Example of Unethical Behavior
- If they believed ethics were important.
- Would they do something unethical
- How people perceive the concept of ethics
- Dumping waste into the water supply rather than disposing of it properly.
- Engaging in price fixing to force smaller businesses out of the industry.
- Using false advertising methods to dupe customers into buying a product.
Hypothesis
Ethics
- Definition
- a set of moral principles of human conduct that govern the behavior of individuals and organizations.
- Unethical behavior is an action that falls outside of what is morally right or proper for a person
- If age and gender are not factors in unethical behavior then there must be other factors that influence people to commit unethical behavior.
Survey Results
Unethical Behavior in Business
Conclusion
- Our decisions are influenced by a multitude of reasons.
- Unique combination of situational, psychological and personal factors.
- Consider these factors when making decisions about ethical situations. Consider our actions and the consequences before we act.
Causes of Unethical Behavior
References
- What cause educated people to commit unethical behavior?
- How do these factors influence unethical behavior?
Personal Factors
- What are they?
- Beliefs, Knowledge, Morals
- Example: Employee authorizing oil refinery without knowledge of the environmental risks. Believes it will bring big profits to the company.
- The concept of the ethical situation itself being influential to how the individual reacts.
- Example: A manager being told to terminate an entire division to save the company from bankruptcy.
- Influences in an environment that affect how a person thinks or feels.
- Example: An environment of wealth affecting the employee's perception of wealth. They want the wealth they've never had and some will do anything to achieve that wealth.
- De Cremer, David; Tenbrunsel, Ann E.. Behavioral Business Ethics : Shaping an Emerging Field. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2012. Ebook Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
- Vohs, Kathleen D., Nicole L. Mead, and Miranda R. Goode. "The Psychological Consequences of Money." Science 314.5802 (2006): 1154-156. Web. 17 Nov. 2014. <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/314/5802/1154.abstract>.
- Mahajan, C.P. (2008). Concepts & Solutions of Business Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com
- Jones, Ian; Pollitt, Michael (2002). Understanding How Issues in Business Ethics Develop. Retrieved from http://www.eblib.com