Is individual bribery or organizational bribery more intolerable in China (versus in the United States)? Advancing theory on the perception of corrupt acts

Liu, Zhi; Liu, Xiaoxiao; Hong, Ying‐yi; Brockner, Joel; Tam, Kim‐Pong; Li, Yanmei

doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.12.002

Cited by 26 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…In session one, participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: traditional Chinese culture, modern Chinese culture, and neutral condition. Each of the 16 cultural icons for each priming condition was presented for 5 seconds on a slide show ( Liu et al, 2017 ), with no time gap between pictures. Participants were then asked to write three sentences to describe the 16 images, which we added as a manipulation check.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Chinese Traditional and Modern Cultures Affect Young Adults’ Moral Priorities?

Chen

Zhang

et al. 2018

Front. Psychol.

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Dramatic cultural change has occurred in Mainland China over the past four decades, yet little is known about how this cultural shift impacts Chinese peoples’ moral values. The present research aims to fill this gap by examining whether Chinese traditional and modern cultures influence young adults’ moral judgments. Study 1 investigated the relation between psychological traditionality/modernity and moral concerns. Results indicated that participants who strongly endorsed Chinese traditional culture prioritize relationship concern rather than justice concern. Study 2 used the cultural priming method and tested the effects of traditional and modern icons on moral concerns. Results suggested that participants who were primed with traditional or modern or neutral icons did not give priority to relationship or justice concern. Together, our findings provide initial empirical evidence on whether Chinese traditional and modern cultures shift the moral mindsets of bicultural young Chinese among alternative (and even competing) moral codes.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Chinese Traditional and Modern Cultures Affect Young Adults’ Moral Priorities?

Chen

Zhang

et al. 2018

Front. Psychol.

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“…The use of focus groups to study corruption is relatively recent and lacks systematization. It is worth mentioning that such methodology has been mainly used to validate findings from surveys and other quantitative methods (Avkiran et al , 2016; Buttle et al , 2016; Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 2011; Grødeland, 2013; Liu et al , 2017; Masters and Graycar, 2016; Milojević and Krstić, 2018; Redlawsk and McCann, 2005; Sadigov, 2018). Few studies have used focus group to inform corruption survey designs.…”

Section: What Is Missing In the Specialized Literature?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a three-stage focus group design to develop questionnaire items for a mass survey on corruption and austerity: a roadmap

Sousa

Pinto

Clemente

et al. 2020

QRJ

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PurposeThis article presents focus groups as a method to enhance questionnaire design to frame and test items for a mass survey on corruption and austerity in democracy. Such methodology lacks systematization when it comes to the description of implementation procedures and the discussion of effective contribution to the development of survey questions on sensitive topics. The objective of this article is to contribute to the specialized literature on corruption by offering a novel focus group approach and a roadmap to guide researchers in the field when using this methodology to develop questionnaire items. This hands-on guide can be adaptable to other (survey) studies on issues prone to social desirability bias.Design/methodology/approachThis article proposes an innovative multi-technique (short questionnaire, visual stimuli and exploratory discussion with expert moderation) focus group approach to collect informal impressions about corruption and austerity. By developing a focus group design through the combination of different research techniques, the authors were able to triangulate reflexive, spontaneous and interactive qualitative bottom-up information about individual perceptions and reactions to sensitive topics. By describing how to implement these groups, other than discussing what type of qualitative information can be extracted from these discussions and to what effect, the authors seek to present a hands-on guide that can be replicated and adapted to similar studies. This roadmap will help researchers to test individual perceptions and reactions to sensitive topics through the use of tailored focus groups in order to enhance the quality of survey questionnaires prior to engaging in a high-cost fieldwork.FindingsThe article concludes that the adoption of the multi-technique focus group approach to requalify and test questions for a nationwide survey gives us a better understanding of the many ethical dilemmas individuals confront when thinking about and expressing their views on sensitive topics prone to social desirability bias. The proposed multi-technique focus group approach proved to be effective to engage participants during sessions and to obtain relevant and unanticipated information for the development of new questionnaire items and the reviewing of old ones.Research limitations/implicationsImplementing Focus Group (FG) in regions with different cultural traditions and levels of development and contrasting the perceptions, values and attitudes of two generations, with different formative backgrounds is not an easy task. In order to secure the adequate number and type of participants, the Focus Group were organized in close collaboration with four higher education institutions and two lifelong learning programs where the sessions took place. Participation was voluntary and consented, in accordance with the applicable legislation and standards for social research.Practical implicationsThe article presents an accessible and adaptable roadmap to researchers working in the field of corruption studies as well as anticorruption government agencies and CSOs interested in enhancing the quality of survey questionnaires on sensitive topics target of social desirability before engaging in a high-cost fieldwork and to describe relevant information that can be extracted from the discussions held.Social implicationsMost cross-country surveys on corruption tend to use basic/traditional measures to assess the phenomenon, such as questions on extension, acceptability and/or experience. They take almost for granted that people have the same understanding of this complex construct, which may not hold true, as the focus group discussions illustrate. The three-stage focus group design aims to improve the quality of a survey design regarding people's attitudes, perceptions and experiences of corruption in democracy, by contributing to the development of new questions that tap into the relationship between social condemnation and the individual's socio-economic conditions.Originality/valueThe article provides a low-cost combination of qualitative-oriented (questionnaire development through focus groups) with a quantitative-oriented research tool (mass survey implementation) to meet mixed-method research objectives and enhance the ability to capture several “non-statistical” dimensions of complex social phenomena that are often neglected when a single-methodology approach is used.

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“…That is to say, on the one hand, unstable socioeconomic conditions may result in corruption, but on the other hand, the globalized development of China may weaken traditional social ties, which to a large extent dictate everyday interaction and business relationships. This duality is reflected in China where, on the one hand, the Chinese government has recently launched high profile crackdowns on corrupt officials, while on the other hand, petty "bribery" (e.g., giving "red pocket money" to physicians in charge of surgery) is still tolerated and prevalent in the lives of ordinary people (Liu et al, 2017).…”

Section: Guanxi-related Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding consumer ethics in China’s demographic shift and social reforms

Chen

Xue

Gao

et al. 2019

APJML

Self Cite

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Purpose-The aim of this study is to explore some specific, current social phenomena in China that may influence consumers' ethical beliefs and practices, focusing on how some top-down, social and political changes could shape consumer behavior that needs to be understood in the Chinese context. Design/Methodology/Approach-Extensive literature was critically reviewed to explore recent macro-societal reforms in China and their impact on consumers' (un)ethical practices.Findings-We lay out how China, a government-led society, underwent a series of political reforms resulting in demographic shifts that differentiate it from its Western, industrialized counterparts. We connect these societal changes with Chinese characteristics to consumers' ethical evaluations, forming a new angle to understand consumer ethics in China. We also draw on two empirical examples to illustrate our argument.Originality/Value-While consumer ethics are often explained by either cultural factors or individual variations, we discuss how one's ethical practice is shaped by one's social position, which is a product of national level public policy. Our discussions have ramifications for the study of consumers' social class and ethical practices because they take into account the elusive social positions and ambiguous social class consciousness of the Chinese population that have resulted from social mobility. Our discussions may give practitioners a better understanding of the ethical rationale behind consumers' changing lifestyles especially in the Chinese context. Paper Type-General review

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Is individual bribery or organizational bribery more intolerable in China (versus in the United States)? Advancing theory on the perception of corrupt acts

Cited by 26 publications

References 62 publications

Do Chinese Traditional and Modern Cultures Affect Young Adults’ Moral Priorities?

Do Chinese Traditional and Modern Cultures Affect Young Adults’ Moral Priorities?

Using a three-stage focus group design to develop questionnaire items for a mass survey on corruption and austerity: a roadmap

Understanding consumer ethics in China’s demographic shift and social reforms

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