An empirical study of ethical predispositions

Brady, F. Neil; Wheeler, Gloria E.

doi:10.1007/bf00705573

Cited by 176 publications

(153 citation statements)

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“…They considered utilitarian theories, theories of right and theories of justice and also they searched the difference between act and rule utilitarianism. Their findings will be discussed later, but here it is worth mentioning their comment, which is "Individual responses tended to be well thought out and somewhat complex" (Fritzche and Becker, 1984, p.169) This is somewhat consistent with Brady & Wheeler's (1996) findings that in regard to ethical predispositions, rather than the reasons that support the solutions people are "strongly biased toward solutions" and thus they drove the conclusion that their study "implies that utilitarianism and formalism are not best understood as forms of reasoning but as general behavior-orientations that can be independently rationalized" (Brady & Wheeler, 1996, p.937).…”

Section: A Fresh Apple or A New Barrel: Business Ethics From An Indivsupporting

confidence: 61%

A Fresh Apple or a New Barrel: Business Ethics from an Individual to Corporate Level

Thomas

2017

Eur. j. econ. bus. stud.

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The moral nature of corporations has been discussed for a long time. But, since 2001, with enormous economic effects of the misconduct of some corporations this discussion gained another dimension, it moved into the public sphere, the subject became more sensitive. The anger and mistrust of the public toward business triggered legislators and corporations to take urgent action. For example, just after the collapse of Enron (2001) the American Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) that covers the responsibilities of boards of directors and requires compliance training at all levels. It also revived the old controversial arguments about the nature of business -whether the only purpose of business is to make profits, the relationship of business and ethics -whether business ethics is an oxymoron, and human nature -whether it is 'bad apples' or 'bad barrels'. Yet, with new sets of regulations, in 2017, we are still witnessing the misconduct of corporations on a global scale. This article investigates the effectiveness of corporate efforts such as revisiting mission statements, polishing the codes of ethics and conducting training, by evaluating the nature of business, human nature and the understanding of ethics in the workplace. By looking through the lens of utilitarianism of ethical issues in business, I will argue that codes of ethics and ethics training are necessary but not sufficient. Within the scope of this paper I wish to pave the way to a holistic approach which is necessary and sufficient to create ethical businesses.

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Section: A Fresh Apple or A New Barrel: Business Ethics From An Indivsupporting

confidence: 61%

A Fresh Apple or a New Barrel: Business Ethics from an Individual to Corporate Level

Thomas

2017

Eur. j. econ. bus. stud.

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“…Participants also completed scales measuring formalism (placing high value on following rules or principles) and consequentialism (valuing outcomes) from the Character Traits section of the Measure of Ethical Viewpoints (Brady and Wheeler, 1996). Participants indicated on a 7-point scale how important the following characteristics were to them: principled, dependable, trustworthy, honest, noted for integrity, law abiding for the formalism subscale and innovative, resourceful, effective, influential, results-oriented, productive, a winner for the consequentialism subscale.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision Making

2010

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Many unethical decisions stem from a lack of awareness. In this article, we consider how mindfulness, an individual's awareness of his or her present experience, impacts ethical decision making. In our first study, we demonstrate that compared to individuals low in mindfulness, individuals high in mindfulness report that they are more likely to act ethically, are more likely to value upholding ethical standards (self-importance of moral identity, SMI), and are more likely to use a principled approach to ethical decision making (formalism). In our second study, we test this relationship with a novel behavioral measure of unethical behavior: the carbonless anagram method (CAM). We find that of participants who cheated, compared to individuals low in mindfulness, individuals high in mindfulness cheated less. Taken THE WHARTON RISK MANAGEMENT AND DECISION PROCESSES CENTEREstablished in 1984, the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center develops and promotes effective corporate and public policies for low-probability events with potentially catastrophic consequences through the integration of risk assessment, and risk perception with risk management strategies. Natural disasters, technological hazards, and national and international security issues (e.g., terrorism risk insurance markets, protection of critical infrastructure, global security) are among the extreme events that are the focus of the Center's research.The Risk Center's neutrality allows it to undertake large-scale projects in conjunction with other researchers and organizations in the public and private sectors. Building on the disciplines of economics, decision sciences, finance, insurance, marketing and psychology, the Center supports and undertakes field and experimental studies of risk and uncertainty to better understand how individuals and organizations make choices under conditions of risk and uncertainty. Risk Center research also investigates the effectiveness of strategies such as risk communication, information sharing, incentive systems, insurance, regulation and public-private collaborations at a national and international scale. From these findings, the Wharton Risk Center's research team -over 50 faculty, fellows and doctoral students -is able to design new approaches to enable individuals and organizations to make better decisions regarding risk under various regulatory and market conditions. The Center is also concerned with training leading decision makers. It actively engages multiple viewpoints, including top-level representatives from industry, government, international organizations, interest groups and academics through its research and policy publications, and through sponsored seminars, roundtables and forums.More information is available at http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk. Many unethical decisions stem from a lack of awareness. In this article, we consider how mindfulness, an individual's awareness of his or her present experience, impacts ethical decision making. In our first study, we demonstrate that...

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“…On the other hand, some authors have reached completely opposite conclusions, supporting instead the idea that gender has no significant influence on the ethical decision-making process (Brady & Wheeler, 1996;Browning & Zabriskie, 1983;Singhapakdi & Vitell, 1990). Hegarty and Sims (1978) assessed graduate business students and concluded that decision-making was not significantly influenced by gender but by other factors, such as individuals' beliefs.…”

Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethical perceptions of accounting students in a Portuguese university: the influence of individual factors and personal traits

Costa

Pinheiro

Ribeiro

2016

Accounting Education

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Our purpose is to empirically examine whether gender, age, work experience, and attendance of a course on ethics affect the ethical perceptions of Portuguese accounting students and analyze the influence of some individual factors that may affect their ethical decision-making. Additionally, we consider the degree of importance assigned to a list of personal traits and their relationship with those factors. We concluded that gender influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to initiative/entrepreneurship, obedience, and responsibility; age influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to integrity; work experience influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to obedience; and attendance of a course on ethics influenced the degree of importance attributed to independence. For each of these factors, the influence did not prove to be statistically significant in decision-making. Similarly, the study identified some reservations regarding attitudes the students' peers might have, and when asked about this, they had negative opinions, believing their colleagues would have lower ethical standards. Our results add to the literature, especially because, in Portugal, little has been done to understand which factors may affect students' ethical decision-making processes. We expect to bring added value to stakeholders, teachers, and scholars engaged with these matters. ARTICLE HISTORY

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An empirical study of ethical predispositions

Cited by 176 publications

References 10 publications

A Fresh Apple or a New Barrel: Business Ethics from an Individual to Corporate Level

A Fresh Apple or a New Barrel: Business Ethics from an Individual to Corporate Level

In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision Making

Ethical perceptions of accounting students in a Portuguese university: the influence of individual factors and personal traits

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