Abstract
Ethical maturity and moral behavior are of concern to all managers and government officials, and even more so in Asian economy where some aspects of the economy seem to “go underground” without any taxation or proper credit to the owners or copyright holders. This research surveyed managers and employees in the Thai public work environment to measure their Personal Business Ethics Scores (PBES) to see if age, education, working in government, management experience, and gender makes a difference in making more ethical decisions. The responses of 304 government employees are compared to the PBES means of 216 law students to measure individual commitment to integrity, honesty, and observance of the laws regulating current business activities. The results of this research suggest that gender and work experience in the public sector are significant factors in the moral development of the respondents. This study contributes to the theory of moral development and the body of knowledge regarding the relationship of certain key variables to moral cognizance and ethical behavior, particularly regarding managers, government employees, and gender.
Highlights
A review of a national or international newspaper, skimming through articles, listening to the radio or watching television, and talking to people in the community, will demonstrate that people are concerned about the illegal and unethical decisions of workers and managers (Mujtaba, Pattaratalwanich and Chawavisit, 2009; Cavico and Mujtaba, 2009)
Building on the theory of cognitive moral development, the purpose of this study is to determine whether government work experience, education, age, and gender are related to ethical decision-making
Some researchers claim that such factors as gender, age, and education make a difference in the ethical maturity of individuals in Thailand as well as people in other countries
Summary
A review of a national or international newspaper, skimming through articles, listening to the radio or watching television, and talking to people in the community, will demonstrate that people are concerned about the illegal and unethical decisions of workers and managers (Mujtaba, Pattaratalwanich and Chawavisit, 2009; Cavico and Mujtaba, 2009). Regardless of whether one is living in the Eastern or Western culture, influences the behavior of its members through education and experience as people grow older. Confucianism’s “main concern was to cultivate the living humanity of the individual and society in harmony, according to the Way of the ideal course of moral conduct” Huang explained that “Confucius’ main concern was to cultivate the living humanity of the individual and society in harmony, according (to) the way or the ideal course of moral conduct” Should inculcate moral learning and moral self-cultivation (Huang, 2006) Both the Confucian and Taoist philosophies have strongly influenced Eastern life, thought, and morals. Confucianism, with its emphasis on harmony and the mutual accommodation of different cultures and peoples, has benefitted most Asian cultures in today’s diverse, international marketplace and workplace
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