ethics chapter 5

education

a significant factor in the ethical decision-making process; the more of this a person has, the better they are at making ethical decisions

obedience to authority

another aspect of the influence significant others can exercise; helps explain why many employees resolve business ethics issues by simply following the directives of a superior

corporate culture

defined as a set of values, norms, and artifacts, including ways of solving problems that members (employees) of an organization share

ethical issue intensity

defined as the relevance or importance of an event or decision in the eyes of the individual, work group, and/or organization

opportunity

describes the conditions in an organization that limit or permit ethical or unethical behavior

external control

going with the flow because that is all you can do; events in your life are due to uncontrollable forces

normative approach

how organizational decision makers *should* approach an issue

gender

in many aspects there are no differences between men and women in ethical decision making

age

individual factor within business ethics; the older the more ethical you are

ethical culture

reflects the integrity of decisions made and is a function of many factors, including corporate policies, top management's leadership on ethical issues, the influence of coworkers, and the opportunity for unethical behavior

locus of control

relates to individual differences in relation to a generalized belief about how you are affected by internal versus external events or reinforcements

moral intensity

relates to individuals' perceptions of social pressure and the harm they believe their decisions will have on others

ethical awareness

the ability to perceive whether a situation or decision has an ethical dimension

nationality

the legal relationship between a person and the country in which he or she is born; impossible to state that this causes ethical decision making to differ significantly

significant other

those who have influence in a work group, including peers, managers, coworkers, and subordinates

immediate job context

where you work, who you work with, and the nature of your work

internal control

you control the events in your life by your own effort and skill; you view yourself as masters of their destinies and trusting in their capacity to influence their environment