Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies

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

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

  • 5399 Accesses

Abstract

Individuals’ moral judgments of certain business practices and their decisions to engage in those practices are influenced by their personal moral philosophies: (a) situationists advocate striving for the best consequences possible irrespective of moral maxims; (b) subjectivists reject moral guidelines and base judgments on personal values and practical concerns; (c) absolutists assume that actions are moral, provided they yield positive consequences and conform to moral rules; (d) exceptionists prefer to follow moral dictates but allow for exceptions for practical reasons. These variations, which are based on two fundamental dimensions (concern for principles and concern for promoting human welfare) influence a variety of moral processes and have implications for ethical debates over business practices.

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

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
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

  • Bandura, A. 1990. Selective activation and disengagement of moral control. Journal of Social Issues 46(1): 27–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyce, W.D., and L.C. Jensen. 1978. Moral reasoning: A psychological–philosophical integration. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derry, R. 1989. An empirical study of moral reasoning among managers. Journal of Business Ethics 8: 855–862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, J. 1966. Situation ethics. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1978. Moral attribution and the evaluation of action. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fl.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1980. A taxonomy of ethical ideologies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 39: 175–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1981a. A psychological perspective on ethical uncertainties in behavioral research. In New directions for methodology of social and behavioral science: Ethics of human subject research, vol. 10, ed. A.J. Kimmel. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1981b. Moral judgment: The influence of ethical ideology. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 7: 218–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1985. Individual differences in information integration during moral judgment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 49: 264–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R. 1992. Values, conceptions of science, and the social psychological study of morality. In The role of values in psychology and human development, ed. M. Azmitia, W.M. Kurtines, and J. Gewirtz. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R., and R.E. Berger. 1982. The effects of ethical ideology on moral behavior. Journal of Social Psychology 117: 53–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R., and L. Matney. 1990. The emotional consequences of selfish and selfless actions. Paper presented at the second annual convention (June 1990) of the American Psychological Society, Dallas TX.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R., and J.L. Nye. 1990. Personal moral philosophies and moral choice. Journal of Research in Personality 24: 398–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R., and W.R. Pope. 1984. Ethical ideology and judgments of social psychological research. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46: 1365–1375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, D.R., J.L. Nye, and K. Kelly. 1988. Idealism relativism, and the ethic of caring. Journal of Psychology 122: 243–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. 1927. The psychopathology of everyday life. London: Hogarth Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilligan, C. 1982. In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haan, N. 1978. Two moralities in action context. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 36: 286–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haan, N. 1982. Can research on morality be “Scientific”. American Psychologist 37: 1096–1104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haan, N. 1986. Systematic variability in the quality of moral action, as defined in two formulations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50: 1271–1284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haan, N., E. Aerts, and B. Copper. 1985. On moral grounds: The search for practical morality. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartshorne, H., and M.A. May. 1928. Studies in the nature of character. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, W. 1891/1973. The moral philosopher and the moral life. In Introduction to moral philosophy, ed. P.E. Davis. Columbus: Merrill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kant, I. 1873/1973. Critique of pure reason and other works on the theory of ethics. Trans. T.K. Abbott, In Introduction to moral philosophy, ed. P.E. Davis. Columbus: Merrill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley, M. 1989. Commentary on “An empirical study of moral reasoning among managers”. Journal of Business Ethics 8: 863–864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klass, E.T. 1978. Psychological effects of immoral actions: The experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin 85: 756–771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohlberg, L. 1983. Essays in moral development, vol. 2. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurtines, W.M. 1984. Moral behavior as rule governed behavior: A psychosocial role-theoretical approach to moral behavior and development. In Morality, moral behavior, and moral development: Basic issues in theory and research, ed. W. Kurtines and J.L. Gewirtz. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurtines, W.M. 1986. Moral behavior as rule governed behavior: Person and situation effects on moral decision making. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50: 784–791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M.R., P.D. Knight, and B.D. Barnes. 1986. Ethical ideologies of the Machiavellian. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 12: 75–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. 1932. The moral judgment of the child. New York: Macmillan.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schlenker, B.R., and D.R. Forsyth. 1977. On the ethics of psychological research. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 13: 369–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, F.C. 1898. An objective study of some moral judgments. The American Journal of Psychology 9: 198–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh, B., and D.R. Forsyth. 1989. Sexual attitudes and moral values: The importance of idealism and relativism. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society 27: 160–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waterman, A.S. 1988. On the uses of psychological theory and research in the process of ethical inquiry. Psychological Bulletin 103: 283–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jepson School of Leadership Studies, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA

    Donelson R. Forsyth

Authors
  1. Donelson R. Forsyth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Donelson R. Forsyth .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Faculty of Arts, Brandon University, 18th Street 270, Brandon, R7A 6A9, Manitoba, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

  2. Office of the President, Brandon University, 18th Street 270, Brandon, R7A 6A9, Manitoba, Canada

    Deborah C. Poff

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Forsyth, D.R. (2013). Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies. 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_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation