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Business Ethics Perceptions of Public and Private Sector Iranians

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Abstract

Ethical maturity is a great concern to all educators, firms, and investors across the globe. This research surveyed 448 citizens, managers and employees in Iran to measure their Personal Business Ethics Scores (PBES) to see if age, education, management experience, and government work experience make a difference in making more ethical decisions. This study contributes to the theory of moral development across the Iranian culture as it is the first known study using this method. The results suggest that education and more years of government work experience make a difference in the moral maturity of respondents. This study confirms that the ethical maturity of respondents is enhanced either through the authoritarian regime or socialization with Islamic values. Kohlberg’s moral development theory regarding ethical maturity is partially supported since those with more years of experience in government and more formal education have higher business ethics scores. Implications are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314, USA

    Bahaudin G. Mujtaba

  2. School of Business, University of Otago, P.O. Box. 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

    Reza Tajaddini

  3. Department of Information Management, I-Shou University, 1, Sec. 1 Syuecheng Road, Dashu Township, Kaohsiung County, 840, Taiwan

    Lisa Y. Chen

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  1. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba
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  2. Reza Tajaddini
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Correspondence to Bahaudin G. Mujtaba.

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Mujtaba, B.G., Tajaddini, R. & Chen, L.Y. Business Ethics Perceptions of Public and Private Sector Iranians. J Bus Ethics 104, 433–447 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0920-z

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