Gender, competitiveness, and unethical negotiation strategies

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine gender and competitiveness in relation to the likelihood of using unethical negotiation strategies. Additionally, this study seeks to determine if gender serves as a predictor or moderator variable in this relationship.Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were used to collect data from 169 working adults enrolled in evening business programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The sample was split evenly between female (82) and male (81) respondents. Six respondents did not provide their gender classification. Stepwise hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the effects of competitiveness and gender as predictor and moderator variables in relation to the ethicality of negotiation strategies.Findings – The results show that while men are more generally competitive than women, both men and women who score highly on the hypercompetitive scale are more likely to embrace the use of unethical bargaining behavior. However, w...