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We analyse Irish managers' perceptions about the degree of wrongness of ten types of unethical conduct. In-person interviews with 348 managing directors of Irish-owned businesses who report their perceptions of the degree of wrongness often business ethics problems (the dependent variables) yield the data for our study. Predictors of managers' ratings include the existence of a business code of ethics, perceived frequency of occurrence of the given acts, company size and sector, union membership, Irish business ownership and independence (the independent variables). Results indicate that approximately 75% of those sampled are independent Irish owned businesses but few (only 22% of this sample) have a formal business code. Regression analyses reveal that small firms with a code of ethics predict higher wrongness ratings for managers in regard to the practices of unfair pricing and delayed payments (unethical behavior involving firms) but managers also consider such acts the least wrong overall. Wrongness ratings on the eight remaining unethical acts are explained by the manufacturing sector. However, manufacturing firms in Ireland also have a high percentage of unionised workers indicating that unions influence managerial thinking about social and employee ethics (e.g., discrimination, insider trading). The traditional adversarial Industrial Relations model is useful in noting that unions are important in setting ethical standards for indigenous Irish-owned businesses. Given this reality, management in small, manufacturing firms should work with unions to create a more formal ethics code in order to guard against corruption and to remain competitive in the international marketplace. Those without strong unions might articulate their own organisational values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence (ABC)-analysis is a tool for analyzing behavior and stems from the field of psychology where it is used as a tool for the understanding of behavior in general and organizational behavior in particular. In this paper the ABC-analysis is implemented as a tool to understand why people behave ethically in organizations, through the identification of key environmental factors that cause such behavior. This analysis can be the first step to recognizing the complexity of circumstances determining ethical behavior, as well as trigger for changing that behavior. This will be elaborated in the implementation process of an ethical code. The working of the ABC-analysis will be illustrated with an example derived from field research concerning the reorganization of a department of a chemical company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reveals the practices of effective executives running family-owned firms. Hypotheses regarding such practices; Promotion of effective family and firm development; Model of the dynamics of family firm leader motivation and self-concept.

Provides an empirical verification of the behavior of the managerial staff in state enterprises in the Polish manufacturing industry. Business surveys led by the Department of Microeconomics in Poznan; Development of four simple business condition indicators; Investment plans in total manufacturing industry.

From the point of view of a saint's life, the article addresses the question of integrating holiness and business dealings. By analyzing the heavy involvement of Vincent de Paul, a seventeenth century French saint, in the world of finance and politics as he ministered to the poor of his day, the study attempts to show that it is both possible and beneficial to join together the world of business with that of a religiously inspired ethic. The spiritually grounded manner in which Vincent de Paul approached his institutional tasks and the ways in which those endeavors gave body to his spirituality present an unitary, non-dualistic instance of how business and morality can interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of sex, age, and level of education on the perception of various business practices by managers or a large nonprofit organization. Female managers perceived the acceptance of gifts and favors in exchange for preferential treatment significantly more unethical than male managers. Older managers (40 plus) perceived five practices significantly more unethical than younger managers (giving gifts/favors in exchange for preferential treatment, divulging confidential information, concealing ones error, falsifying reports, and calling in sick to take a day off). The practice of padding expense account by over 10% was reported to be significantly more unethical by managers with a graduate degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines deviant managerial behavior, and compares such behavior to the clinical psychological sociopathic model. The scope of a multinational corporate operation can enhance or degrade the quality of life for individuals with more impact than at any previous time in history. Social costs are compared to the results of sociopathic behavior and examined as the result of amoral or immoral behavior. The idea of the sociopathic manager is discussed, and theoretical causes of sociopathic development are examined with bases in behavioral, economic and criminological literature. Future research and recommendations for prevention of sociopathic behavior are advanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author examines empirically the extent to which marketing professionals of different organizational ranks (lower versus upper) and roles (executive versus research) differ in ethical judgments. For organizational rank, the results indicate that marketing professionals of lower organizational rank do not differ from those of upper organizational rank in ethical judgments. For organizational role, the results suggest that marketing professionals of executive role differ in an "overall" sense from marketing professionals of research role in ethical judgments. In general, marketing professionals of executive role reflect higher ethical judgments than those of research role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a scenario approach involving hypothetical moral decisions, the study aims to (1) compare managerial professionals' ethicality judgments with those made by the general public, and (2) ascertain the roles of perceived intensity (Jones, 1991) as well as perceived fairness of the moral issue in judgments of ethicality. While the two respondent groups made similar ratings on variables of moral intensity, fairness, and ethicality; the evaluation processes underlying their ethicality judgments were different. Empirically, the study has also established a link between judgments of fairness and judgments of ethicality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three studies, factors influencing the incidence of fraudulent financial reporting were assessed. We examined (1) the effects of personal values and (2) codes of corporate conduct, on whether managers misrepresented financial reports. In these studies, executives and controllers were asked to respond to hypothetical situations involving fraudulent financial reporting procedures. The occurrence of fraudulent reporting was found to be high; however, neither personal values, codes of conduct, nor the interaction of the two factors played a significant role in fraudulent financial reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section is focused on some areas of concern which were identified in 'The Report of the Royal Commission into Commercial Activities of Government and Other Matters (1990-1992)'. In the Report a number of situations were examined in which some individuals acted without recourse to any ethical guidelines. Most of the people mentioned in the Report held responsible positions in either Government or the private sector, and all were very well known in the community. The Report of the Royal Commission made a number of findings of 'serious impropriety' on the part of several individuals, although there was comparatively little evidence of illegal or corrupt conduct. This section shows what happened to a governmental system in an Australian state when a number of Ministers and their advisors placed their personal or party advantage over their constitutional obligation to act in the community's interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business ethics has emerged in recent years as a field of significant scholarly endeavour. Particularly well documented is the existence of ethical conflict at work and the reported inseparability of business decisions and moral consequences. However, to date, the majority of studies have been conducted in the American business context. This paper examines the concept of ethical conflict as experienced by employees in the Australian context. According to a sample of Western Australian managers, ethical conflicts at work do occur -- with relative frequency. Of considerable concern is the high incidence of cases where the demands of superiors are deemed to be the cause of this conflict. This finding is particularly disturbing as superiors are also the primary influence on employee ethical decision making. It would see that the ethics role models are also the instigators of unethical behaviour. This research has confirmed in the Western Australian context that the values of top management do have significant impact on the ethical choices made by employees. The management of organisational culture, therefore, is a key to raising ethical standards in business. The institutionalisation of ethics by such formal means as codes of ethics is a necessary, but insufficient, condition of ensuring ethical behaviour in organisations. Management of the informal climate is pivotal to the achievement of ethical organisational behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's headlines suggest that economic criteria alone is the basis for business decision-making. This paper argues that while profitability is a legitimate end of business, it must be moderated by ethical considerations. But can business be both successful and ethical? Practical examples highlight individuals who chose profitability over ethical responsibility and those who chose and continue to choose both. The authors propose that there is an ethical person profile. Corporate managers can resolve the profits vs ethics dilemma by modeling ethical behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the differing ways in which organizations send conflicting signals, in the form of contending organizational values, to their managers regarding the appropriate behavior in a given situation, and the impact that this has on the manager's decision-making process. It posits the existence of three different types of organizational value contention and examines their influence on the resulting patterns of sense-making and behavior evident in the manager's responses, based upon interview data from a cross-section of managers in two organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The institutionalization of ethics is an important task for today's organizations if they are to effectively counteract the increasingly frequent occurrences of blatantly unethical and often illegal behavior within large and often highly respected organizations. This article discusses the importance of institutionalizing organizational ethics and emphasizes the importance of several variables (psychological contract, organizational commitment, and an ethically-oriented culture) to the institutionalization of ethics within any organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competitor intelligence, information that helps managers understand their competitors, is highly valued in today's marketplace. Firms, large and small, are taking a more systematic approach to competitor intelligence collection. At the same time, information crimes and litigation over information disputes appear to be on the rise, and survey data show widespread approval of unethical and questionable intelligence-gathering methods. Despite these developments, few corporations address the ethics of intelligence gathering in their corporate codes of conduct. Neither managers nor management educators have paid sufficient attention to this topic. From a review of questionable intelligence-gathering practices reported in various literatures, the author identifies some important ethical principles to help managers draw the line between legitimate and illegitimate methods of information acquisition. The paper also discusses the costs of failure to heed these principles and suggests steps managers can take to provide ethical leadership in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether or not senior corporate executives are morally responsible for disasters which result from corporate activities. The discussion is limited to the case in which the information needed to prevent the disaster is present within the corporation, but fails to reach senior executives. The failure of information to reach executives is usually a result of negative information blockage, a phenomenon caused by the differing roles of constraints and goals within corporations. Executives should be held professionally responsible not only for trying to prevent negative information blockage, but for succeeding. It is concluded that executives are professionally responsible for fulfilling their moral obligation to prevent disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An examination of the empirical literature on public relations ethics indicates serious doubts and concerns about the ethic of the public relations practice. Practitioners tend to perceive the ethics of their top management as higher than their own ethics, suggesting that top management (of which practitioners are a part) should be in the forefront of improving organizational and practitioner ethics. This article also discusses public relations practitioners' suggestions on how ethics in public relations can be improved. Sample members of the Public Relations Society of America most frequently suggest having ethics education, taking disciplinary action against violators of codes of ethics, and emphasizing professionalism of practitioners as strategies for improving practitioner ethics. This article also concludes that, because ethic education leads the list of suggestions, professional-development seminars and college-level courses might explore in further detail those ethics issues most common in the practice and might examine in group settings how the ethics of such issues are perceived by practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on selected attitudes of a sample of third-year undergraduate business students in a major urban university. The focus of the research is on respondent perceptions of certain aspects of the employee, employer relationship. Such issues as use of the company car for a personal trip, use of the company copy machine for personal copies, calling in sick when some personal time is needed, eating at the very best restaurant on a business trip and others are explored. Half of the students surveyed were asked to respond as though they were employees of the company. The other half were asked to respond as though they were the President of the company. Both groups seemed to reflect a certain amount of "flexibility" in their responses to the issues presented. The assumed position of the respondent, the "situation," did influence the responses given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparative seriousness of business law and business ethics gives some business people the impression that there is nothing important in business ethics. The costly penalties of illegal conduct compared to the uncertain consequences of unethical conduct support a common illusion that business ethics is much less important than law for business people. To dispel the illusion I distinguish two perspectives from which we can view the relation of business and normative systems: the internal and external perspectives. I show that in one perspective, ethics is hardly less important than law, and in the other perspective it is more important, more fundamental than law. I conclude with a discussion of why business persons must place ethical and legal rules ahead of profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates ethical perceptions among Hong Kong Chinese managers of themselves and peers according to age, location of education and employment (local vs. multinational), based upon responses to thirteen potentially unethical situations. The major conclusions of the study are: (1) there is little consistency among perceptions of ethical situations; (2) Hong Kong managers perceive their peers as more unethical than themselves; (3) ethical perceptions in some situations are affected by age and to a lesser extent, place of education; and (4) significant interactions were found between age and the nature of employer, as well as between the place of education and the nature of employer. To conclude, the management implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many large corporations now have written codes of ethics to guide the business/marketing activities of employees. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and types of topics which are covered in the ethics policy statements of large U.S. corporations. The results indicated that the topics covered most often (respectively) were misuse of funds/improper accounting, conflicts of interest, political contributions, and confidential information. It is concluded that in addition to written ethics policy statements, top management should communicate ethical values and demonstrate by example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have had limited success explaining the negative market reaction to common stock announcements using firm and offer specific variables. We employ a piecewise linear model to test the relationship between announcement returns and firm and offer specific variables by specific offer reason as stated by management. We find evidence that managers are signalling the quality of the new investment when issuing equity for the offer-motive capital expenditures; this is support for the announcement of the equity issue being a signal of wasteful investment. We also find that the announcement of equity issues signals overvaluation when the equity offer is for general purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the assumptions surrounding managerial discretion approach to resource allocation. Theories of nonprofit institutions; Problems associated with the analysis of managerial discretion; Characteristics of a general model of discretionary behavior.

Analyzes the behavior of managers inside and outside the company in Netherlands. History of Angole Coffee problem; Cultural specificity of the environment; Disadvantage on the value systems for the management of business corporations and civic action groups.

The discretion of professionals in small organizational practices was examined. This research identified three types of discretion: (1) discretion over clients; (2) discretion over the choice and sequence of tasks; (3) discretion over task rules and procedures. The first two forms of discretion are associated with high performance and job satisfaction. Discretion over rules and procedures in tasks (contrary to the job design literature) is not associated with satisfaction or performance, and is positively associated with role conflict and role ambiguity. Organization size reduces discretion over clients, but not over tasks. Reduced discretion over clients in turn is associated with low ability to attract work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study which examines the personal values of managers from different organizations. This study describes the actual and attributed values of managers in four different organizations. And, the study intends to explore the values and value systems of these managers and hence finds ways to identify their relation to the level of management or the organization of membership. Data from these organizations using a modified Value Survey suggests that at one level, all managers share common values. No significant differences were observed between the actual values of all managers and those attributed by them to their super and subordinate relevant others. However, when by-level, by-organization comparisons of actual and attributed values are made, a much more complex picture of value space emerges. Findings indicated that values do differ and managers do place themselves in different positions in value space with respect to relevant and nonrelevant others. Furthermore, suggestion for expanded research and diagnostic use of the Value Survey are made.

ABSTRACT: This study examines the role of the personality variable, locus of control, as a moderator of the relationship between budgetary participation and managerial performance. The results of a laboratory study employing two separate subject groups--undergraduate accounting students and managers from a large manufacturing company--show a statistically significant interaction between participation and locus of control affecting performance. Budgetary participation was found to have a positive effect on individuals who feel they have a large degree of control over their destiny ("internals" on the locus of control scale), while having a negative effect on those individuals who feel that their destinies are controlled by luck, chance, or fate ("externals" on the locus of control scale). The results are discussed and possible applications in the areas of job redesign and personnel selection and placement are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offers advice to executives on isometric exercises at the office in the absence of a company fitness program. Placing hands on the arms of a chair; Standing of one's toes and touching them; Knee jerk reaction; Hugging's one's knees to the chest; Benefits of each form of exercise.

Urges executives to take an honest look at themselves to see how they can respond to the tough challenges affecting corporate performance. Strategies for managerial impact; Dynamics of individual change; Tapping hidden potentials; Creating success experiences.

Offers advice to executives in the United States whose companies are facing a union organizing campaign. Mistake that comes with inaction; Focus of management's communications with employees; Union's tactics; Questions employees should ask union organizers; Rules on face-to-face meetings; Election.

What is the job of the senior executive? As organizations increase in size and complexity, today's executives find they spend more time in “symbol” management: formulating values, ideas, and ideals through continuous dialogue with others. In this article, based on a study of Cleveland CEOs, the authors explore how executives use language to describe their roles and in the process create meaning for themselves and others. These executives conceived of their roles in terms of three principal agendas: (1) creating a context for change: (2) building commitment and ownership: and (3) balancing stability and innovation. The authors also present a theoretical rationale for conceiving of the executive role in this way by focusing on three “cornerstones” of the executive task: continuity, transition, and novelty. The central argument—that executive work is mostly talk—suggests that today's executives pay as much attention to their words as their actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study on the background, personality and characteristics of chief executive officers in Great Britain. The article states that the study focused less on the roles executives play in the office, or how they spend their time, rather concentrating on their psychological attributes and developmental influences. The research was based on semi-structured interviews with over 1,000 employees and 45 executives, and focused on the family background, education, childhood, motivation and personality of the interviewees. The article states that the results showed common characteristics of CEOs to include ambition, ability to learn from adversity, internal locus of control, and a high dedication to the job.

What is the role of the CEO in a corporation? Some experts believe that it is to create a vision of the future; others believe it is to shape the organization's culture; and still others hold that the executive must be a "maker of meanings." In their two-year study of CEOs in the Cleveland area, Jonas, Fry, and Srivastva found that chief executives create meaning in three different ways: through their lessons about early life experience, their beliefs about leadership, and their relationship to the organization. And the common underlying theme - and one that is basic to the CEO's efforts to create meaning - is that of exceptionality. CEOs strive to present their life stories in unique ways, formulate a view of leadership grounded in their unique experience, and portray their relationship to the organization in ways that differentiate themselves from their peers. Thus, executive work is mostly talk - and it is through language that executives convey the uniqueness of their role in the organization. INSET: Study Methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at several ways in which managers cultivate impressions of fairness. The results of a survey regarding managerial attitudes towards the importance of the treatment of subordinates are discussed. The author looks at the differences between appearing to be fair and actually being fair. Managers are typically perceived as being fair as long as they appear to be honest and openly consider the viewpoints of subordinates. A taxonomy of managerial efforts to appear fair is presented. Benefits of managerial justice are discussed.

Discusses the courses of actions available to real estate portfolio managers. Direct investment portfolios; Stock investment portfolios; Real estate investment trusts; Portfolio management functions value-added by type of portfolio; Differences between active and passive management.

Offers advice on how to avoid various glitches in business planning. Unwillingness of some executives responsible for planning to plan; Lack of knowhow; Absence of ground rules; Possibility of ill-fitting plans; Lack of support to corporate planners.

Reports on the growing number of individualistic employees. Ways in which corporations stifle individualism; Effects of computer information systems, mobility, affluence and decentralization on managerial behavior; Measures to encourage more individualism.

The article presents authors' comments on three research papers on social responsibility of organization and managers in the U.S. by economists Colston E. Warne, Ernest Dale and Arch W. Troelstrup. Among the remedies proposed by these economists there are three suggestions including standardization, full disclosure of relevant information and in the case of corporations, some kind of super-directorships or advisory boards of review. Warne recommends standard grading of consumers' goods and standard sizes of containers. Troelstrup wants standard methods of computing the costs of consumers' credit. Warne wants labels that clearly and reliably reveal to the consumer just what it is that he is getting for his money. Troelstrup wants the installment buyer to know exactly how much he is paying for credit when he buys on the time payment plan. Dale does not suggest the use of either standardization or disclosure for the problems. The article says that there is a need for some standards to judge what is a reasonable salary and what is exorbitant in the remuneration of corporate executives. As for the second remedy, full and fair disclosure is the very essence of the regulation carried out by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is proving very salutary in raising the tone of securities selling and moderately helpful in reducing the exploitation of shareholders by corporate officers.

The article discusses various aspects of managerial responsibility and recognition and finds out that whether it is the economic life that nurtures bigness, blunts the edge of competition and also makes room for the problem of managerial irresponsibility. Among economists and laymen there is concern about the social or moral performance of executives. Experience in enforcing the antitrust laws and growing doubts about the dynamism of an economy in which they were totally enforceable bar any confidence in a change the environment, eliminate the problem approach. Nevertheless, those who distrust the discipline of any force other than that of the market may take heart from the increasing intensity of the foreign competition one seem to be confronting-provided that they also believe that one will not escape the rigors of that competition by retreating behind tariff and import quota barriers. The prevailing views on the proper scope of managerial responsibility in the large corporation today seem to be as much divided as the North-South contrast between rich and poor countries. One view appears to urge the executive to assume an infinitely broad-gauge burden of responsibilities to all of the various publics with whom he deals. The opposite view holds that the executive ought to stick to his last, confining himself exclusively to the pursuit of profit maximization.