Job Tenure, International Work Experience, and the Acceptance of Corruption

Abstract

In the past, management studies have paid insufficient attention to the relationship between professionals’ career-related backgrounds and their corrupt business practices Therefore, the aim of this paper is to gain deeper insights into career-related factors shaping professionals’ tendency to condone corruption. Specifically, we focus on two central career-related factors: job tenure and international work experience. Based on a survey of 184 professionals – employed and self-employed – we find an inverted u-shaped relationship between job tenure and the likelihood of condoning corruption meaning that in the middle of their career professionals show the highest tendency to condone corrupt behavior. Moreover, we find an almost J-shaped relationship between international work experience and the acceptance of corruption. This indicates that professionals who spent most of their business lives abroad, are the most likely to condone corruption. Based on these findings, we discuss theoretical explanations and implications for research and practice.