Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sexual Harassment: A Matter of Individual Ethics, Legal Definitions, or Organizational Policy?

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Although interest in business ethics has rapidly increased, little attention has been drawn to the relationship between ethics and sexual harassment. While most companies have addressed the problem of sexual harassment at the organizational level with corporate codes of ethics or sexual harassment policies, no research has examined the ethical ideology of individual employees. This study investigates the relationship between the ethical ideology of individual employees and their ability to identify social-sexual behaviors in superior-subordinate interactions. The results indicate that ethical ideology does have an effect on employees' ability to identify verbal sexually harassing behaviors. This effect, however, is not demonstrated on nonverbal sexually harassing behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Barnett, T., K. Bass and G. Brown: 1994, 'Ethical Ideology and Ethical Judgment Regarding Ethical Issues in Business', Journal of Business Ethics 13, 469–480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beauvais, K.: 1986, 'Workshops to Combat Sexual Harassment: A Case Study of Changing Attitudes', Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 12, 130–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bingham, S. G. and B. R. Burleson: 1993, The Development of the Sexual Harassment Proclivity Scale: Construct Validation and Relationship to Communication Competence. Paper presented at the Speech Communication Association Convention, Miami.

  • Booth-Butterfield, M.: 1983, An Empirical Investigation of Sexually Harassing Communication. Paper presented at Speech Communication Association Convention, Washington, D.C.

  • Booth-Butterfield, M.: 1986, 'Recognizing and Communicating in Harassment-prone Organizational Climates', Women's Studies in Communication 9, 41–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth-Butterfield, M.: 1987, 'Communication Script Analysis: A Four-part Model for Predicting Perception of Sexual Harassment, in M. Nadler, L. Nadler and W. Todd-Mancillas (eds.), Advances in Gender and Communication Research (New York, University Press of America), pp. 43–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth-Butterfield, M.: 1989, 'Perception of Harassing Communication as a Function of Locus of Control, Work Force Participation, and Gender', Communication Quarterly 37, 262–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, D. L., A. G. Sargent and M. S. Sprague: 1980, 'The Executive Man and Woman: The Issue of Sexuality', In. D. A. Neugarten and J. M. Shafritz (eds.), Sexuality in Organizations (Oak Park, IL, Moore Publishing Company, Inc.), pp. 17–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J., L. Pant and D. Sharp: 1993, 'A Validation and Extension of a Multidimensional Ethics Scale', Journal of Business Ethics 12, 13–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coles, F.: 1986, 'Forced to Quit: Sexual Harassment Complaints and Agency Response', Sex Roles 14, 81–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, E. and T. Blodgett: 1981, 'Sexual Harassment: Some See It, Some Won't', Harvard Business Review 59, 76–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, B., S. Rhodes, and L. Ford: 1992, A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Ethical Ideology, Gender, and Locus of Control on the Perceptions of Sexual Harassment. Paper presented at the Ethics Conference, Gull Lake Michigan.

  • Fletcher, J: 1966, Situation Ethics (Westminister Press, Philadelphia).

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D. R.: 1980, 'A Taxonomy of Ethical Ideologies', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39, 175–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D. R.: 1992, 'Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 461–470.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D. and J. L. Nye: 1990, 'Personal Moral Philosophies and Moral Choice'. Journal of Research in Personality 24, 398–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraedrich, J. P. and O. C. Ferrell: 1992, 'The Impact of Perceived Risk and Moral Philosophy Type on Ethical Decision Making In Business Organizations'. Journal of Business Research 24, 283–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutek, B. A.: 1985, Sex and the Workplace (Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutek, G. A., A. G. Cohen and A. M. Konrad: 1990, 'Predicting Social-sexual Behavior at Work: A Contact Hypothesis', Academy of Management Journal 33, 560–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guteke, B., B. Morasch, B. and A. Cohen: 1983, 'Interpreting Social-sexual Behavior in a Work Setting', Journal of Vocational Behavior 22, 30–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutek, B. and C. Nakamura: 1983, 'Gender Roles and Sexuality in the World of Work', in E. Allgeier and N. McCormick (eds.), Changing Boundaries: Gender Roles and Sexual Behavior (Palo Alto: Mayfield Publishing).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, R. S.: 1992, 'A Multidimensional Scale for Measuring Business Ethics: A Purification and Refinement', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 523–534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington, R. A. and B. C. Wallace: 1992, 'Recent Developments in Sexual Harassment Law', Mississippi College Law Review 13, 37–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, R. A.: 1970, 'A Dimension of Moral Judgment', Journal of Clinical and Counseling Psychology 35, 205–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogan, R. A.: 1973, 'Moral Conduct and Moral Character: A Psychological Perspective', Psychological Bulletin 79, 217–232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannesen, R. I.: 1981, Ethics in Human Communication (Waveland Press, Inc., Prospect Heights, IL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kang, J. G. and C. W. Konsky: 1993, An Analysis of the Perceptions of Social Reality and Experiences of Sexual Harassment Among College Students. Paper presented at the Speech Communication Association Convention, Miami.

  • Kant, I.: 1962, [Lecture on Ethics.] reprinted in W. T. Jones et al. (eds.), Approaches to Ethics (McGraw-Hill: New York).

  • Kelman, H. C. and L. H. Lawrence: 1972, 'Assignment of Responsibility in the Case of Lt. Calley: Preliminary Report on a National Survey', Journal of Social Issues 28, 177–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keyton, J.: 1993, Examining Flirting in Social and Work Contexts: Are There Implications for Harassment? Paper presented at the Speech Communication Association, Miami.

  • Keyton, J. and S. Rhodes: 1993, Flirting and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Exploratory Study. A papeer presented at the annual meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Miami.

  • Keyton, J. and S. Rhodes: in press, The Effect of Listener Preference Style on Identification of Sexual Harassment', Journal of the International Listening Association.

  • Keyton, J. and S. Rhodes: 1994a, Challenging An Empathic Foundation for Sexual Harassment Training. Paper presented to the Human Resources Division, Academy of Management, Dallas.

  • Keyton, J. and S. Rhodes: 1994b, Alternative Perspectives on Sexual Harassment Research. Paper presented to the Applied Communication Section, Speech Communication Association, New Orleans.

  • Koen, Jr., C. M.: 1989, 'Sexual Harassment: Criteria for Defining Hostile Environment', Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 2, 289–301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L.: 1968, 'The Child as a Moral Philosohper', Psychology Today 2(4), 25–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L.: 1976, 'Moralization: The Cognitive-developmental Approach, in T. Likona (ed.), Morality: Theory, Research and Social Issues (Holt, Rinehart and Winston: New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreps, G. L.: 1990, Organizational Communication: Theory and Practices (2nd ed.), (Longman: New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Linenberger, P.: 1983, 'What Behavior Constitutes Sexual Harassment?', Labor Law Journal 34, 238–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Padgitt, S. C. and J. S. Padgitt:; 1986 (January), 'Cognitive Structure of Sexual Harassment: Implications for University Policy', Journal of College Student Personnel, 34–39.

  • Paetzold, R. L. and A. M. O'Leary-Kelly: 1993, 'Organizational Communication and the Legal Dimensions of Hostile Work environment Sexual Harassment', in G. L. Kreps (ed.), Sexual Harassment: Communication Implications (Hampton Press, Inc.: Cresskill, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Paine, L. S.: 1994 (x–April), 'Managing for Organizational Integrity', Harvard Business Review, 106–117.

  • Patterson, M.: 1983, Nonverbal Behavior: A Functional Perspective (Springer-Verlag: New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pechman, L.: 1993, 'Emerging Issues in Hostile Work environment Sexual Harassment', New York State Bar Journal, 65, 38–41, 59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Popovich, P. M., D. N. Gehlauf, J. A. Jolton, J. M. Somers and R. M. Godinho: 1992, 'Perceptions of Sexual Harassment as a Function of Sex or Rater and Incident Form and Consequence', Sex Roles 27, 609–625.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, G. N.: 1988, Women and Men in Management (Sage Publications: Newbury Park, CA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pryor, J.B.: 1987, 'Sexual Harassment Proclivities in Men', Sex Roles 17, 269–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pryor, J. B. and J. D. Day: 1988, 'Interpretations of Sexual Harassment: An Attributional Analysis', Sex Roles 18, 405–417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reidenbach, R. E. and D. P. Robin: 1990, 'Toward the Development of a Multidimensional Scale For Improving Evaluations of Business Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 9, 639–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reilly, M., B. Lott and S. Gollogly: 1986, 'Sexual Harassment of University Students', Sex Roles 15, 333–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J., D. Cooper, R. Coder, J. Masanz and D. Anderson: 1974, 'Judging the Important Issues in Moral Dilemmas — An Objective Measure of Development', Developmental Psychology 10, 491–501.

    Google Scholar 

  • Safran, C.: 1976 (November), 'What Men Do to Women on the Job: A Shocking Look at Sexual Harassment', Redbook, 149.

  • Schlenker, B. R. and D. R. Forsyth: 1977, 'On the Ethics of Psychological Research', Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 13 369–396.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, S. and B. Montgomery: 1987, Sexual Harassment: Applying a Communication Perspective. Paper presented at the annual Convention of the Eastern Communication Association, Syracuse, New York.

  • Sinclair, A: 1993, 'Approaches to Organizational Culture and Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 12, 63–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh, B. and D. R. Forsyth: 1989, 'Sexual Attitudes and Moral Values: The Importance of Idealism and Relativism', Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 27, 160–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singhapakdi, A.: 1993, 'Ethical Perceptions of Marketers: The Interaction Effects of Machiavellianism and Organizational Ethical Culture', Journal of Business Ethics 12, 407–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevens, B.: 1994, 'An Analysis of Corporate Ethical Code Studies: "Where Do We Go From Here?"', Journal of Business Ethics 13, 63–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G. and L. S. Fidell: 1989, Using Multivariate Statistics (2nd ed.) (HarperCollins Publishers: New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Tata, J.: 1993, 'The Structure and Phenomenon of Sexual Harassment: Impact of Category of Sexually Harassing Behavior, Gender, and Hierarchical Level', Journal of Applied Social Psychology 23, 199–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoma, S. D., J. R. Rest and M. L. Davison: 1991, 'Describing and Testing a Moderator of the Moral Judgment and Action Relationship', Journal of Personality and social Psychology 61, 659–669.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitell, S. J., J. R. Lumpkin and M. Y. A. Rawwas: 1991, 'Consumer Ethics: An Investigation of the Ethical Beliefs of Elderly Consumers', Journal of Business Ethics 10, 365–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkins, B. M. and P. A. Andersen: 1991, 'Gender Differences and Similarities in Management Communication: A Meta-analysis', Management Communication Quarterly 5, 6–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wise, S. and L. Stanley: 1987, Georgie Porgie: Sexual Harassment in Everyday Life (Pandora: New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Woerner, W. L. and S. L. Oswald: 1990 (November), 'Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A View through the Eyes of the Courts', Labor Law Journal, 786–793.

  • York, K. M.: 1989, 'Defining Sexual Harassment in Workplaces: A Policy-capturing Approach', Academy of Management Journal 32, 830–850.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152, U.S.A

    Joann Keyton & Steven C. Rhodes

Authors
  1. Joann Keyton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Steven C. Rhodes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Keyton, J., Rhodes, S.C. Sexual Harassment: A Matter of Individual Ethics, Legal Definitions, or Organizational Policy?. Journal of Business Ethics 16, 129–146 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017905100869

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017905100869

Keywords

Search

Navigation