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Managers’ Moral Decision-Making Patterns Over Time: A Multidimensional Approach

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Abstract

Taking multidimensional ethics scale approach, this article describes an empirical survey of top managers’ moral decision-making patterns and their change from 1994 to 2004 during morally problematic situations in the Finnish context. The survey questionnaire consisted of four moral dilemmas and a multidimensional scale with six ethical dimensions: justice, deontology, relativism, utilitarianism, egoism and female ethics. The managers evaluated their decision-making in the problems using the multidimensional ethics scale. Altogether 880 questionnaires were analysed statistically. It is concluded that relying on the utilitarian principles is a core ethical evaluation criterion amongst top business managers in Finland. This study proves that managers’ moral decision-making patterns change over time. According to the results of this research, managers’ moral decision-making became more multidimensional during the study period. The change is explained by (1) the inclusion of female ethics items in the scale which allows managers to show more diversity in their decision- making, (2) the change in the Finnish economic context from depression to economic prosperity and growth during the study period, which is conducive to the spread of post materialist values, such as the importance of social relations and (3) the increasing public discussion of the importance ethical issues in business.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was written as part of the RESPMAN Research Programme at the University of Tampere. We would like to thank Liike2/Academy of Finland and the Finnish Work Environment Fund for funding this research programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tampere, Department of Management Studies, 33014, University of Tampere, Finland

    Johanna Kujala & Katriina Penttilä

  2. University of Jyväskylä, School of Business and Economics, P.O. Box 35, 40014, University of Jyväskylä, Finland

    Anna-Maija Lämsä

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  1. Johanna Kujala
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  2. Anna-Maija Lämsä
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  3. Katriina Penttilä
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Correspondence to Johanna Kujala.

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Kujala, J., Lämsä, AM. & Penttilä, K. Managers’ Moral Decision-Making Patterns Over Time: A Multidimensional Approach. J Bus Ethics 100, 191–207 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0467-4

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