Abstract
Victor and Cullen (1987, 1988) developed a typology of ethical climates based upon the level of moral development of the work group (egoism, benevolence and principled a la Kohlberg, 1981) and the locus of analysis utilized in reaching decisions (individual, local, cosmopolitan). Building on this typology, data were obtained from a high technology company for the purpose of empirically extending the examination of the number of ethical climates that exist and portraying the relationship between ethical climates and the ethical dimension of decisions.
When faced with decisions posing various types of ethical dilemmas, most respondents indicated they would take the ethical path. The one exception involved bribery where respondents were about equally likely to make or withhold payment. One climate guided by laws/professional codes accounted for over half of the respondents. Several climates accounted for less than ten percent of the respondents.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brabeck, M. M.: 1984, ‘Ethical Characteristics of Whistle Blowers’, Journal of Research in Personality 18, 41–53.
Bradburn, N. M., Sudman, S. & Associates: 1979, Improving Interview Method and Questionnaire Design: Response Effects to Threatening Questions in Survey Research (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco).
Cohen, D. V.: 1995a, ‘Creating Ethical Work Climates: A Socioeconomic Perspective’, The Journal of Socio-Economics 24, 317–343.
Cohen, D. V.: 1995b, ‘Moral Climate in Business Firms: A Conceptual Framework for Empirical Research’, Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings. 55th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Vancouver, BC.
Cullen, J. B., B. Victor and J. W. Bronson: 1993, ‘The Ethical Climate Questionnaire: An Assessment of its Development and Validity’, Psychological Reports 73, 667–674.
Donaldson, T. and L. E. Preston: 1995, ‘The Stakeholder Theory of the Corporation: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications’, The Academy of Management Review 20, 65–91.
Deshpande, S. P.: 1996a, ‘The Impact of Ethical Climate types on Facets of Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation’, Journal of Business Ethics 15, 655–660.
Deshpande, S. P.: 1996b, ‘Ethical Climate and the Link Between Success and Ethical Behavior: An Empirical Investigation of a Non-profit Organization’, Journal of Business Ethics 15, 315–320.
Fritzsche, D. J. and H. Becker: 1983, ‘Ethical Behavior of Marketing Managers’, Journal of Business Ethics 2, 291–299.
Fritzsche, D. J. and H. Becker: 1984, ‘Linking Management Behavior to Ethical Philosophy’, Academy of Management Journal 27, 166–175.
Jones, T. M.: 1991, ‘Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue-Contingent Model’, The Academy of Management Review 16 366–395.
Kelley, S. W. and M. J. Dorsch: 1991, ‘Ethical Climate, Organizational Commitment, and Indebtedness Among Purchasing Executives’, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 11, 55–66.
Kohlberg, L.: 1981, The Philosophy of Moral Development (Harper & Row, New York).
Nederhof A. J.: 1985, ‘Methods of Coping with Social Desirability Bias: A Review’, European Journal of Social Psychology 15, 263–280.
Paulhus D. L.: 1984, ‘Two-Component Models of Socially Desirable Responding’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46, 598–609.
Trevino, L. K.: 1992, ‘Moral Reasoning and Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 11, 445–459.
Trevino, L. K. and K. D. Butterfield: 1998, ‘The Ethical Context in Organizations: Influences on Employee Attitudes and Behaviors’, Business Ethics Quarterly 8, 447–476.
Randall, D. M. and M. F. Fernandes: 1991, ‘The Social Desirability Response Bias in Ethics Research’, Journal of Business Ethics 10, 805–817.
Schneider, B.: 1975, ‘Organizational Climate: An Essay’, Personnel Psychology 28, 447–479.
Udas, K., W. L. Fuerst and D. B. Paradice: 1996, ‘An Investigation of Ethical Perceptions of Public Sector MIS Professionals’, Journal of Business Ethics 15, 721–734.
Upchurch, R. S. and S. K. Ruhland: 1995, ‘An Analysis of Ethical Work Climate and Leadership Relationship in Lodging Operations’, Journal of Travel Research 34, 36–42.
Upchurch, R. S. and S. K. Ruhland: 1996, ‘The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates in Lodging Operations as Perceived by General Managers’, Journal of Business Ethics 15, 1083–1093.
Victor B. and J. B. Cullen: 1988, ‘The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates’, Administrative Science Quarterly 33, 101–125.
Victor B. and J. B. Cullen: 1987, ‘A Theory and Measure of Ethical Climate in Organizations’, in W. C. Frederick (ed.), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 9, 51–57.
Vitell, S. J. and D. L. Davis: 1990, ‘Ethical Beliefs of MIS Professionals: The Frequency and Opportunity for Unethical Behavior’, Journal of Business Ethics 9, 63–70.
Weber, J.: 1993, ‘Emphasizing the Normative Values in Ethical Work Climates: A Reformulation of Victor and Cullen's 1988 Work’. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Atlanta, GA.
Weber, J.: 1990, ‘Managers' Moral Reasoning: Assessing Their Response to Three Moral Dilemmas’, Human Relations 43, 687–702.
Weber, J. and S. Green: 1991, ‘Principled Moral Reasoning: Is it a Viable Approach to Promote Integrity?’, Journal of Business Ethics 10, 325–333.
Williams, B.: 1985, Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Wimbush, J. C. and J. M. Shepard: 1994, ‘Toward an Understanding of Ethical Climate: Its Relationship to Ethical Behavior and Supervisory Influence’, Journal of Business Ethics 13, 637–647.
Wiseman F.: 1972, ‘Methodological Bias in Public Opinion Surveys’, Public Opinion Quarterly 36, 105–108.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fritzsche, D.J. Ethical Climates and the Ethical Dimension of Decision Making. Journal of Business Ethics 24, 125–140 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006262914562
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006262914562