Individual Moral Development and Ethical Climate: The Influence of Person–Organization Fit on Job Attitudes

This research examines how the fit between employees moral development and the ethical work climate of their organization affects employee attitudes. Person–organization fit was assessed by matching individuals' level of cognitive moral development with the ethical climate of their organization. The influence of P–O fit on employee attitudes was assessed using a sample of 304 individuals from 73 organizations. In general, the findings support our predictions that fit between personal and organizational ethics is related to higher levels of commitment and job satisfaction and lower levels of turnover intent. Ethical P–O fit was related to higher levels of affective commitment across all three ethical climate types. Job satisfaction was only associated with ethical P–O fit for one of the three P–O fit variables and turnover intentions were significantly associated with two of the ethical P–O fit variables. The most consistent effect was found for the Conventional – Caring fit variable, which was significantly related to all three attitudes assessed. The weakest effect was found for the Preconventional – Instrumental fit variable, which was only predictive of affective commitment. The pattern of findings and implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

志愿者组织对公民道德建设的作用探析

在社会转型期各种矛盾叠加凸显的形势下,加强公民道德建设,用社会主义核心价值体系凝聚民心人气,加快全面小康社会建设进程至关重要。在公民道德建设中,必须充分发挥民间组织的积极作用,尤其要重点把握志愿者组织六个方面的功能和作用：对传统美德的传承和发展功能;对社会公德、职业道德的提升和强化功能;对社会资源的整合和凝聚功能;对公平正义、社会和谐的推动和促进功能;对政府失灵、市场失灵的补充和完善功能;对多元文化的融合和提炼功能。     

后金融危机时代奢侈消费的伦理思考

奢侈消费是指消费者的消费超出个人收入水平或财力状况,或者超过社会平均消费水平时的消费行为。从推动经济发展的角度来看,奢侈消费无疑是拉动内需、带动生产、促进经济发展的一个重要因素,但从实质上来看,奢侈消费会造成严重的浪费与挥霍,会使人们陷于物质享受的状态,最终导致拜金主义、享乐主义盛行,导致社会道德的滑坡。因此,在当今时代要限制奢侈消费,倡导适度消费,以适度消费引领当下的社会消费风尚。     

试论弗莱的文学批评观

弗莱的神话原型理论被称为与马克思主义批评和精神分析学说同为20世纪最有影响力的流派之一。弗莱认为,文学是通过对神话的移位来完成的,而文学批评可以通过神话原型来阐释文学作品,因此,论文对弗莱的文学批评观进行了探讨和阐释。     

Individual, Social and Organizational Sources of Sharing and Variation in the Ethical Reasoning of Managers

A growth in consumer and media ethical consciousness has resulted in the need for organizations to ensure that members understand, share and project an approved and unified set of ethics. Thus understanding which variables are related to sharing and variation of ethical reasoning and moral intent, and the relative strength of these variables is critical. While past research has examined individual (attitudes, values, etc.), social (peers, significant others, etc.) and organizational (codes of conduct, senior management, etc.) variables, it has focused on their influence on the individual – and not on their role in relation to patterns of group sharing and variation in an organization. Introduced as a new methodology to study ethics, microcultural analysis stipulates that to explain patterns of sharing and variation, one must understand how individual, social and organizational variables influence sharing and variation. Key hypotheses predict that managers who share in individual, social or organizational determinants will be more likely to share in ethical reasoning and moral intent. Qualitative and quantitative research supports the key hypotheses, finding social ties, personal moral intensity, Machiavellianism, locus of control and codes of ethics as significant determinants. Individuals who share in these determinants are more likely to share in ethical reasoning and moral intent. Additionally, regression analysis reveals social ties and personal moral intensity to be the strongest determinants. Based on these results, managerial recommendations focus on a holistic approach, manipulating these three determinants to cultivate a unified code of ethics within an organization.     

Assessing ethics education needs in the MBA program

A methodology for assessing ethics educationneeds in a Masters of Business Administration(MBA) program is proposed and applied at oneinstitution by comparing the ethical judgmentof MBA and MPA (Masters of PublicAdministration) students over a variety ofbusiness scenarios. Implications are discussedfor ethics education and its assessment in thisand other MBA programs. MPAs were chosen asthe comparison group because their education,organizational knowledge, and work experienceare expected to promote reasonable judgments. They were also selected because future negativeconsequences are likely from an ethics gapbetween MBA and MPA graduates. MBAs were lesscritical in the current study, and were alsomore likely to report reliance on egoism, aprinciple strongly associated with greatertolerance of the practices described. Anadditional factor, however, appeared tocontribute to the MBAs' less critical judgment. Ethical decision-making models suggest thisfactor was ethical perception. Suggestions aremade for modifying ethical principles andperceptions where indicated. Decision makersare urged to assess ethics education needs intheir own MBA programs, particularly if theyhave not added significant ethical content totheir curricula.     

Framing Effects Within the Ethical Decision Making Process of Consumers

There has been neglect of systematic conceptual development and empirical investigation within consumer ethics. Scenarios have been a long-standing tool yet their development has been haphazard with little theory guiding their development. This research answers four questions relative to this gap: Do different scenario decision frames encourage different moral reasoning styles? Does the way in which framing effects are measured make a difference in the measurement of the relationship between moral reasoning and judgment by gender? Are true framing effects likely to vary with the situation? and Are true framing effects likely to vary by gender? The conclusions reached were that (1) different scenario frames encourage both types of reasoning, but rule based moral reasoning is dominant regardless of frame, (2) accounting for formal equivalency in the measurement of true framing effects is likely to enhance the interpretation of studies in moral reasoning and judgment, (3) True framing effects are more likely to occur in situations with low to moderate perceived ethicality, and (4) true framing effects are not likely to vary by gender. Explanations as to why these results occurred are discussed.     

Comparative Perspectives on the Ethical Orientations of Human Resources,Marketing and Finance Functional Managers

The human resources profession emphasizes the personal and interpersonal aspects of work, that make it conscious of complex ethical issues in relationships in the workplace, while finance specialists are conversant with routine compliance with regulations. Marketing professionals are under pressure to produce revenue results. Thus, this research hypothesized that human resources managers would be more disapproving of unethical conduct than both finance and marketing functional managers, and that finance managers would be more disapproving than marketing managers. When asked to evaluate instances of unethical behavior in vignettes, human resources and finance managers were both significantly more disapproving than marketing managers. However, human resources managers were not significantly more disapproving than finance managers. Explanations for the results lie in the divergent antecedent conditions, objectives, perceptions of ethical problems and demands of the various functions. Alternative behavior patterns to resolve ethical dilemmas and expected consequences by the different functions also define their ethical orientations. Average responses on the disapproving side from all three functional groups are explained by two complementary trends that promote ethical awareness among all functional managers. One is the adoption of homogeneous conventions in ethical business practice. The other trend is the increase in ethical awareness specific to each of the functional professions.Eleanor OHiggins is on the faculty of the Business Schools at University College Dublin. She specialises in teaching, research and publications in the areas of business ethics, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and strategic management. She chairs the International Theme Committee of the U.S. Academy of Management. She is a member of the United Nations Global Compact Learning Forum, of the Business Ethics Faculty Group of the Community of European Management Schools (CEMS) and of the Board of Management of The Institute of Directors Centre for Corporate Governance at University College Dublin.     

Improving Consistency for DIT Results Using Cluster Analysis

In this article, cluster analysis is used to explore the conflicting results reported when the Defining Issues Test is used to explain moral reasoning ability in business situations. Using a convenience sample, gender, age, work experience, and ethics training were examined to determine their impact on the level of moral reasoning ability as measured by the Defining Issues Test. Using the whole sample, a significant difference was found for average P scores reported for males and females, but no significant differences were found based on age, work experience, and ethics training. However, the sample fell into distinct clusters that identified distinct male and female groupings. While females naturally fell into two distinct high- and low-moral reasoning ability clusters, male clusters were dominated more by work experience and ethics training. Clearly there are other factors mitigating the level of moral reasoning ability for males which require further exploration. The findings suggest that while the P score provides an initial point of comparison, the real benefit to the test is in exploring what is different for males and females in terms of training needs, and the impact of work experience on the moral reasoning ability, and most importantly, how to make ethics training enticing. Recommendations for future research are also discussed. Carmel Herington is a senior lecturer in the Department of Marketing, Griffith University Gold Coast Campus, Australia. Her research interests include service quality and the provision of service quality through relationship building, internal relationships and their impact on other relationships of the firm, ethical business practices and marketing education. She has published in Qualitative Market Research, European Business Review, Academy of Marketing Science Review, Journal of Travel Research, Journal of Marketing Education, amongst others. Scott Weaven is a lecturer in the Department of Marketing, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Australia. His research interests include service quality in asymmetric exchange relationships, motivational incentives analysis and business model choice, gender issues in small business management and marketing education. He has published in such scholarly journals as the International Small Business Journal, Journal of Marketing Channels, Academy of Marketing Science Review, and Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.