Moral Antecedents Research Articles

“If you sow goodness, you will reap goodness”: activating social entrepreneurial intentions with karmic beliefs

PurposeAlthough karmic beliefs have been found to be positively correlated with pro-social behaviors, the role of karmic beliefs in social entrepreneurship remains relatively unknown. Drawing on the morally extended theory of planned behavior, this paper aims to explore the karmic aspect of social venturing, wherein individuals’ social entrepreneurial intentions and their moral antecedents are activated by karmic beliefs.Design/methodology/approachThe study was performed on a sample of 401 university students in Vietnam. Cronbach’s alpha, confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analyses were then used to test the reliability, validity of scales and developed hypotheses.FindingsThe findings illustrate that karmic beliefs are strongly and positively correlated with empathy, moral obligation, social entrepreneurial self-efficacy and perceived social support. Moreover, individuals’ social entrepreneurial intentions are not only significantly and directly stimulated by karmic beliefs but also receive the indirect effects of karmic beliefs through three mediators: empathy, moral obligation and social entrepreneurial self-efficacy.Originality/valueThe study added fresh perspectives on the role of karmic beliefs in social entrepreneurship literature. Additionally, this study shed a new light on entrepreneurial literature by morally extending theory of planned behavior to explore underlying mechanisms of moral and empathetic components on transferring the effects of karmic beliefs on social entrepreneurial intentions.

Rational and Moral Antecedents of Tourists’ Intention to Use Reusable Alternatives to Single-Use Plastics

Though rational and moral antecedents to tourists’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions have been separately established, the literature remains inconclusive on whether tourists’ pro-environmental intentions are underpinned by rational or moral considerations. Based on the theory of planned behavior and the norm activation model, this study examines the competing rational and moral antecedents of intention to use reusable alternatives to single-use plastics using data obtained from 653 tourists and analyzed with the structural equation modeling. The results indicate that though morality better explained the intention to use reusable alternatives to single-use plastics amongst all tourists, rationality underpinned the intention amongst domestic tourists while morality better explained the intentions of international tourists. The implications of these findings regarding future theorization of tourists’ pro-environmental behavior and measures to reduce single-use plastic marine pollution in coastal destinations are discussed.

Good People Commit Bad Deeds Together: A Factorial Survey on the Moral Antecedents of Situational Deviance in Peer Groups

ABSTRACT This article empirically tests the theoretical proposition that moral norms of groups can be the reason why “good” people sometimes do “the wrong thing.” The issue is approached from the perspective of Wikström’s Situational Action Theory (SAT). SAT posits that criminal acts are the result of features of the person and the setting. Building on this, the hypotheses forwarded are: The higher the morality of a person and the general moral norms of a setting, the lower the likelihood of committing a deviant action. Moreover, for settings including a group: The higher the moral group norms of the setting, the lower the likelihood of committing a deviant action. These hypotheses are tested by means of a factorial survey (N = 1,679). The results of the analysis using fixed effects restricted maximum likelihood regressions (multilevel models) suggest that moral group norms do, in fact, play a central role in the causation of crime.

Avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software: testing a seven-component model on SME employees

PurposeThis research aims to develop and test a conceptual model for shaping small and medium enterprise (SME) employees' avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software. The model specifies the components of morality, spirituality, emotional intelligence and ethical values that influence employees' avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework was developed and tested on the basis of information technology and management literature by using data from 275 influential and active employees of SMEs. Data were collected via a survey and analysed through covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM).FindingsIn the context of SMEs, employees' avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software is motivated by significant moral antecedents. Moral equity and judgement significantly influence employees' avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software when moral emotion mediates such a relationship. In addition, individual spirituality significantly moderates the relationship between moral equity and moral emotion. Employees' emotional intelligence optimises the strength of the relationship between moral judgement and moral emotion. Employees' likelihood to engage in unethical behaviour decreases when they exhibit strong ethical values in the relationship between moral emotion and their behaviour towards using pirated software.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers theoretical support for employees' avoidance behaviour towards using pirated software. The findings of this cross-sectional work have limited generalisability. Single-country data may not be generalised to SME employees in other countries. Thus, cross-country analysis and additional measures and antecedents must be developed and identified in the future.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and managers should consciously review the proposed seven-component model that causes SME employees to avoid the use of pirated software. Ethical standards that lessen the use of pirated software can be improved if managers and policymakers understand the components of moral equity and judgement that influence moral emotions.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the specific antecedents of the ethical standards and avoidance behaviours of SME employees towards the use of pirated software. As such, it provides a foundation for further studies on this critical area and software piracy in the context of SMEs in an emerging economy, which is limited in current literature.

Veganism and Vegan Consumption: A Brief Review on how Vegan Products are Conquering the World

Veganism has meaningfully increased over the last few years. Veganism is a lifestyle that chooses only non-animal products and it’s by products, since animal farming harms the environment. Moral antecedents, rather than personal antecedents impact attitudes concerning veganism and commitment with vegan products, impacting consumer behavior and purchase intention. Individuals, vegan or non-vegan, are ecologically motivated and are driven to raise animal welfare, and protect environment. This review shows recent research on vegan consumption, contributions and future research paths.

Moral Antecedents of Status Self-Misperceptions

Recent research has shown that individuals’ self-perceptions of status can, and perhaps often, diverge from their actual status socially conferred by their groups. Status self-misperceptions, especially in the form of self-enhancement, furthermore, can evoke important consequences for individuals and groups, such as reduced efforts and task performance. Yet, it remains unclear what causes people to misperceive their own status in the group, despite a potential price in losing social acceptance and affection. Drawing on recent development in status and morality research, we theorize an individual’s symbolic moral characteristics (e.g., identities and behaviors) as a crucial antecedent of status self-misperceptions, and the individual’s narcissistic personality as a moderator. Based on a multi-source survey on student friendship dyads, we find that symbolic moral identity, but not internalized moral identity, can indeed evoke status self-misperceptions, mainly in the form of self- enhancement. We, moreover, find that narcissistic individuals with high symbolic moral identity are most likely to have overly positive status self-perceptions, lending initial support to our theory.

Analysis of the moral mechanism to purchase counterfeit luxury goods: evidence from China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the theory of reasoned action and the theory of planned behaviour to measure the effects of ethical and moral antecedents (e.g. integrity, moral judgement, extrinsic religiosity and intrinsic religiosity, and ethical concern) on attitudes towards counterfeit luxury products. Additionally, it also measured the effects on attitudes towards purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe scope of the study is the Chinese market. The sample size for the study was 412 participants, and data were collected through established scales and measures. Structural equation modelling was used to test the developed model.FindingsAll the developed hypotheses were accepted. All the antecedents negatively affect attitudes towards counterfeit luxury products. At the same time, attitude has a positive effect on purchase intention. The results are consistent with those of earlier studies.Research limitations/implicationsSamples were gathered from just a single region in southwest China, which limits the generalisability of the discoveries. As past research in fake goods buying has done, future investigations relating to this situation in the domain of ethical reasoning should accumulate samples from other regions of China as well, as customer perception relating to profound morality and counterfeit Purchase Intention may change from region to region.Practical implicationsA few customers hold the opinion that luxury brands are lucrative because of the excessive costs of their products and therefore feel vindicated in buying counterfeits (Penz and Stottinger, 2005). Combatting this conviction requires luxury brand managers to endorse effective moral ideals and social commitment messages to prevail upon purchasers.Social implicationsA few customers trust that they are helping local people, such as the peddlers who offer the fakes or the producers who make these goods, suggesting in a way that a few individuals have positive attitudes towards these type of counterfeit goods sold locally. For such customers, there can be marketing messages that can show them the other side of the issue, such as the lost sales and loss caused to the organisations, which result in people becoming jobless because of their actions.Originality/valueThe primary goal of the study is to explore the relationship between the moral measurements of consumers and their attitudes and purchase intentions in the Chinese market.

Exploring the relation between individual moral antecedents and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition for sustainable development

When dealing with complex value-driven problems such as sustainable development, individuals need to have values and norms that go beyond the appropriation of tangible business outcomes for themselves. This raises the question of the role played by individual moral antecedents in the entrepreneurial process of opportunity recognition for sustainable development. To answer this question, an exploratory empirical research design was used in which 96 would-be entrepreneurs were subjected to real-life decision-making processes in an online environment. The participants were guided through the process of opportunity recognition for sustainable development. Furthermore, they were subjected to several tests linked to individual moral antecedents. The mixed methods design used to analyze the results led to the conclusion that pro-environmental behavior values and moral competencies are important indicators of the ability to recognize opportunities for sustainable development. These results provide useful insights about relating moral antecedents to idea generation for sustainable development and can help researchers, higher education institutes, and sustainable entrepreneurs to further develop the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship and its underlying processes.

Moral antecedents of authentic leadership: Do moral justice reasoning, self-importance of moral identity and psychological hardiness stimulate authentic leadership?

The aim of the present study is to explore intra-psychological moral processes as potential antecedents of authentic leadership (AL) behavior, and as such add to the scarce knowledge about underlyi...

Are Authentic Leaders Always Moral? The Role of Machiavellianism in the Relationship Between Authentic Leadership and Morality

Drawing on cognitive moral development and moral identity theories, this study empirically examines the moral antecedents and consequences of authentic leadership. Machiavellianism, an individual difference variable relating to the use of the ‘end justifies the means’ principle, is predicted to affect the link between morality and leadership. Analyses of multi-source, multi-method data comprised case studies, simulations, role-playing exercises, and survey questionnaires were completed by 70 managers in a large public agency, and provide support for our hypotheses. Our findings reveal that Machiavellianism offsets the positive relationship between moral reasoning and authentic leadership. Specifically, we show that when Machiavellianism is high, both the positive relationship between moral reasoning and authentic leadership, and the positive relationship between authentic leadership and moral actions, are reversed. This study offers new insights on the underlying processes contributing to the emergence of leaders’ authentic behavior and moral action. Implications for the moral development of leaders, and directions for improved leadership training are provided.

The Plays of Juan Ruiz de Alarcon by Jules Whicker

874 Reviews depiction of don Amor's tent to be a dream, a thesis whose plausibility is endorsed by Haywood in her essay 'Palabra e imagen: algunos aspectos de la alegoria medieval', in Las metamorfosis de la alegoria: discurso y sociedad en la Peninsula Iberica desde la Edad Media hasta laEdad Contemporanea, ed. by Rebeca Sanmartin and Rosa Vidal (Madrid: Iberoamericana, 2005), pp. I05-25. Martin Duffel demonstrates clearly that the Libro de buen amor is in fact well versified ifwe consider its rhythm to be accentual. Lawrance and de Looze persuade us of the importance of the notion of mouvance to an understanding of the history of this text, especially its changing and versatile nature. The Libro breaks the public's expectations, as de Looze shows, and the lack of amanuscript text for the erotic culmination of the Donia Endrina episode is 'a reminder both of earlier readers' reactions and of our own inability to fully understand manuscript texts' (p. I47), this absence in turn becoming part of the text's meaning. Vasvari's comparison of the Libro to a prostitute (both promiscuously open to manipulation) is extremely useful and offers awide range of new interpretations in different passages. The same is true of Drayson's use of chaos theory, which provides us with an enriching point of view, even though it does not tackle the relationship between the disorder of Ruiz's text and the saturated space of Gothic painting, lacking inwholeness and depth of perspective (the unitary vision of the spectator is something not achieved until the Renaissance). I should also point to the ambiguity of Drayson's quotation at the beginning of her article (is she quoting Barthes or Hayles in the end?-see p. I5 I). To sum up, the most important achievements of this book are, inmy opinion, a shift of scope from studying a product to studying the processes of its creation and reception; and, secondly, the freeing of the critic from the need to force an organic unity upon the book. The volume has the additional merit of including very useful subject and stanza indexes and a long bibliography with an impressive range of titles. For all the reasons given above, I regard it as an essential tool for all who wish to experience a fresh reading of an outstanding medieval author. UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID REBECA SANMARTiN BASTIDA The Plays of J7uanRuiz de Alarc6n. By JULES WHICKER. (Colecci6n T'amesis, Serie A: Monografias, 200)Woodbridge: Tamesis. 2003. viii + 212 pp. ?40. ISBN I 85566-093-8. This timely contribution to Alarc6n studies is focused on the issue of deception, its necessity, and in certain circumstances the ways inwhich it is not just justifiable but desirable. The notion and possibility of legitimate deceptions are closely linked by Alarcon to the moral and social legitimacy of the comedia per se. In this way, this study is significant not just in relation to Alarc6n's plays, but also for Baroque culture and aesthetics generally, offering the best single account of antitheatrical ist anxiety, its social and moral antecedents, as well as a fascinating consideration of the issue of legitimate deception in the social and political philosophy of early seventeenth-century Spain. Alarcon's work responds to the controversies surround ing the allegedly morally deleterious effects of theatre attendance on young noblemen and women by drawing a connection between honest deceptions, prominent through out his plays, and his own artifice as a creator of dramatic illusions. By manipulating contextual and structural features in his plays, he manages to subvert techniques and devices, like props and music, associated with arousing passion and the baser appetites of the vulgo. The titillation of spectacular visual effects, stage machinery, and cos tume, all of which feature prominently in his work, is redeployed as an opportunity to MLR, IOI.3, 2006 875 raise the audience's awareness of their passivity, and how they are being manipulated, deceived, and drawn in by theatrical illusion. By calling into question their status as signs, they become visual conceits of the unreliability of appearances. Linguistic and rhetorical flamboyance is similarly employed to underline the potential deceptiveness of poetic language. By distinguishing between extravagant lies...

Moral Antecedents of Smoking Behavior and Risk Beliefs Among Overseas Asian Students

Instead of focusing on the misconduct of multinational cigarette manufacturers, this research project broadens the discussion of cigarette consumption by focusing on the moral antecedent variables that shape young adults' smoking behavior and risk beliefs. It especially challenges current wisdom among anti-smoking advocates that by increasing consumer knowledge of the medical risks associated with smoking will lead to significant reductions in young adult smoking prevalence rates. Empirical results of this study suggest that although increasing smoking risk knowledge does not significantly reduce Asian students' smoking behavior, increasing their risk assessment beliefs does produce the desirable public policy effect of reducing current smoking. Furthermore, only among rules-driven individuals does an increase in no harm scores significantly reduce student smoking risk assessment beliefs. Thus, current anti-smoking advertising campaigns among overseas Asian students may be more effective if they attempt to change these students' smoking risks assessment beliefs especially if they are targeted to rules-driven student market segments.

A Setback to Tomas Garrido Canabal's Desire to Eliminate the Church in Mexico

against the church in his home state made him the best known member of the incoming cabinet.1 The Tabascan dictator had vir tually exterminated the church in his small state. Not one priest could officiate there because of the 1925 legislation defining the qualifications of clerics: to be Tabascan or Mexican by birth, with five years residency in the state; to be older than forty; to have studied the primary and the preparatory courses in the official schools; to be of good moral antecedents; to be married; and not to have been, nor be subject to any lawsuits.2 Garrido's Blocs of Young Revolutionaries, popularly known as the Red Shirts because of their colorful uniforms, systematically leveled church buildings. They also