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Ethical Hazards: A Motive, Means, and Opportunity Approach to Curbing Corporate Unethical Behavior

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Abstract

Scandals in companies such as Enron have been a source of great concern in the last decade. The events that led to a global financial crisis in 2008 have heightened this concern. How does one account for executive behaviors that led to such a crisis? This article argues that a conjunction of motive, means, and opportunity creates ‘an ethical hazard’ making questionable executive decisions more probable. It then suggests that corporate unethical behavior can be minimized by creating a process to identify and remove such ethical hazards, and by appointing an ‘ethical hazards marshal.’

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  1. Management Department, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, B3H 3C3, Canada

    Shripad G. Pendse

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Pendse, S.G. Ethical Hazards: A Motive, Means, and Opportunity Approach to Curbing Corporate Unethical Behavior. J Bus Ethics 107, 265–279 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1037-0

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