Ethical principles for decision makers: A longitudinal survey

This paper is based on a five-year study of the ethical principles considered by executives, middle managers, and students as appropriate guidelines for making decisions. Out of the fourteen principles surveyed, nine seem to be standards that can be applied with no further thought or research required by the decision maker. The other six principles may suggest decisions makers need clearer guidelines as to what to do or what not to do when faced with an ethical dilemma that exists outside defined systems of corporate ethics. Phillip V. Lewis is Chairman and the Duniven Professor of Management in the Department of Management Sciences at Abilene Christian University. Dr. Lewis' most recent book is Organizational Communication: The Essence of Effective Management (Wiley, 1987). He is the author of Defining Business Ethics: Like Nailing Jello to A Wall (JBE October 1985).