Abstract
Business moral values are defined as the personal moral values held by individuals who are engaged in business interactions. Direct supervisors may play an important role in shaping the business moral values of their subordinates. Using 264 supervisor–subordinate dyadic data from Taiwanese organizations, the study investigated the relationships among supervisor business moral values, subordinate business moral values, subordinate organizational commitment, job performance, and attendance. The results indicated that supervisor business moral values were positively associated with subordinate business moral values, and that the latter mediated the relationship between the former and subordinate outcomes. Implications for business moral values research are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abelson, M. A.: 1983, ‘The Impact of Goal Change on Permanent Perception and Behaviors of Employees’, Journal of Management 9, 65-79.
Ajzen, I.: 1989, ‘Attitude Structure and Behavior’, In A. R. Pratkanis, S. J. Breckler, and A. G. Greenwald (eds.), Attitude Structure and Function (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ), pp. 241-274.
Aquino, K. and A.Reed II: 2002, ‘The Self-Importance of Moral Identity’, Journal of Personal and Social Psychology 83(6), 1423-1440.
Barnett, M.: 2007, ‘Stakeholder Influence Capacity and the Variability of Financial Returns to Corporate Social Responsibility’, Academy of Management Review 32(3), 794-816.
Barnett, J. H., and M. J. Karson: 1987, ‘Personal Values and Business Decisions: An Exploratory Investigation’, Journal of Business Ethics 6(5), 371-382.
Baumhart, R. C. 1961 ‘How Ethical are Businessmen?’. Harvard Business Review 39(4): 6-9.
Brenner, S. N., E. A. Molander, 1977 ‘Is the Ethics of Business Changing?’. Harvard Business Review 55: 57-71.
Brouther, K. D.: 2002, ‘Institutional, Cultural and Transaction Cost Influences on Entry Mode Choice and Performance’, Journal of International Business Studies 33(2), 203-223.
Byrne, B. M. 2006. ‘Structural Equation Modeling with EQS: Basic Concepts, Applications, and Programming, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, London.
Carroll, A. B.: 1987, ‘Linking Business Ethics to Behavior in Organization’, Advanced Management Journal 43(3), 4-11.
Cheng, B. S., D. Y. Jiang, H. J. Riley 2003 ‘Organizational Commitment, Supervisory Commitment, and Employee Outcomes in Chinese Context: Proximal Hypothesis or Global Hypothesis?’. Journal of Organizational Behavior 24: 313-334.
Cheung, G.. W. and R. B. Rensvold: 1999, ‘Testing Factorial Invariance across Groups: A Reconceptualization and Proposed New Method’, Journal of Management 25(1), 1-27.
Cheung, G.. W. and R. B. Rensvold: 2002, ‘Evaluating Goodness-of-Fit Indices for Testing Measurement Invariance’, Structural Equation Modeling Journal 9(2), 233-255.
Chonko, L. B. and S. D. Hunt: 1985, ‘Ethics and Marking Management: An Empirical Examination’, Journal of Business Research 13, 339-359.
Clarence, C. W.: 1977, ‘The Ethics of Corporate Conduct’ (Prentice-Hall, Engle Wood Cliffs, NJ).
Craig, S. B. and S. B. Gustafson: 1998, ‘Perceived Leader Integrity Scale: An Instrument for Assessing Employee Perceptions of Leader Integrity’, Leadership Quarterly 9, 127-145.
Dickson, M. W., D. B. Smith, M. W. Grojean and M. Ehrhart: 2001, ‘Ethical Climate: The Result of Interactions between Leadership, Leader Values, and Follower Values’, Leadership Quarterly 12, 1-21.
Dineen, B. R., R. J. Lewicki and E. C. Tomlinson: 2006, ‘Supervisory Guidance and Behavioral Integrity: Relationships with Employee Citizenship and Deviant Behavior’, Journal of Applied Psychology 91(3), 622-635.
Dubinsky, A. J. and S. J. Skinner: 1984, ‘Turnover Tendencies among Retail Salespeople: Relationships with Job Satisfaction and Demographic Characteristics’, in R. W. Belk (ed.), Proceedings of the American Marketing Association Educators’ Conference (American Marketing Association, Chicago, IL), pp. 153–157.
Elangovan, R. A. and L. D. Shapiro: 1998, ‘Betrayal of Trust in Organizations’, Academy of Management Review 23(3), 547-566.
Farh, J. L.: 1998, ‘An Investigation on Chinese Business Moral Values: Comparisons among China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan’, In B. S. Cheng, K. L. Huang, and C. C. Kuo (eds.), Corporate and Work Ethics in Taiwan and China (Yuan-Liou, Taipei), pp. 1-36.
Farh, J. L. and B. S. Cheng: 2000, ‘A Culture Analysis of Paternalistic Leadership in Chinese Organizations’, In Tsui, A. S. and J. T. Li (eds.), Management and organizations in China (McMillam Press, London), pp. 84-127.
Ferrell, O. C. and L. G.. Gresham: 1985, ‘A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in Marketing’, Journal of Marketing 49, 87-96.
Festinger, L. 1957.’A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance’, Stanford University Press, Stanford.
Fombrun, C. and M. Shanley: 1990. ‘What’s in A Name? Reputation Building and Corporate Strategy’, Academy of Management Journal 33, 233–258.
Freeman, R. E.: 1984, ‘Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach’ (Pitman, Boston).
Fritzche, D. J. and H. Becker: 1984, ‘Linking Management Behavior in Ethical Philosophy: An Investigation’, Academy of Management Journal 27, 166-175.
Gandz, J. and N. Hayes: 1988, ‘Teaching Business Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 7, 657-669.
Gatewood, R. D. and H. S. Field: 1998, ‘Human Resource Selection, 4th edition (The Dryden Press, Forth Worth, TX).
Harrison, J. R. and G. R. Carroll: 1991, ‘Keeping the Faith: A Model of Cultural Transmission in Formal Organizations’, Administrative Science Quarterly 36(4), 552-582.
Herndon, N. C.: 1992, ‘Perceived Corporate Ethicalness and Salesforce Turnover: A New Rationale for More Ethical Corporate Behavior’, Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, pp. 44–49.
Hofstede, G.: 1980, ‘Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values’ (Sage, Beverly Hills, CA).
Hunt, S. D., L. B. Chonko and J. B. Wilcox: 1984, ‘Ethical Problems of Marketing Researches’, Journal of Marketing Research 21, 304-324.
Hunt, S. D., V. R. Wood and L. B. Chonko: 1989, ‘Corporate Ethical Values and Organizational Commitment in Marketing’, Journal of Marketing 53, 79-90.
Johnston, M. W., A. Parasuraman, C. M. Futrell and W. C. Black: 1990, ‘A Longitudinal Assessment of Impact of Selected Organizational Influences on Salespeople’s Organizational Commitment during Early Employment’, Journal of Marketing Research 27, 333-344.
Jones, T. M., W. Felps and G. A. Bigley: 2007, ‘Ethical Theory and Stakeholder-Related Decision: The Role of Stakeholder Culture’, Academy of Management Review 32(1), 137-155.
Kidron, A.: 1978, ‘Work Values and Organizational Commitment’, Academy of Management Journal 21(2), 239-247.
Kleiner, A.: 2003, ‘Core Groups: A Theory of Power and Influence for “Learning” Organizations’, Journal of Organizational Change Management 16(6), 666-683.
Lewis, P. V.: 1985, ‘Defining “Business Ethics”: Like Nailing Jelly to a Wall’, Journal of Business Ethic 4(5), 377-383.
Lovelace, K. and B. Rosen: 1996, ‘Differences in Achieving Person-Organization Fit among Diverse Groups of Managers’, Journal of Management 22(5), 703-722.
Mathieu, J. E. and D. M. Zajac: 1990, ‘A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Antecedents, Correlates, and Consequences of Organizational Commitment’, Psychological Bulletin 108(2), 171-194.
McDonald, G. M. and R. A. Zepp: 1988, ‘Ethical Perceptions of Hong Kong Chinese Business Managers’, Journal of Business Ethics 7, 835-845.
McWilliams, A. and D. Siegel: 2001, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: A Theory of the Firm Perspective’, Academy of Management Review 26, 117-127.
Meyer, J. P. and N. J. Allen: 1997, Commitment in the Workplace: Theory, Research, and Application (Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA).
Meyer, J. N. Allen and C. Smith: 1993, ‘Commitment to Organizations and Occupations: Extension and Test of a Three-Component Conceptualization’, Journal of Applied Psychology 78, 538-551.
Moberg, D. J.: 2006, ‘Ethics Blind Spots in Organizations: How Systematic Errors in Person Perception Undermine Moral Agency’, Organizational Studies 27(3), 413-428.
Morris, J. H., J. D. Sherman: 1981, ‘Generalizability of Organizational Commitment Model’, Academy of Management Journal 24(3), 512-526.
Orlitsky, M., F. L. Schmidt and S. L. Rynes: 2003, ‘Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis’, Organization Studies 24, 403-442.
Peterson, D.: 2004, ‘Perceived Leader Integrity and Ethical Intentions of Subordinates’, Leadership & Organization Development Journal 25(1), 7-23.
Podsakoff, P. M., S. B. Mackenzie, J. B. Paine and D. G. Bachrach: 2000, ‘Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: A critical Review of The Theoretical and Empirical Literature and Suggestions for Future Research’, Journal of Management 26, 513-563.
Podsakoff, P. M. and D. W. Qrgan: 1986, ‘Self-Reports in Organizational Research Problems and Prospects’, Journal of Management 12(4), 531-544.
Porter, L. W., R. M. Steers, R. T. Mowday and P. V. Boulian: 1974, ‘Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover among Psychiatric Technicians’, Journal of Applied Psychology 59(5), 603-609.
Posner, B. Z. and W. H. Schmidt: 1984, ‘Values and American Manager: An Update’, California Management Review 26, 202-216.
Rest, J. R.: 1986, ‘Moral Development: Advances in Research and Theory’ (Praeger Publishers, New York, NY).
Rosenfeld, P. R., R. A., Giacalone and C. A. Riordan: 1995, ‘Impression Management in Organizations: Theory, Measurement, and Practice’ (Routledge, New York, NY).
Schein, E. H.: 1985, ‘Organizational Cultures and Leadership’ (Jossey-Bass Press: San Francisco).
Schminke, M., M. L., Ambrose, M. L. and D. O. Neubaum: 2005, ‘The Effect of Leader Moral Development on Ethical Climate and Employee Attitudes’. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 97:135-151.
Schwartz, S. H.: 1992, ‘Universals in Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries’, In M. Zanna (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 25 (Academic Press, New York, NY), pp. 1-65.
Schwartz, S. H.: 1994, ‘Studying Human Values, In A. Bouvy, F. J. R. Van de Vijver, P. Coski and P. G. Schmitz (eds.), Journeys into Cross-Cultural Psychology (Swets and Zeitlihman, Amsterdam Netherlands), pp. 239-254.
Schwartz, M. S.: 2005, ‘Universal Moral Values for Corporate Codes of Ethics’, Journal of Business Ethics 59, 27-44.
Scott, E. D.: 2000, ‘Moral Values: Situationally Defined Individual Differences’, Business Ethics Quarterly 10(2), 497-521.
Scott, E. D.: 2002, ‘Organizational Moral Values’, Business Ethics Quarterly 12(1), 33-55.
Simons, T.: 2002, ‘Behavioral Integrity: The Perceived Alignment between Manager’s Words and Deeds as A Research Focus’, Organization Science 13, 18-35.
Sims, R. R. and J. Brinkman: 2002, ‘Leaders as Moral Models: The Case of John Gutfreund at Salomon Brothers’, Journal of Business Ethics 35(4), 327-339.
Sims, R. R. and J. Brinkman: 2003, ‘Enron Ethics (Or: Culture Matters more than Codes)’, Journal of Business Ethics 45(3), 243-256.
Small, M. W.: 2002, ‘Practical Problems and Moral Values: Things We Tend to Ignore Revisited’, Journal of Business Ethics 39(4), 401-407.
Soutar, G., M. M. Mcneil and C. Molster: 1994, ‘The Impact of The Work Environment on Ethical Decision Making: Some Australian Evidence’, Journal of Business Ethics 13, 327-339.
Stryker, S.: 1980, ‘Symbolic Interactionism: A Social Structural Version’ (Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA).
Stryker, S. and R. T. Serpe: 1982, ‘Commitment, Identity Salience, and Role Behavior: Theory and Research Example’ (Springer-Verlag Press, New York: NY).
Sturdivant, F.: 1977, ‘Business and Society: A Management Approach’ (R. D. Irwin Inc., Homewood).
Treviño, L. K. and M. E. Brown: 2004, ‘Managing to Be Ethical: Debunking Five Business Ethics Myths’, Academy of Management Executive 18(2), 69-83.
Treviño, L. K., G. R.Weaver and S. J. Reynolds: 2006, ‘Behavioral Ethics in Organizations: A Review’, Journal of Management 32(6), 951-990.
Vitell, S. J. and T. A. Festervand: 1987, ‘Business Ethics: Conflicts, Practices and Beliefs of Industrial Executives’, Journal of Business Ethics 6, 111-122.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jiang, DY., Lin, YC. & Lin, LC. Business Moral Values of Supervisors and Subordinates and Their Effect on Employee Effectiveness. J Bus Ethics 100, 239–252 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0678-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0678-8