Lower Ethical Standards Research Articles

Why Do Companies Employ Prohibited Unethical Artificial Intelligence Practices?

In this article, we investigate the previously unstudied reasons why companies use prohibited artificial intelligence (AI) applications and are punished with large fines under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Investigating and understanding why companies engage in such severe AI ethical malpractices is essential to correct them as they seriously jeopardize the future development of AI. Based on a sample of 34 companies, out of which 23 were sanctioned under GDPR due to severe violations of AI ethical principles and using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study demonstrates that to be an AI ethical company and comply with the GDPR regulation, it is necessary to have an AI ethical statement, have a very strong concern for information cybersecurity, and have to be based in a country considered ethical or monitor with care the behavior of the firm in countries with lower ethical standards. As a theoretical contribution, although some authors argue that AI ethical principles are useless, the present research introduces a new theoretical perspective by demonstrating cause–effect relationships between business configurations and AI ethical failures. In addition, the results have an important managerial relevance because they show that lack of an AI ethical statement is the most relevant condition that led to ethical misbehaviors.

Besieged from all sides: impediments to science journalism in a developing country and their global implications

Despite high expectations of their normative roles in development processes, Vietnamese science journalists interviewed for this research essay find it extrememly hard to enact such roles, facing an uphill battle to establish science as a legitimate news beat. This results from a diverse set of internal impediments (particularly a science-unfriendly news culture and low ethical standards) and external obstacles, including political control and low cooperation of local scientists. Placing these findings in the wider context, we demonstrate that Vietnam illuminates many troublesome characteristics of science journalism in the Global South and make some recommendations for improving the status quo.

HOT and Attractive? The Hazardous Organization Tool as an Instrument to Avoid Attracting and Retaining People with Low Ethical Standards

AbstractTo foster and sustain an ethical culture, organizations need to attract and retain people with high ethical standards. However, there is a lack of knowledge about which organizational characteristics influence the pre- and post-entry work attitudes and behaviors of people with high ethical standards. To fill this gap, we drew on person–organization fit (PO fit) theories and developed the Hazardous Organization Tool (HOT) based on a broad personality trait that is strongly related to ethical standards and predictive of unethical workplace behavior—honesty-humility from the HEXACO personality model. The HOT consists of 9 items that describe organizations that are rated as more attractive by people with low ethical standards. The HOT can be used to measure the extent to which people are attracted to hazardous organizations (HOT-A) and the extent to which people perceive an organization to be hazardous (HOT-P) with different instructions but identical scale options, ensuring commensurability for testing complex fit effects. We examined the validity of the HOT in four samples (total N = 1260). We found moderate to strong correlations between attractiveness ratings of the items (HOT-A) and honesty-humility (ranging from − .31 to − .56) and dark personality traits (ranging from .37 to .63). In addition, hazardous organization perceptions (HOT-P) were related to negative work attitudes and motivation, particularly for employees who were not attracted to hazardous organizations (those with high ethical standards). Overall, the current study suggests that the Hazardous Organization Tool is a valid measure. Implications for the PO fit literature and management practice are discussed.

Conceit and deceit: Lying, cheating, and stealing among grandiose narcissists

The personality of leaders has been shown to have important effects on their followers. Recently, organizational researchers have become increasingly concerned with the potentially destructive consequences of narcissistic leadership. Evidence indicates that grandiose narcissists both aspire to and frequently achieve leadership roles in organizations. However, because narcissists are principally motivated to pursue their own interests, have lower ethical standards, and are willing to transgress social norms, they can put the institutions they lead at risk. We report three studies showing that individuals who are more narcissistic are more willing to lie, cheat, and steal than those who are less narcissistic. We discuss the implications of these results for organizations.

The roots of police corruption and anti-corruption reform in South Korea

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the roots of police corruption, evaluate the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures, and suggest recommendations to prevent and control police corruption in South Korea.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a qualitative approach to identify the key causes and to assess the reform agenda of police corruption in South Korea. In doing so, it introduces a brief history and profile of the police force, explores changes in police corruption, identifies the roots of police corruption, assesses the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and offers policy recommendations to curb corruption in the South Korean police.FindingsThis paper claims that conventional and current anti-corruption measures have not been effective in minimizing police corruption in South Korea. It identifies the scope of police work and duties without proper accountability, a code of silence in police organizations, the low ethical standards of police officers and weak punitive measures against corrupt police officers as the main causes of corruption. Strenuous reform efforts that directly target these causes are needed to reduce corruption in the South Korean police.Originality/valueThis paper will be a useful reference for readers who are interested in why corruption has not been effectively prevented and controlled in the South Korean police.

Relationship between Selected School Determinants and Examination Cheating tendencies among Kenyan Secondary School Students

Abstract The present study investigated the relationship between selected school determinants and examination cheating among Kenyan secondary school students. This study used a Sequential Explanatory design in Mixed Methods approach. The target population was 51,900 students in Kisumu County within 153 public secondary schools categorized as 2 National secondary schools, 21 extra county schools, and 130 county and sub-county schools with a total student population of 51,900 in Kisumu County. A simple random sampling technique was used to determine sample size which comprised of 380 respondents since the study was confined within specific ecological boundary which was public secondary schools. Data collection instruments included questionnaires, for general data collection from the respondents and in-depth interview schedules for one to one interview of respondents. The finding of the study shows that there was statistically significant, though weak, positive correlation (r=.211, n=360, p<.05) between school determinants and overall perceived level of exams cheating. The model shows that school determinants accounted for 4.5% (Coefficient R2= .045) of the variation in exams cheating among the students in secondary schools. The Ministry of Education should create ethical academy that would enhance a systems approach to understand misconduct and to empower change in higher education through ethical examinations. This is because the study reported that examination cheating is mainly determined by teachers with low ethical standards.

Power Lost and Freedom Relinquished: Russian Journalists Assessing the First Post‐Soviet Decade

This article seeks a nuanced understanding of the troubled state that Russian journalism finds itself in today. As much as the Kremlin may be blamed as the source of these woes, it cannot be responsible for low ethical standards and lack of solidarity among journalists. This article explores what has hindered the journalistic community from developing stronger ethical standards over the past twenty‐five years. Three significant events in the first post‐Soviet decade serve as case studies: first, an early ethical code of conduct, the Moscow Charter of Journalists, produced in 1994; second, the 1996 presidential election campaign, which led to president Yeltsin's victory over the Communist Gennadii Zuiganov; and third, the so called “information wars” between oligarchs, culminating in the 2001 demise of the television channel NTV. In unique interviews, conducted by the authors, thirty‐five Russian elite journalists and media managers assessed the role they played in major political events and how these events impacted the freedom of media in Russia today.

How Friedman’s View on Individual Freedom Relates to Stakeholder Theory and Social Contract Theory

Friedman’s view on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is often accused of being incoherent and of setting rather low ethical standards for managers. This paper outlines Friedman’s ethical expectations for corporate executives against the backdrop of the strong emphasis he puts on individual freedom. Doing so reveals that the ethical standards he imposes on managers can be strictly deduced from individual freedom and that these standards involve both deontological norms and the fulfillment of particular stakeholder expectations. These insights illustrate the necessity to reconsider how Friedman’s approach relates to other important normative theories of business ethics. Contrasting Friedman’s approach with stakeholder theory and integrative social contract theory—when considering the importance he assigns to individual freedom—shows how and why these approaches differ. Still, the comparison also highlights striking similarities. This paper contributes to a better understanding of Friedman’s position—which is still one of the most influential approaches in business ethics research—because it enables a differentiated look at its strengths and weaknesses.

Ethical perceptions of accounting students in a Portuguese university: the influence of individual factors and personal traits

ABSTRACTOur purpose is to empirically examine whether gender, age, work experience, and attendance of a course on ethics affect the ethical perceptions of Portuguese accounting students and analyze the influence of some individual factors that may affect their ethical decision-making. Additionally, we consider the degree of importance assigned to a list of personal traits and their relationship with those factors. We concluded that gender influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to initiative/entrepreneurship, obedience, and responsibility; age influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to integrity; work experience influenced the degree of importance attributed by students to obedience; and attendance of a course on ethics influenced the degree of importance attributed to independence. For each of these factors, the influence did not prove to be statistically significant in decision-making. Similarly, the study identified some reservations regarding attitudes the students’ peers might have, and when asked about this, they had negative opinions, believing their colleagues would have lower ethical standards. Our results add to the literature, especially because, in Portugal, little has been done to understand which factors may affect students’ ethical decision-making processes. We expect to bring added value to stakeholders, teachers, and scholars engaged with these matters.

Not competent enough to know the difference? Gender stereotypes about women’s ease of being misled predict negotiator deception

We examined whether gender differences in the perceived ease of being misled predict the likelihood of being deceived in distributive negotiations. Study 1 (N=131) confirmed that female negotiators are perceived as more easily misled than male negotiators. This perception corresponded with perceptions of women’s relatively low competence. Study 2 (N=328) manipulated negotiator gender, competence and warmth and found that being perceived as easily misled via low competence affected expectations about the negotiating process, including less deception scrutiny among easily misled negotiators and lower ethical standards among their negotiating counterparts. This pattern held true regardless of buyer and seller gender. Study 3 (N=298) examined whether patterns of deception in face-to-face negotiations were consistent with this gender stereotype. As expected, negotiators deceived women more so than men, thus leading women into more deals under false pretenses than men.

Integrity, Respect for Others, and Ethics – Three Essential Leadership Qualities

Ethics, respect for others and integrity (embracing respect for the law), should definitely be pre requisites for leadership. Unfortunately many so called leaders do not understand or practise these values. Some leaders who are held with high regard and esteem at the workplace are prepared to sacrifice a life time's achievement and reputation within seconds. What is even worse, these (appalling) role models comfortably reveal their weaknesses and lack of character publicly. If we cannot trust our leaders to exercise a reasonable degree of integrity – both with respect to observing and practising the law, who can we be responsible to or look up to? There is also the very critical and rather unfortunate issue where the environment encourages or even accepts such low ethical standards. Many leaders with low ethical values are therefore encouraged into believing they can escape certain practices (are beyond the law) – even where their targets are entitled to prevailing jurisdictional rights!!! Some leaders who serve as poor role models for their future generations are frequently associated with the shameful practice of bullying their younger successors. Whilst certain countries appreciate the roles which their future generations will assume in the future and prepare these for the future, other jurisdictions are content to watch selfishly and parasitically exploit their future leaders. In many organisations, workplaces, the input of future leaders (of tomorrow) is unbelievably low that one wonders how these future leaders will be able to assume their future responsibilities competentently and confidently. To educate is of vital importance. To re educate constitutes even a greater task – where certain perceptions are already permanently and firmly embedded in a mode of thinking. Where the development of a nation or organisation depends on the need and ability to change certain perceptions, then such re education becomes vitally important. Through a consideration of issues which include the need to respect the rights of others, the need for leadership qualities such as ethics and integrity, this paper not only presents research which is capable of practical application within organisations, but also reflects evidence and considerations of how the research can benefit ethics within businesses and other organisations. **(Special Paper for the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) Research Conference at Trinity College Dublin, June 2011)

Research Ethics Committees and the Law: Indemnity and Independence

Members of a National Health Service, or other recognised Research Ethics Committee (REC), in deciding whether or not to withhold their assent for a clinical trial, must obey the law. If they do not do so, then they may become liable to pay personally negligence claims made by injured trials subjects. It could be no defence to say that members had consulted their own lower ethical standards; or merely that they had acted in good faith; or that they had followed Department of Health (DH) guidelines, which do not have the force of law. The law requires that the rights, safety, and well-being of clinical trial subjects shall prevail over other interests. REC favourable opinion is a powerful endorsement of a trial, and prospective subjects are invited to rely upon it. REC members are legally bound to exercise their power to withhold assent to any clinical trial which does not give subjects the protection the law requires.

Confronting Shibboleths of Dental Education

Shibboleths are common expressions presented as indisputable truths. When used in educational discussions, they reflect "motherhood and apple pie" viewpoints and tend to bring debate to a halt. Use of shibboleths may precede a desired imposition of "locksteps" in educational programming and are easily perceived as paternalistic by recipients. Nine shibboleths are presented as common beliefs of dental faculty and administrators. Evidence contradicting the veracity of the "obvious truths" is offered. The traditional "splendid isolation" of dentistry contributes to parochialism and belief in false shibboleths. Sound principles of higher and health professions education, student learning, and dental practice apply to dental education as to all health disciplines. Student passivity in dental education is not the best preparation for proficiency in dental practice. The master teacher possesses a repertoire of methodologies specific to meeting defined educational objectives. Active learning experiences bear close resemblances to professional duties and responsibilities and internally motivate future doctors of dental medicine. The difficulty in achieving curricular change leads to curricular entrenchment. Dentistry and dental education should not trade their ethical high ground for the relatively low ethical standards of the business world. Principles of professional ethics should govern relationships between dentists, whether within the dental school workplace or in practice. Suggestions are made on how to confront shibboleths in dental school settings.

Ethics in Public Administration: Classical Insights and Current Practices

This paper examines in some detail the chief reasons for the low ethical standards in public administration today. References have been made to the concept of dharma and the principles for ethics in public adminis tration as reflected in our tradition in the Vedanta, Upanishads, Manu and the Bhagwad Gita. Several radi cal, legal and systemic remedies are suggested and defended at length. The leitmotif of all this is an earnest call to return to and practise the ancient principles of dharma to manage the polity on the basis of enduring verities. The suggestions offered by the author are all anchored in such permanent principles.

Are Students Really Less Ethical Than Business Practitioners

Past research provides evidence of lower ethical standards amongst the student population when compared to business practitioners, using business-based survey instruments. This study examines the adequacy of this conventional research tool by assessing the influence of scenario context (university or business setting) on ethical intentions using data from 243 commerce tertiary students.

Business Ethics in Latin America

Business ethics is a relatively new topic of academic discussion in Latin America. Corruption and impunity came to be serious moral diseases in the region, probably as a result of a long period of dictatorship in most countries. Low ethical standards in the politics have had deep impact on individuals, organizations and economic systems. Excessive consumption, materialism and selfishness, in contrast with real poverty, have been responsible for a sloppiness in attitudes and principles in many Latin American countries. Even though the majority of the population belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, the lack of education has led people to a dichotomy: faith and business practices are often very distant from each other. Several isolated efforts have been done in order to enhance business ethics through education, publications and professional activities. The relationship business-academia has proved to be an excellent initiative for this objective, mainly in Mexico, Brazil and Peru.

Ethical standards, attitudes toward risk, and intentional noncompliance: An experimental investigation

Prior research has investigated the influence of decision maker characteristics on decision choice. This research examines the effect two personality traits of taxpayers, attitude towards risk and ethical standards, on intentional noncompliance. A taxpayer who is more (less) ethical will have lower (greater) intentional noncompliance, while a taxpayer who is more (less) risk averse will have lower (greater) intentional noncompliance. However, this study also found significant correlation between risk attitudes and ethical standards. This is because tax evasion is not just a gamble which can be explained by merely considering the risk variable. To understand tax evasive behavior better requires incorporation of noneconomic factors in the analysis, such as ethical standards, although risk attitudes may be an important explanatory factor. The current research suggests that individuals with lower ethical standards will have more intentional noncompliance. However, since ethical standards are correlated with attitude toward risk, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can partially overcome the influence of ethics by making the tax audit environment more uncertain. Thus, the research results justify the decision of the IRS not to release all its audit parameters because it makes the audit environment less uncertain.

Marketing ethics and education: Some empirical findings

This study explores possible links between educational background and ethics among marketing professionals. Data from two surveys of members of the American Marketing Association suggest that marketing professionals with master's degrees and higher are similar to their less educated counterparts in both their ethical standards and their intended ethical behaviors. Marketers with business degrees, however, have lower ethical standards than do graduates of non-business programs, though they report behavior as ethical as that of their non-business educated peers. Business schools may be producing cynics likely to accept marginal behaviors of colleagues though not likely to engage in such behaviors themselves.

What's Done is Donne: Great Books Programs and the Business Student

Students who graduate from contemporary business schools, including faith-based schools, are increasingly found to have low ethical standards, inadequate soft skills, and a decreasing ability to integrate. For universities where ethics and Biblical integration are central to the mission, this is very disturbing. This paper describes an unusual program-level model that could reduce these problems: a modified Great Books pedagogy. Is such a program suitable for a business school? The article describes Great Books programs and illustrates with one located at a Christian university. Arguments for and against using this pedagogy in the business school are discussed. The paper ends with the personal impressions of a business professor and business student who participated in a Great Books program.