Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Strong are the Ethical Preferences of Senior Business Executives?

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

Abstract

How do senior business executives rank their preferences for various ethical principles? And how strongly do the executives believe in these principles? Also, how do these preference rankings relate to the way the executives see the future (wherein business decisions play out)? Research on these questions may provide us with an appreciation of the complexities of ethical behavior in management beyond the traditional issues concerning ethical decision-making in business. Based on a survey of 585 vice presidents of U.S. businesses it was found that: (1) there is a distinct set of principles of ethical conduct that is considered favorable as opposed to another set considered unfavorable among a comprehensive list of 14 ethical principles; (2) the executives believed overwhelmingly that their own individual ethical preferences are better than those of other executives; (3) the strength of their preferences for ethical principles is associated with whether the executives are relatively near-future oriented or more distant-future oriented; and (4), there are very few significant differences in terms of gender, age, education level, private/public education, prestigious/other schools, business/non-business academic backgrounds, and length of job experience. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • J. L. Badaracco A. P. Webb (1995) ArticleTitleBusiness ethics: A view from the trenches California Management Review 37 IssueID2 8–28

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Bass T. Barnett G. Brown (1999) ArticleTitleIndividual difference variables, ethical judgments, and ethical behavioral intentions Business Ethics Quarterly 9 183–205

    Google Scholar 

  • A. C. Bluedorn (2002) The Human Organization of Time: Temporal Realities and Experience Stanford University Press Stanford, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • B. A. Boyle R. F. Dahlstrom J. J. Kellaris (1998) ArticleTitlePoints of reference and individual differences as sources of bias in ethical judgements Journal of Business Ethics 17 517–525

    Google Scholar 

  • A. B. Carroll (1990) ArticleTitlePrinciples of business ethics: Their role in decision-making and an initial consensus Management Decision 28 IssueID8 20–24

    Google Scholar 

  • A. B. Carroll A. K. Buchholtz (2000) Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management EditionNumber4 Southwestern Cincinnati, OH

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Cohen (1981) Subjective time J. T. Fraser (Eds) The Voices of Time EditionNumber2 George Braziller New York 257–275

    Google Scholar 

  • T. J. Cottle (1968) ArticleTitleThe location of experience: A manifest time orientation Acta Psychologica 28 129–149

    Google Scholar 

  • T. J. Cottle (1976) Perceiving Time: A Psychological Investigation with Men and Women Wiley New York

    Google Scholar 

  • W. P. Cunningham (1998) ArticleTitleThe golden rule as universal ethical norm Journal of Business Ethics 17 105–109

    Google Scholar 

  • T. K. Das (1986) The Subjective Side of Strategy Making: Future Orientations and Perceptions of Executives Praeger New York

    Google Scholar 

  • T. K. Das (2004) Strategy and time: Really recognizing the future H. Tsoukas J. Shepherd (Eds) Managing the Future: Foresight in the Knowledge Economy. Blackwell, Oxford UK 58–74

    Google Scholar 

  • L. M. Dawson (1997) ArticleTitleEthical differences between men and women in the sales profession Journal of Business Ethics 16 1143–1152

    Google Scholar 

  • S. P. Deshpande (1997) ArticleTitle‘Managers’ perception of proper ethical conduct: The effect of sex, age, and level of education Journal of Business Ethics 16 79–85

    Google Scholar 

  • S. J. Dollinger A. K. LaMartina (1998) ArticleTitleA note on moral reasoning and the five- factor model Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 13 349–358

    Google Scholar 

  • L. W. Doob (1971) Patterning of Time Yale University Press New Haven, CT

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Fraisse (1963) The Psychology of Time Harper New York

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Geva (2000) ArticleTitleMoral decision making in business: A phase-model Business Ethics Quarterly 10 773–803

    Google Scholar 

  • J. D. Goodstein (2000) ArticleTitleMoral compromise and personal integrity: Exploring the ethical issues of deciding together in organizations Business Ethics Quarterly 10 805–819

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Z. Gottlieb J. Sanzgiri (1996) ArticleTitleTowards an ethical dimension of decision making in organizations Journal of Business Ethics 15 1275–1285

    Google Scholar 

  • J. R. Harris (1990) ArticleTitleEthical values of individuals at different levels in the organizational hierarchy of a single firm Journal of Business Ethics 9 741–750

    Google Scholar 

  • S. D. Hunt S. Vitell (1986) ArticleTitleA general theory of marketing ethics Journal of Macromarketing 6 IssueID1 5–16

    Google Scholar 

  • T. M. Jones (1991) ArticleTitleEthical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model Academy of Management Review. 16 366–395

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Kastenbaum (1961) ArticleTitleThe dimensions of future time perspective: An experimental analysis Journal of General Psychology 65 203–218 Occurrence Handle10.1080/00221309.1961.9920473

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. A. Kelly (1958) Man’s construction of his alternatives G. Lindzey (Eds) Assessment of Human Motives Rinehart New York 33–64

    Google Scholar 

  • C. J. Lennings (1994) ArticleTitleAn investigation of the effects of agency and time perspective variables on career maturity Journal of Psychology 128 243–253

    Google Scholar 

  • P. V. Lewis (1989) ArticleTitleEthical principles for decision makers: A longitudinal survey Journal of Business Ethics 8 271–278

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Maclagan (1998) Management and Morality: A Developmental Perspective Sage Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • D. J. Moberg (1999) ArticleTitleThe big five and organizational virtue Business Ethics Quarterly 9 245–272

    Google Scholar 

  • P. E. Mudrack E. S. Mason (1996) ArticleTitleIndividual ethical beliefs and perceived organizational interests Journal of Business Ethics 15 851–861

    Google Scholar 

  • L. S. Paine (1996) ArticleTitleMoral thinking in management: An essential capability Business Ethics Quarterly 6 477–492

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Primeaux (1992) ArticleTitleExperiential ethics: A blueprint for personal and corporate ethics Journal of Business Ethics 11 779–788

    Google Scholar 

  • J. K. Quinn J. D. Reed M. N. Browne W. J. Hiers (1997) ArticleTitleHonesty, individualism, and pragmatic business ethics: Implications for corporate hierarchy Journal of Business Ethics 16 1419–1430

    Google Scholar 

  • J. M. Rayburn L. G. Rayburn (1996) ArticleTitleRelationship between Machiavellianism and type A personality and ethical-orientation Journal of Business Ethics 15 1209–1219

    Google Scholar 

  • C. J. Robertson W. F. Crittenden (1998) ArticleTitleMapping moral philosophies: Strategic implications for multinational firms Strategic Management Journal 24 385–392

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Sligo N. Stirton (1998) ArticleTitleDoes hindsight bias change perceptions of business ethics? Journal of Business Ethics 17 111–124

    Google Scholar 

  • G. A. Steiner J. F. Steiner (1988) Business, Government, and Society: A Managerial Perspective EditionNumber5 Random House New York

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Thomae (1981) Future time perspective and the problem of cognition/motivation interaction G. D. ‘ydewalle L. Willy (Eds) Cognition in Human Motivation and Learning. Erlbaum Hillsdale, NJ 261–274

    Google Scholar 

  • L. K. Treviño (1986) ArticleTitleEthical decision making in organizations: A person-situation iuteractionist model Academy of Management Review 11 601–617

    Google Scholar 

  • L. K. Treviño S. A. Youngblood (1990) ArticleTitleBad apples in bad barrels: A causal analysis of ethical decision-making behavior Journal of Applied Psychology 75 378–385

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York, One Bernard Baruch Way, Box B9-240, New York, NY, 10010, U.S.A

    T. K. Das

Authors
  1. T. K. Das
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. K. Das.

Additional information

T. K. Das is Professor of Strategic Management and Area Coordinator (Strategic Management and Business & Society) at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York, New York. He is concurrently a member of the University’s Doctoral Faculty. Professor Das received his Ph.D. in Organization and Strategic Studies from the Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). He also has degrees in Physics, Mathematics, and Management, and a Professional Certification in Banking. Professor Das publishes in the areas of strategic alliances, strategy making, organizational studies, temporal studies, and executive development. He is the author of over 120 publications, including Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Studies, Organization Science, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Management Development.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Das, T.K. How Strong are the Ethical Preferences of Senior Business Executives?. J Bus Ethics 56, 69–80 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-3238-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-004-3238-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation