The effects of social and moral integration on ethical standards: A comparison of American and Ukrainian business students

This paper examines levels of similarity in ethical outlooks in countries where economic and sociocultural values may differ markedly. We compared students from a capitalist country, the United States, with students from Ukraine, a country experiencing dramatic ideological confusion and economic change. We tested the hypothesis that greater social and moral integration, as operationalized by a lack of alienation and by religiousness, will directly affect one's willingness to engage in unethical business practices.The sample was composed of business students in both Ukraine and the United States. The survey instrument consisted of widely used scales for measuring alienation and religiousness. The measure of ethical standards was a vignette-based quasi-projective technique.Results showed that, for the sample as a whole, willingness to engage in unethical business behavior was related to higher levels of alienation and lower levels of religiousness. The Ukrainians were also much more willing to engage in unethical behavior than were the Americans. The explanation for this difference is unclear, however. For the Ukrainians, religiousness and alienation did not explain the patterns in unethical behavior, and relationships were very weak for the Americans. There may be some unmeasured factor, such as economic exigency, that is influencing the results. It simply may be that people choose to behave more ethically when they have the luxury to do so. Dr. Ellen Kennedy and Dr. Leigh Lawton are Professors in the Department of Marketing at the University of St. Thomas. They have published several articles together in the Journal of Business Ethics and in Industrial Marketing Management. Most of their research deals with cross-cultural ethics.     

Yugoslavia in the 1970's: Self-management and bargaining

Although the reforms embodied in Yugoslavia's 1974 Constitution have stabilized her political situation, the increased reliance on social plans and instruments does not appear to be producing a corresponding degree of economic stability. This article describes the new political and economic decision-making system in Yugoslavia and shows how its functioning has generated certain tensions between and among governmental and productive entities, tensions that have led to unintended and undesired economic consequences. It suggests that the root of the problem lies in the operation of the new system, not in a departure from its principles.     

Relation between intrinsic motivation and boredom in leisure time

Abstract

The present investigation replicated and extended an earlier finding of the negative relation between intrinsic motivation in leisure behavior and boredom in leisure time (Iso‐Ahola & Weissinger, 1987). Secondary analysis of data from 474 college undergraduates was used to construct a regression model of boredom. Results indicate that the self‐determination component of intrinsic leisure motivation explained the greatest portion of boredom variance (R = .38). Other variables entering the regression equation, in descending order of variance explained: competence, leisure ethic, age, and leisure repertoire (total R² = .52). Gender was not a significant predictor of boredom in leisure time. Results suggest that boredom in leisure time is usefully conceptualized as a disruption of the intrinsic motivation process.     

CEO and board chair roles: To split or not to split?

We examine the performance and compensation implications of firms' decisions to combine the roles of CEO and board chairman (duality). We document that firms that split the CEO and chairman positions due to investor pressure have significantly lower announcement returns and subsequent performance, and lower contributions of investments to shareholder wealth. Further, these performance outcomes are more negative for firms with higher predicted probabilities of duality based on a model of economic determinants of board leadership structure. We also find that pay-performance sensitivity in CEO compensation contracts are significantly lower following a split in the CEO and chairman positions, and significantly higher following a combination in these positions. Our evidence suggests that on average, board leadership choices by firms and market responses are consistent with efficiency arguments, and recent proposals for all firms to separate the CEO and chairman roles warrant more careful consideration.     

Analysing teacher knowledge for technology education in primary schools

Teacher knowledge guides a teacher’s behaviour in the classroom. Teacher knowledge for technology education is generally assumed to play an important role in affecting pupils’ learning in technology. There are an abundant number of teacher knowledge models that visualise different domains of teacher knowledge, but clear empirical evidence on how these domains interact is lacking. Insights into the interaction of teacher knowledge domains could be useful for teacher training. In this study, the hypothesised relations between different domains of teacher knowledge for technology education in primary schools were empirically investigated. Subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy were measured with tests and questionnaires. Results from a path analysis showed that subject matter knowledge is an important prerequisite for both pedagogical content knowledge and self-efficacy. Subsequently, teachers’ self-efficacy was found to have a strong influence on teachers’ attitude towards technology. Based on the findings in this study, it is recommended that teacher training should first of all focus on the development of teachers’ subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. This knowledge will positively affect teachers’ confidence in teaching and, in turn, their attitude towards the subject. More confidence in technology teaching and a more positive attitude are expected to increase the frequency of technology education, which consequently increases teaching experience and thereby stimulates the development of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. This circle of positive reinforcement will eventually contribute to the quality of technology education in primary schools.     

Canadian Health and Food: The Links between Policy, Consumers, and Industry

The concerns around the social costs associated with poor, inadequate diets and unhealthy food choices have received much attention in both the popular and academic literature recently. In response, governments are starting to direct their attention toward the interplay between public health and the food economy. We begin by reviewing some of the known links between food and health, the recommendations coming from international and domestic bodies, and the perspective of industry. We then discuss the potential role of, and justifications for, policy interventions, and note that a failure to incorporate consumer response into the policymaking process has led to suboptimal outcomes in the past. We present a qualitative overview of the possible effects of Canadian agricultural policies, as well as examples from the limited literature in this area. In much the same way that the policymaking process is subject to environmental impact assessments, agricultural and food policies need to be formulated with a health filter in place order to avoid perverse dietary outcomes. Les préoccupations entourant les coûts sociaux liés à des régimes alimentaires déficients et à des choix alimentaires nuisibles pour la santé ont reçu récemment beaucoup d'attention dans les publications populaires et scientifiques. En réponse à ces préoccupations, les gouvernements commencent à se pencher sur l'interaction entre la santé publique et l'économie de l'alimentation. Nous avons d'abord examiné quelques‐uns des liens connus entre l'alimentation et la santé, les recommandations d'organismes nationaux et internationaux et le point de vue de l'industrie. Nous avons ensuite discuté du rôle potentiel des interventions politiques, et des justifications pour ces interventions, et avons noté que le fait de ne pas intégrer la réaction du consommateur dans le processus d'élaboration des politiques a entraîné des résultats sous‐optimaux dans le passé. Nous présentons un aperçu qualitatif des répercussions possibles des politiques agricoles canadiennes ainsi que des exemples tirés de la littérature limitée dans ce domaine. Tout comme le processus d'élaboration des politiques est soumis à des évaluations de l'impact sur l'environnement, les politiques agroalimentaires doivent être élaborées en tenant compte de la santé en vue d'éviter les conséquences perverses liées à l'alimentation.     

Consumers' willingness to pay for conventional,organic and functional yogurt: evidence from experimental auctions

This research is aimed at investigating consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for conventional, organic and functional yogurts in two different information treatments. The basic information treatment provided respondents with yogurts labelled conventional, organic or functional while the second treatment included additional information. To elicit values for these specific products, 100 Italian consumers participated in an experimental auction using the Vickrey fifth‐price sealed‐bid mechanism. Findings reveal that providing additional information through a specific health claim increases consumer's perceived value of the functional yogurt, while for the organic counterpart additional information on organic regulation does not add much to the premium. Moreover, our study shows that specific socio‐demographic variables (as gender, age, presence of kids in the household and the need to follow a specific diet) positively affect WTP for functional and organic yogurts.     

Comparing stated and realized preferences for shade‐grown vs. conventionally grown coffee

We used both stated preference and revealed preference data to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for shade‐grown coffee as compared with conventionally grown coffee. Stated preference data was collected using contingent valuation studies. Revealed preference data came from an experiment where all survey participants received a personally identifiable voucher redeemable for a free bakery item when the holder purchased a coffee. We compared estimates of mean and median WTP a price premium for shade‐grown coffee from stated preference data with similar estimates from revealed preference data. We used a logit model to evaluate the effect of explanatory variables (measures of environmental attitudes, personal norms for pro‐environmental behaviour and demographic variables) on respondents’ WTP a price premium for shade grown coffee. Model parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood approach. Respondents with higher scores on measures of environmental attitudes and personal norms for pro‐environmental behaviour were, on average, willing to pay more for shade‐grown coffee. While this paper examined a specific case, purchase of shade‐grown coffee, our results confirmed that stated environmental concern was a good predictor of pro‐environmental behaviour. We found that mean and median WTP estimates from stated preference methods were higher, but not significantly different than mean and median WTP estimates from actual purchases, indicating convergent validity between stated and realized preference methods. The majority of individuals both stated WTP a price premium and purchased shade‐grown coffee at a price premium. We did, however notice some interesting behaviour at the individual level where stated preferences under‐predicted realized preferences at low price‐premia and over‐predicted realized preferences at high price premia.