior: A Re-Examination and Extension of the Moral Decoupling Model

This research replicates Bhattacharjee et al. (J Consum Res 39(4):1167–1184, 2013) moral decoupling model and extends the original along the dimensions of theory, method, and context. Adopting a branding perspective and focusing on the corporate domain rather than the public figures investigated by Bhattacharjee and colleagues, this research examines the proposition that consumers dissociate judgments of morality from judgments of performance to justify purchasing from companies deemed to act immorally. The original study is further extended by applying the model in a different cultural context and employing a more realistic stimulus to establish external and ecological validity. The results of the replication generally support the original findings, in particular, under conditions of higher product involvement, a theoretical extension.     

Investigating the Effects of Moral Disengagement and Participation on Unethical Work Behavior

With massive corruption uncovered in numerous recent corporate scandals, investigating psychological processes underlying unethical behavior among employees has become a critical area of research for organizational scientists. This article seeks to explain why people engage in deceptive and fraudulent activities by focusing on the use of moral-disengagement tactics or rationalizations to justify egregious actions at work. In addition, participation in goal-setting is argued to attenuate the relationship between moral disengagement and unethical behavior. Across two studies, a lab simulation and field survey, a measure of moral disengagement was developed for use with working adults. The hypothesized main and interactive effects of moral disengagement, participation, and unethical behavior were tested and largely confirmed.     

The Impact of Psychological Distance and Construal Level on Consumers' Responses to Taboos in Advertising

To date, the use of taboos in advertising has produced mixed results. Such discrepancies require explanation. Relying on construal-level theory and the concept of psychological distance, this research focuses on taboo ads' effects on consumers' responses. The findings from three studies show that for different product categories (Study 1: perfume; Studies 2 and 3: alcohol) and across different taboo types (sex, violence, and a mixture of sex and violence), different distance dimensions (Study 1: spatial; Study 2: social), and different construal-level manipulations (low, high), an increase in the psychological distance (or construal) level attenuates consumers' unfavorable attitudinal and behavioral reactions while a decrease in the psychological distance (or construal) level intensifies consumers' responses. Furthermore, response intensity varies depending on the taboo type used, such that both violent and mixed taboo types produce more negative responses. Finally, gender has an impact, such that women react more negatively than men to different taboos, both across distance dimensions and across distance (construal) levels. A discussion of these findings and their implications, as well as suggestions for future research, concludes the article.     

The Effect of Cognitive Moral Development and Supverisory Influence on Subordinates' Ethical Behavior

The paper examines how supervisory influence and cognitive moral development influence subordinates' ethical decision-making and ethical behavior. The proposed interactive effect these major variables have on subordinates' ethical considerations are examined with respect to: (1) before an ethical dilemma occurs, (2) when faced with an ethical dilemma, (3) during the decision process, and (4) after ethical or unethical behavior has been executed. Propositions are presented and implications for research and practice are discussed.     

Unethical and Fraudulent Financial Reporting: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior

This research applies the theory of planned behavior to corporate managers’ decision making as it relates to fraudulent financial reporting. Specifically, we conducted two studies to examine the effects of attitude, subjective norm and perceived control on managers’ decisions to violate generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in order to meet an earnings target and receive an annual bonus. The results suggest that the theory of planned behavior predicts whether managers’ decisions are ethical or unethical. These findings are relevant to corporate leaders who seek to improve ethical work climates of organizations and to many regulators, accountants, corporate governance officials and investors.     

自我控制目标对实用品与享乐品解释水平的影响

约束目标型自我控制的消费者,对实用品的心理距离近,会采取趋近策略,对享乐品的心理距离远,会采取远离策略,这使得他们在处理实用品时会采用低水平的解释,而处理享乐品时采用高水平的解释.放纵目标型自我控制的消费者的行为却与此相反,他们对实用品的心理距离远,会采取远离策略,对享乐品的心理距离近,会采取趋近策略,这使得他们在处理实用品时会采用高水平的解释,而处理享乐品时采用低水平的解释.     

Cognitive Theory and Moral Behavior: The Contribution of F. A. Hayek to Business Ethics

This paper shows how business ethics as a concept may be approached from a cognitive viewpoint. Following F. A. Hayek's cognitive theory, I argue that moral behavior evolves and changes because of individual perception and action. Individual moral behavior becomes a moral rule when prominently displayed by members of a certain society in a specific situation. A set of moral rules eventually forms the ethical code of a society, of which business ethics codes are only a part. By focusing on the concept of "limited" or "dispersed knowledge" that underlies the cognitive approach, I show that universal ethical norms that should lead to defined outcomes cannot exist. This approach moreover shows the limits of deliberate rule-setting. Attempts to deliberately impose universal ethical rules on societies may turn out to be harmful for societal development and lead to an abuse of governmental power.     

Repaying the Debt: An Examination of the Relationship between Perceived Organizational Support and Unethical Pro-organizational Behavior by Low Performers

Journal of Business Ethics - Drawing on social exchange theory, we examine the conditions under which employees’ good intentions motivate them to engage in unethical pro-organizational...     

Predicting Unethical Behavior: A Comparison of the Theory of Reasoned Action and the Theory of Planned Behavior

This study is a comparison of the validity of theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior as applied to the area of moral behavior (i.e., illegal copying of software) using structural equation modeling. Data were collected from 181 university students on the various components of the theories and used to asses the influence of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to make unauthorized software copies. Theory of planned behavior was found to be better than the theory of reasoned action in predicting unethical behavior. A modified version of the theory of planned behavior, with a causal path linking subjective norm to attitude, provided a significant improvement on model fit. The results indicated that perceived behavioral control is a better predictor of behavioral intention then attitude. The direct effect of subjective norm on behavioral intention was not significant, but the indirect effect through attitude was highly significant. Applicability of the theory of planned behavior for moral behavior and the implications for future research are discussed.     

An Exploratory Investigation of the Effect of Ethical Culture in Activating Moral Imagination

Moral imagination is a process that involves a thorough consideration of the ethical elements of a decision. We sought to explore what might distinguish moral imagination from other ethical approaches within a complex business simulation. Using a three-component model of moral imagination, we sought to discover whether organization cultures with a salient ethics theme activate moral imagination. Finding an effect, we sought an answer to whether some individuals were more prone to being influenced in this way by ethical cultures. We found that employees with strong moral identities are less influenced by such cultures than employees whose sense of self is not defined in moral terms. David F. Caldwell is the Stephen and Patrica Schott Professor of Business in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. Dennis Moberg is the Wilkinson Professor of Management and Ethics in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University.     

Status Differentiation and the Protean Self: A Social-Cognitive Model of Unethical Behavior in Organizations

Based on social-cognitive theory, this article proposes a model that seeks to explain why high status organizational members engage in unethical behavior. We argue that status differentiation in organizations creates social isolation which initiates activation of high status group identity and a deactivation of moral identity. We further argue that high status group identity results in insensitivity to the needs of out-group members which, in turn, results in lessened motivation to self-regulate ethical decision making. As a result of this identity activation, we demonstrate how high status individuals will be more vulnerable to engaging in unethical activities. Individual-level moderators of the relationships are also discussed.     

Cause I'll Feel Good! An Investigation into the Effects of Anticipated Emotions and Personal Moral Norms on Consumer Pro-Environmental Behavior

Anticipated emotions and moral norms have previously been found to influence consumer adoption of pro-environmental products in different ways. However norms and emotions have seldom been combined in order to understand their relations in motivating consumers to adopt sustainable products. Despite the environmental benefits of sustainable products, consumer adoption is slow to take off. Utilizing data from an online survey (N = 576), this study finds that anticipated emotions directly influence consumer adoption and the effect of moral norms is mediated by the anticipated emotions. This study extends the norm activation model and implies communicating positive emotions for promoting sustainable products.     

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Need for Affect and Responses to Alcohol Public Service Announcements

ABSTRACT

The study investigates the impact of the Need for Affect personality construct on the processing of advertisements. The purpose of the present study is to gain a better understanding of how need for cognition, sensation seeking, and affect intensity as well as prior product use influence consumer responses to public service announcements. Specifically, the study attempts to improve the understanding of factors that should be considered in efforts to successfully demarket alcohol abuse among college students. The variables of need for cognition, sensation seeking, affect intensity, prior product use, memory of the advertising message, attitude toward the ad, intention to behave, and behavior are linked to create a multidimensional model. Results of the study indicate that high levels of sensation seeking and prior product use are the best predictors of behavior involving the specific product of alcoholic beverages. Need for cognition and affect intensity are not good predictors of behavior involving the specific product of alcoholic beverages. Sensation seeking is also an important indicator for prior product use of alcoholic beverages and intention to buy and consume alcoholic beverages. Although affect intensity does not have a significant effect on behavior, it does have a significant effect on memory of the advertising message.     

Recognition-Based Measures of Ethical Sensitivity and Reformulated Cognitive Moral Development: An Examination and Evidence of Nomological Validity

Because most prominent theories of ethical decisionmaking posit that the process begins with anindividual's recognition of the ethical issuesinherent in a decision situation, and is followed bysome degree of individual cognitive processing, theconstructs ethical sensitivity and cognitive moraldevelopment assume great importance in the study ofbusiness ethics. Two recent developments in theethics literature suggest that these two constructswarrant additional examination. First, is the use ofrecognition-based measures of ethical sensitivity;second is the development of a new index for theprincipal measure of cognitive moral development, theDefining Issues Test. In this paper, the authorsexamine issues of nomological validity related tothese two constructs in light of these recentdevelopments. Results of an empirical study showstrong support for the new index of cognitive moraldevelopment, but likely because of samplecharacteristics, support for the ethical sensitivitymeasure is inconclusive.     

Understanding Salespeople's Intention to Behave Unethically: The Effects of Perceived Competitive Intensity, Cognitive Moral Development and Moral Judgment

Three factors considered to potentially influence salespeople's intentions to behave unethically are empirically examined. Although moral judgment is commonly considered a precursor to moral intentions, the effects of cognitive moral development and perceived competitive intensity on moral intentions are not well understood. Results suggest that all three factors influence salespeople's intention to behave unethically. Implications and directions for future research are provided.