Skip to main content

A Behavioral Model of Ethical and Unethical Decision Making

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Citation Classics from the Journal of Business Ethics

Part of the book series: Advances in Business Ethics Research ((ABER,volume 2))

Abstract

A model is developed which identifies and describes various factors which affect ethical and unethical behavior in organizations, including a decision-maker’s social, government and legal, work, professional and personal environments. The effect of individual decision maker attributes on the decision process is also discussed. The model links these influences with ethical and unethical behavior via the mediating structure of the individual’s decision-making process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams-Weber, J.R. 1969. Generalized expectancies concerning locus of control reinforcements and the perception of moral sanctions. The British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 8: 340–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allison, G.T. 1971. Essence of decision: Explaining the Cuban missile crisis. Boston: Little, Brown & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business Accreditiation. 1983. Council Procedures and Standards. 1983. AACSB, St. Louis, MO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R., R. Petrucci, D. Schendel, and L.E. Trachman. 1980. Divided loyalties: Whisle blowing at BART. West LaFayette: Purdue University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aubert, U. 1952. White-collar crime and social structure. The American Journal of Sociology 58: 263–271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. 1971. Analysis of modeling process. In Psychological modeling, ed. A. Bandura. Chicago: Atherton, Aldine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. 1977. Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benbasat, I., and R.N. Taylor. 1978. The impact of cognitive styles on information systems design. Management Information Systems Quarterly 2: 43–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bieri, J., A.L. Atkins, S. Briar, R.L. Leaman, H. Miller, and T. Tripodi. 1966. Clinical and social judgement. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blaylock, B.K., and L.P. Rees. 1984. Cognitive style and the usefulness of information. Decision Sciences 15: 74–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boulding, K. 1966. The ethics of rational decision. Management Science 12: 161–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowie, N. 1982. Business ethics. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, F.N. 1985. A Janus-Head model of ethical theory: Looking two ways at business/society issues. Academy of Management Review 10(3): 568–576.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braverman, I., S. Vogel, D. Braverman, F. Clarkson, and P. Rosenkrantz. 1972. Sex-role stereotypes: A current appraisal. Journal of Social Issues 28: 58–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broome, T.H. 1983. New developments in engineering ethics: The AAES plan. In Beyond whistle-blowing, ed. V. Weil, 228–242. Chicago: Illinois Institute of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budner, S. 1962. Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality 30: 29–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burkett, S.R., and E. Jensen. 1975. Conventional ties, peer influence, and the fear of apprehension: A study of adolescent marijuana use. The Sociological Quarterly 16: 523–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carr, A.Z. 1983. Is business bluffing ethical? In Moral issues in business, ed. B. Vincent, 17–24. Belmont: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A.B. 1975. Managerial ethics: A post-Watergate view. Business Horizons 18: 75–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clausen, J.A. 1968. Perspectives on childhood socialization. In Socialization and society, ed. J. Clausen. Boston: Little, Brown & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coder, R. 1975. Moral judgement in adults. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohan, R.M., and J. Whitcover. 1980. A heartbeat away. In Ethical problems in engineering: Cases, pp, vol. 2, 2nd ed, ed. R. Baum, 52–57. Troy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S.E. 1976. Social and personality development in childhood. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowder, J.W. 1976. The defining issues test and correlates of moral judgment. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Maryland.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeGeorge, R.T. 1978. Ethics, free enterprise and public policy. New York: Oxford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickson, J.W. 1978. Perceptions of risk as related to choice in a two-dimensional risk situation. Psychological Reports 44: 1059–1062.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donald, J., and P. Bradshaw. 1981. Occupational and life stress and the family. Small Group Behavior 12: 329–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dortzbach, J.R. 1975. Moral judgment and perceived locus of control: A cross-sectional developmental study of adults, aged 25–74. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, A. 1976. Fakers: A study of managers: Responses on a personality test. Personnel Review 5: 33–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • England, G.W. 1967. Personal value systems of American managers. Academy of Management Journal 10: 53–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fairweather, V. 1980. $80,000 in payoffs. In Ethical problems in engineering: Cases, pp, vol. 2, 2nd ed, ed. R.J. Baum, 50–51. Troy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flores, A. 1980. The problem of professionalism: A code of ethics’. In Ethical problems in engineering: Readings, vol. 1, 2nd ed, ed. A. Flores, 1–6. Troy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flores, A. (ed.). 1982. Designing for safety: Engineering ethics in organizational contents. Troy: Center for the Study of the Human Dimensions of Science and Technology, Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freedman, J.L., D.O. Sears, and J.M. Carlsmith. 1981. Social psychology. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, S.J.M., and J.W. Giefink. 1979. Moral judgment as a function of age, sex, and stimulus. Journal of Psychology 102: 43–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, B.P., and R.K. Frost. 1962. The pattern of WISC scores in a group of juvenile sociopaths. Journal of Clinical Psychology 18: 354–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geis, G. 1973. Deterring corporate crime. In Deterring corporate crime, ed. R. Nader and M.J. Green, 182–197. New York: Grossman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geis, G., and E. Stotland. 1980. White-collar crime theory and research. Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillis, J.G. 1981. Securities law and regulation. Financial Analysts Journal 37: 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, K.M., and S. Blackman. 1978. Cognitive style: Five approaches and relevant research. New York: Wiley-Interscience.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasmick, H., and E. Green. 1980. Legal punishment, social disapproval, and internalization as inhibitors of illegal behavior. The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 71: 325–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gravander, J.W. 1981. The origin and implications of engineers’ obligations to the public welfare. In PSA 1980, vol. 2, ed. P.D. Asquith and R.N. Giere, 443–455. East Lansing: The Philosophy of Science Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gravander, J.W. 1982. When in Rome, do as who? The Liberal Studies Educator 4: 23–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halberstam, D. 1972. The best and the brightest. New York: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hegarty, W.H., and H. Sims. 1979. Organizational philosophy, policies, and objectives related to unethical decision behavior: A laboratory experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology 64: 331–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henderson, J.C., and P.C. Nutt. 1979. The influence of decision style on decision making behavior. Management Science 26: 371–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hodges, L. 1963. The business conscience. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hogarth, R. 1980. Judgement and choice: The psychology of decision. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janis, I. 1972. Victims of groupthink. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, C.K., and J. Gormly. 1972. Academic cheating: The contribution of sex, personality, and situational variables. Developmental Psychology 6: 320–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kagan, J. 1984. The nature of the child. New York: Basic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilman, R.H., and I.I. Mitroff. 1976. Qualitative versus quantitative analysis for management science: Different forms for different psychological types’. Management Science 22: 19–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L. 1969. Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization. In Handbook of socialization theory and research, ed. D. Goslin, 347–480. Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L. 1971. From is to ought (How to commit the naturalistic fallacy and get away with it in the study of moral development). In Cognitive development and epistemology, ed. T. Mischel, 151–235. New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, P.M., and R.V. Hughson. 1980. Perplexing problems in engineering ethics. Chemical Engineering 75: 132–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layton, E.T. 1981. The revolt of the engineers. Cleveland: Case Western Reserve University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leugenbiehl, H.C. 1983. Moral education and the codes of ethics. In Beyond whistleblowing: Defining engineers’ responsibilities, ed. V. Weil, 284–299. Chicago: Illinois Institute of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lykken, D.T. 1957. A study of anxiety in the sociopathic personality. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 55: 6–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons, N. 1982. Conceptions of self and morality and modes of moral choice. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maqsud, M. 1980. Locus of control and stages of moral reasoning. Psychological Reports 46: 1243–1248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M., and R. Schinzinger. 1983. Ethics in engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mautz, R., R. Reilly, and M. Maher. 1979. Personnel failure: The weak link in internal control. Financial Executive 47: 22–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, L. 1983. Professional action and professional liability. In Beyond whistleblowing: Defining engineers’ responsibilities, ed. V. Weil, 211–227. Chicago: Illinois Institute of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGowan, W. 1983. The great white-collar crime coverup. Business and Society Review Spring 1983: 25–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • McLean, S.D. 1978. Ethics, reference group theory, and the root metaphor analysis. Andover Newton Quarterly 14: 211–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mednick, S.A., L. Kirkegaard-Sorensen, B. Hutchings, J. Knop, R. Rosenburg, and F. Schulsinger. 1977. The interplay of socioenvironmental and individual factors in the etiology of criminal behavior. In Biosocial bases of criminal behavior, ed. S. Mednick and K.O. Christiansen. New York: Gardner Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meier, R.F., and G. Geis. 1982. The psychology of the white-collar offender. In On white-collar crime, ed. G. Geis. Lexington: Lexington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milgram, S. 1963. Behavioral study of obedience. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 67: 317–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milgram, S. 1965. Some conditions of obedience and disobedience to authority. Human Relations 18: 57–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monsen, R.J., B.O. Saxberg, and R.A. Sutermeister. 1966. The modern manager: What makes him run? Business Horizons 9: 23–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer, J.T. 1980. Occupational-family linkages as perceived by men in the early stages of professional and managerial careers. Research in the Interweave of Social Roles 1: 99–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, I.B. 1962. Manual for the Myers-Briggs type indicator. Princeton: Educational Testing Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, M.L., and V.E. Day. 1982. A comparison of moral reasoning of groups and individuals on the “defining issues test”. Academy of Management Journal 25: 201–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oldenquist, A.G., and E.E. Slowter. 1979. Proposed: A single code of ethics for all engineers. Professional Engineer 49: 8–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavlovic, K.R. 1980. Autonomy and obligation: Is there an engineering ethics? In Ethical problems in engineering: Readings, vol. 1, 2nd ed, ed. A. Flores, 89–93. Troy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, D.R., H.C. Quay, and T.L. Tiffany. 1961. Personality factors related to juvenile delinquency. Child Development 32: 355–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, J. 1980. The effects of personality on a subject’s information process: A comment. The Accounting Review 55: 501–506.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rest, J.R. 1976. Moral judgment related to sample characteristics (Final report to NIMH), Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J.B. 1966. Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs 80 (Whole no. 609).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, H., and S.M. Davis. 1981. Matching corporate culture and business strategy. Organizational Dynamics 10: 36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senger, J. 1971. Managers’ perceptions of subordinates’ competence as a function of personal value orientations. Academy of Management Journal 14: 415–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. 1960. The new science of management. New York: Harper and Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simon, H. 1976. Administrative behavior: A study of decision making processes in administrative organization. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Staff. 1979. Gifts to buyers. Purchasing, April 11, 19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, G., J. Miner, and E. Gray. 1982. Management policy and strategy. New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taggart, W., and D. Robey. 1981. Mind and managers: On the dual nature of human information processing and management. Academy of Management Review 6: 187–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R.E. 1984. White collar crime getting less attention. The Wall Street Journal 203(23): 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Unger, S.H. 1982. Controlling technology: Ethics and the responsible engineer. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandivier, K. 1980. Engineers, ethics, and economics. In Ethical problems in engineering: Cases, vol. 2, 2nd ed, ed. R. Baum, 136–138. Troy: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ward, L., and J.P. Wilson. 1980. Motivation and moral development as determinants of behavioral acquiescence and moral action. Journal of Social Psychology 112: 271–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheelen, L., and J.D. Hunger. 1984. Strategy management. Reading: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Witkin, H.A., P.K. Oltman, R.K. Ruskin, and S.A. Karp. 1971. The embedded figures test. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologist Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zmud, R.W. 1979. Individual differences in MIS success: A review of the empirical literature. Management Science 25: 966–979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jerry Gravander .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Bommer, M., Gratto, C., Gravander, J., Tuttle, M. (2013). A Behavioral Model of Ethical and Unethical Decision Making. In: Michalos, A., Poff, D. (eds) Citation Classics from the Journal of Business Ethics. Advances in Business Ethics Research, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4126-3_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics