Perception Of Unethical Behavior Research Articles

Impact of air pollution on human morality: A multinational perspective

This study aimed to investigate whether global air pollution harms human morals beyond physiological and psychological health. To accomplish this, we conducted an original survey involving over 80,000 individuals across 30 countries, inquiring about their recent perceived unethical behaviors. Through regression analyses, we identified global evidence of a positive correlation between local monthly average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and perceptions of unethical behavior. This finding suggests that air pollution may potentially elicit unethical behavior through a complex response mechanism. It is noteworthy that the impact of air pollution on the inclination to perceive unethical behavior is heterogeneous across categories of unethical behavior and countries. For example, the effects of increasing air pollution concentrations vary even within the same European country: an increase in NO2 concentration in Greece and the Netherlands augments the inclination to perceive fatal unethical behaviors such as murder, terrorism, and suicide, while in Germany, NO2 concentration diminishes the inclination to perceive the same types of unethical behaviors. Overall, the societal costs of air pollution may be even more far-reaching than previously acknowledged, and further research is necessary to unveil the intricate response mechanisms underlying this issue.

Gender and Knowledge Shape Ethical Perceptions Among Indonesian Accounting Students

This study explores how gender and knowledge level influence accounting students' perceptions of unethical behavior among accountants. Conducted at Muhammadiyah University of Sidoarjo, the qualitative research involved students from the 2019 to 2022 cohorts. Data was collected through interviews, observation, and documentation, using triangulation for validation. The results show that while both male and female students have similar interpretations of ethics, female students generally have a better understanding. Additionally, higher knowledge levels correlate with a broader ethical understanding, but ethical orientation is ultimately influenced by individual morals and personal interests. Highlight: Male and female students share similar ethical interpretations. Female students exhibit better understanding of ethical concepts. Knowledge level enhances understanding, but ethics depend on morals and interests. Keyword: gender, knowledge level, unethical behavior, accounting students, qualitative study

Unveiling ethical challenges: An in-depth analysis of unethical behavior in Albanian preschool education

Background: The study delves into the prevalence and severity of unethical behavior among educators and parents in Albanian early childhood education institutions, a topic previously unexplored. Objective: The research aims to identify the most common unethical behaviors among educators and parents, understand the primary determinants of unethical behavior in preschool settings, and provide recommendations for policy development in Albanian public preschools to improve ethical norms. Settings: The study was conducted in Albanian early childhood education institutions, focusing on both educators and parents as key stakeholders. Methods: A comprehensive analysis was undertaken, utilizing questionnaires administered to educators and parents, drawing on codes of ethical behavior and thematic analysis to identify and categorize unethical behaviors. Statistical analysis using SPSS was employed to derive insights from the data. Results: Findings revealed a notable discrepancy between educators' and parents' perceptions of unethical behavior, with guardians reporting higher frequencies of unethical conduct. The most prevalent unethical behaviors included unequal treatment of children, favoritism, and use of punishment by educators, while parents commonly violated norms such as disrespecting educators and encouraging physical aggression in children. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of addressing unethical behavior in Albanian preschool settings through enhanced awareness, training, and policy interventions. Strategies to foster better communication between educators and parents, improve professional standards, and combat discrimination are imperative for creating a more ethical environment conducive to positive child development.

Determinants of Student’s Perceptions of Ethical Crises

Ethical behavior is crucial across all life and professional spheres, especially in accounting, where ethical breaches leading to scandals are still prevalent. These often arise from an accountant's disregard for ethical standards, demonstrating a misalignment with the profession's values. Correspondingly, instances of ethical breaches among accounting professionals in Indonesia often elicit varied responses from accounting students. Hence, this study explored how idealism, relativism, accounting knowledge, gender, and religiosity impact Indonesian students' perceptions of unethical behavior among accountants. Sample collection utilized a purposive sampling technique via Google Forms, with research samples comprising 211 students who completed or were undertaking auditing courses in Indonesian universities. The results of Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) analysis revealed a significant positive impact of idealism, accounting knowledge, and religiosity on students' perceptions of unethical behavior among accountants. However, relativism and gender demonstrated no significant impact on students' perceptions of unethical behavior among accountants.

Accounting Students Perceptions of Accountants Unethical Behavior

This study aims to find out and obtain empirical evidence about the influence of ethical orientation, and the level of knowledge regarding accounting scandals on students' perceptions of the accountant's unethical behavior. The sampling in this study used the Purposive Sampling method which produced a sample of 77 S1 students of the Accounting Study Program at PGRI Madiun University who had completed the Auditing and Behavioral Accounting course. The data analysis method of this study uses Structural Equiation modeling (SEM) analysis with Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results showed that there are factors that influence students' perceptions of the accountant's unethical behavior. These results are all hypotheses accepted, namely the level of student knowledge about accounting scandals, student relativism and student idealism affecting students' perceptions of unethical behavior.

Ethical Leadership and Employees’ Willingness to Report Unethical Behavior

We provide empirical and theoretical insights to explain the mechanisms which enhance or suppress the impact of ethical leadership on employees’ willingness to report unethical behavior. The present study extends the social information processing perspective by including individual and organizational influences (such as employee perceptions of unethical behavior, ethical climate, and the enforcement of a code of conduct) to examine how these factors influence how ethical leadership influence employees’ willingness to report unethical behavior. Utilizing the two scenario-based experiments, we found that employees’ perceptions of unethical behavior influence their willingness to report wrongdoings irrespective of their supervisor’s ethical leadership behavior. Also, employees’ willingness to report unethical behavior when organizations promote ethical leadership and enforce a code of conduct within a principled climate. We elaborate on the implications of these results to illuminate how organizations could encourage reporting behavior among employees.

How Do Large Purchasing Organizations Treat Their Diverse Suppliers? Minority Business Enterprise CEOs’ Perception of Corporate Commitment to Supplier Diversity

Supplier diversity programs were created in the United States nearly 50 years ago to encourage private sector companies to provide business opportunities to underutilized minority business enterprises. In order to assess the experiences that minority business enterprise CEOs have with large purchasing organizations and their perceptions of justice and commitment of large purchasing organizations to the buyer–supplier relationship (BSR), this study utilizes survey data collected from 206 minority business enterprise CEOs who supply large purchasing organizations that espouse a strong commitment to supplier diversity. The theoretical framework of organizational justice is utilized to establish testable hypotheses. The results from hierarchical linear regression show minority business enterprise CEOs’ perception of large purchasing organizations’ commitment to the BSR is positively related to the distributive and informational dimensions of organizational justice. Surprisingly, the procedural dimension was found to have a significantly negative relationship. This research also found a significant, negative relationship between minority firm CEOs’ perception of distributive and informational justice and their perceptions of unethical behavior by large purchasing organizations.

Pengaruh Idealisme, Relativisme, Gender dan Tingkat Pengetahuan terhadap Persepsi Mahasiswa Akuntansi atas Perilaku Tidak Etis Akuntan

This study aims to prove the influence of idealism, relativism, gender and level of knowledge on accounting students perceptions of accountant's unethical behavior. Before the data processing stage is carried out the data collection process is first carried out, in this study the sample is the accounting student at Bung Hatta University who has conducted lectures from the fifth semester onwards. The sampling process is done by purposive sampling method. The data used are primary, which is obtained through questionnaires. In this study, the independent variable consists of idealism, relevance, gender and level of knowledge while the dependent variable is the accounting student's perception of unethical behavior. To test the hypothesis used multiple regression with the help of the SPSS program. Based on the test results it can be concluded that idealism, relevatism, gender, and level of knowledge do not significantly influence the perception of accounting students of unethical behavior in the University of Bung Hatta University.

Unethical behavior and professionalism among medical students in a private medical university in Malaysia

BackgroundEthical behavior and professionalism is an ideal characteristic required of medical students and included as ‘must achieve’ and critical aspect of medical students’ curriculum. This study proposes to determine the perceived unethical and unprofessional behavior among medical students in a private medical university from year 1 to year 5 of the medical curriculum.MethodsA cross–sectional study was conducted among year 1 to year 5 medical students in a private medical university. A self-administered questionnaire was used with the 3 major domains of professionalism and ethics i.e. discipline plagiarism and cheating.ResultsA total of 464 respondents responded to the survey and they included medical students from year 1 and year 2 (pre-clinical) and years 3–5 (clinical years). Majority of the students, 275 (59.2%) answered that they had not seen any form of unethical behavior among other students. The females seem to have a larger number 172(63%) among the same gender compared to the males. Majority 352 (75%) of them had not heard of the ‘Code of Professional Conduct by the Malaysian Medical Council’. About fifty three (53.1%) of the students answered that the training was sufficient.ConclusionsThis study showed that the perception of unethical behavior was 58.8% in the 1st year (pre-clinical) and it increased to 65.2% in the 5th year (clinical). The 3 main discipline issues were students do not show interest in class (mean 2.9/4), they are rude to other students (mean 2.8/4) and talking during class (mean 2.6/4). Despite the existence of unethical behavior among the students majority of them (71.7%) claimed that they had adequate training in ethics and professionalism. It is proposed that not only the teaching of ethics and professionalism be reviewed but an assessment strategy be introduced to strengthen the importance of professionalism and ethics.

The Relationship Between Social Cynicism Belief, Social Dominance Orientation, and the Perception of Unethical Behavior: A Cross-Cultural Examination in Russia, Portugal, and the United States

Most studies investigating the relationship between cultural constructs and ethical perception have focused on individual- and societal-level values without much attention to other type of cultural constructs such as social beliefs. In addition, we need to better understand how social beliefs are linked to ethical perception and the level of analysis at which social beliefs may best predict ethical perceptions. This research contributes to the cross-cultural ethical perception literature by examining the relationship of individual-level social cynicism belief, one of five universally endorsed social beliefs, together with individual social dominance orientation and the perception of unethical behavior. By means of two studies, we examine these relationships across societies that significantly differ on societal-level social cynicism belief. Using 371 business students from Russia and the U.S. in Study 1 and 268 professionals from Portugal and the U.S. in Study 2, we found that individual-level social cynicism belief was positively associated with social dominance orientation. Social dominance orientation, in turn, mediated the relationship between individual social cynicism belief and the perception of unethical behavior. Although we found significant societal-level differences in social cynicism belief in both studies, the relationships between individual-level social cynicism belief, social dominance orientation, and the perception of unethical behavior were structurally equivalent across societies in both studies, suggesting that societal-level differences did not significantly affect these relationships. Implications for cross-cultural business ethics research and practice are discussed.

Ethical Dilemmas Faced in the Selling of Complex Services: Significant Others and Competitive Pressures

The purpose of this research is to examine the ethical beliefs and practices of salespersons of complex services. A Nominal Group Technique was utilized to identify 9 major ethical issues confronting insurance agents. Agents who have received ethics education perceived more unethical activities among others; however, ethics training had no impact on individual ethical behavior. Support was found for the theory of differential association as individual ethical misconduct was found positively related to perceptions of co-workers, successful agents, and other industry agents ethical misconduct. In addition, partial support was found for the increased incidence of unethical activity in competitive environments- perception of unethical behavior among co-workers was found positively related to the size of the firm, negatively related to the age of the agent, unrelated to job tenure, and more prevalent in exclusive as compared to independent agencies. Sales agent age was also found negatively related to percepti...

Different Perception of Unethical Behavior Between Koreans and Westerners in Business

Different Perception of Unethical Behavior Between Koreans and Westerners in Business

Developing a measure to capture marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior

The study explores the factor structure of the Sirgy et al. [Sirgy MJ, Johar JS, Gao T. Toward a code of ethics for marketing educators. Journal of Business Ethics 2006; 63(1): 1–20] measure of marketing faculty's perceptions of unethical behavior and tests its predictive validity. We surveyed members of the Academy of Marketing Science regarding their perceptions of acceptability of 142 behaviors that marketing faculty may encounter in their roles as teacher, researcher, administrator, consultant, professional colleague, and college professor. We used exploratory factor analyses to reveal the factor structures of the items grouped by four faculty roles: teaching, research, administrative service, and professional service. We then tested the measure's predictive validity by testing for demographic differences (gender, age, rank, tenure, and level of education) with respect to the 23 types of unethical faculty behaviors. The final measure can be used by marketing-related associations to gauge the norms of faculty conduct, which in turn can help them develop their own academic code of ethics.

COMPUTER ETHICS: GENDER EFFECTS AND EMPLOYEE INTERNET MISUSE

This article reports the findings of an empirical survey examining whether gender differences influence the degree to which individuals recognize unethical conduct in the use of information technology at work. Early research has primarily been limited to student samples and this study offers one of the first to examine the general population of Internet users. The results show no significant gender differences in the perception of unethical behavior in Internet use among the six ethical dilemmas presented. The ethical scenarios included personal use of the Internet, downloading music, viewing online pornography, visiting chat rooms, electronically sending jokes, and participating in cybersex. However, results suggest a disconnect between indicated degree of misuse and actual behavior in the workplace. This questions the effectiveness of Internet use policies. As a result, companies may need to do more to enforce or communicate policies, especially with regard to college graduates who enter the workforce, to mitigate the potential for employee Internet misuse.

Does Marketing Attract Less Ethical Students? An Assessment of the Moral Reasoning Ability of Undergraduate Marketing Students

This article assesses the level of moral reasoning ability (MRA) of undergraduate marketing students and compares the results with the MRA of students in a range of other business disciplines. The aim was to determine if marketing attracts individuals who have a greater predisposition to unethical behaviors given that marketing is often reported as the most unethical of all business activities. The Defining Issues Test (DIT) was used to measure MRA. Although frequently used to measure the MRA of undergraduate students, the DIT has not been used within the marketing domain. The findings indicate that marketing students do not exhibit a lower level of MRA than other business disciplines. Marketing students are no less ethical in their thinking than those pursuing other business careers. The perception of unethical behavior is more likely to be a product of the visible nature of marketing activities to consumers.

Ethics Across the Boundaries of Social Identity: The Role of Intergroup Bias in the Perception of Unethical Behavior

Intergroup conflict reflects, in part, judgments made about behavior across group boundaries. We investigate in this research how group identity is related to judgments individuals make about the ethicality of others. According to Social Identity Theory, ingroup favoritism serves to positively distinguish the ingroup from the out-group, therefore promoting a positive group image. However, recent literature suggests that when behaviors are unambiguously negative, groups are even more critical of ingroup members, causing the black-sheep effect. The specific factors that engender ingroup favoritism versus the black-sheep effect remain in question. The present study examined both phenomena in the context of the evaluation of unethical behaviors. Participants read one of three scenarios describing either a mild or severe unethical action performed by an ingroup member, out-group member, or non-group member. It was expected that ingroup favoritism would operate when the action was mildly unethical, and the black-sheep effect would operate when the action was severely unethical. Results provided partial support for the existence of the black-sheep effect and out-group derogation. Ingroup favoritism was not supported in this context.

The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in Perceptions of Unethical Behavior: An Investigation of Attorneys' and Students' Perceptions of Ethical Behavior

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the role of pluralistic ignorance in perceptions of unethical behavior. Buckley, Harvey, and Beu (2000) suggested that pluralistic ignorance plays a role such that individuals mistakenly believe that others are more unethical than they actually are. In two studies, we confirmed that pluralistic ignorance influences perceptions of ethics in a manner consistent with what Buckley et al. suggested. The implications of pluralistic ignorance in perceptions of ethics are discussed with suggestions for how pluralistic ignorance might be reduced and how research in this area may be extended.

The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in the Perception of Unethical Behavior

Is there really an ethical crisis? We propose that the situation is not as bad as many would have us believe. We have attempted to present an alternative explanation for some earlier reports of an ethical crisis. This has resulted in a number of research propositions. We are optimistic that there are, in spite of reports to the contrary, an overwhelming majority of ethical people populating our business community.

Perception of Unethical Behavior in an Attorney as a Function of Sex of Observer and Transgressor

This study investigated the notion that competent women in traditionally male-dominated professions are often the victims of erroneous stereotypes and are judged to be less deserving than men of praise, promotions, and raises. In addition, the role of ethical versus unethical practices is examined in the context of the above issues, with a further manipulation of guilt versus innocence. Results indicate that sex biases persist but in a more complex and less generalized fashion. Sex differences regarding ethical standards appear negligible, emerging primarily in complex interactions. Ethical behavior elicited more favorable descriptions and higher ratings for remuneration and confidence. Yet, when guilty, male and female subjects alike showed a significant preference for procuring the unethical lawyer's services. Possible explanations for the various findings are discussed and suggestions for research proffered.