Antecedents, consequences, and mediating effects of perceived moral intensity and personal moral philosophies

This study uses responses from a survey of marketing professionals in a structural equation model linking antecedents and consequences of two dimensions of personal moral philosophies (idealism and relativism) and perceived moral intensity (PMI). Mixed support is found for hypothesized effects of gender, religiosity, education, experience, salary, and corporate ethical values on idealism and relativism. Idealism increases and relativism decreases PMI in four ethical scenarios. PMI increases perceptions of ethical problems, which reduce intentions to act unethically. The study tests whether relationships between variables, revealing that PMI has direct as well as indirect effects on intentions. Intentions are also influenced by gender: women have more ethical intentions than men, on average, and this effect is not mediated by other variables in the model. Anusorn Singhapakdi is an associate professor of marketing at Old Dominion University. He has also served on the marketing faculty at Lamar University, Texas, and at Thammasat University, Thailand. His papers on topics in marketing ethics and social responsibility have been published in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, and various other journals and proceedings. Scott J. Vitell is the Phil B. Hardin Professor of Marketing at the University of Mississippi. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Texas Tech University. His work has previously appeared in theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Business Ethics, Research in Marketing, International Marketing Review, and in other journals and proceedings. George R. Franke is an associate professor and Reese Phifer Fellow of Marketing at the University of Alabama. His research interests include ethics, public policy, advertising, and research methodology. His publications have received best-paper awards from theJournal of Advertising, Journal of Marketing Research, American Marketing Association, and Southern Marketing Association.