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Effects of Nationality, Gender, and Religiosity on Business-Related Ethicality

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Abstract

Cross-national studies of business-related ethicality frequently have concluded that Americans possess higher ethical standards than non-Americans. These conclusions have generally been based on survey responses of relatively small convenience samples of individuals in a very limited number of countries. This article reports a study of the relationship between nationality and business-related ethicality based on survey responses from more than 6300 business students attending 120 colleges and universities in 36 countries. Two well-documented determinants of business ethics (gender and religiosity) were investigated as moderators of the nationality–business ethicality relationship. The major research finding is that, while statistically significant differences were found between the business-related ethicality of American survey participants and the business-related ethicality of the non-American survey participants, the magnitudes of the differences were not substantial. The results of the study suggest that (i) more empirical cross-cultural/national research is required on business-related ethicality and (ii) previous explanations for cross-cultural/national differences in ethics need to be reconsidered before further generalizations are warranted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

    Robert A. Peterson

  2. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, U.S.A.

    Gerald Albaum

  3. University of Aix-Marseille and Euromed Management, Aix en Provence and Marseille, France

    Dwight Merunka

  4. University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

    Jose Luis Munuera

  5. Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, U.S.A.

    Scott M. Smith

Authors
  1. Robert A. Peterson
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  2. Gerald Albaum
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  3. Dwight Merunka
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  4. Jose Luis Munuera
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  5. Scott M. Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert A. Peterson.

Additional information

Partial funding for the research was provided by the IC2 Institute at The University of Texas at Austin.

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Peterson, R.A., Albaum, G., Merunka, D. et al. Effects of Nationality, Gender, and Religiosity on Business-Related Ethicality. J Bus Ethics 96, 573–587 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0485-2

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