Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T03:36:26.254Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Moral Values: Situationally Defined Individual Differences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Elizabeth D. Scott
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

This article suggests that there are individual differences in how people define important moral values, and that these differences are made manifest in differences in the situations. It identifies five dimensions along which individuals can differ in their understandings of values: 1) value category (where the value lies in the hierarchy), 2) agent (how voluntary the action is and whether it is morally required of the agent), 3) object (how close the self is to the object of the action; whether the action offends God) 4) effect (whether the effect of the action is to harm or help), and 5) intention (whether the intention of the action is to harm or help). It then addresses four important values entailing moral dimensions: respect for life, respect for property, honest communication, and respect for religion. The article suggests that empirical research, classroom teaching, and business practice can be strengthened by considering these dimensions.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , April 2000 , pp. 497 - 520
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adkins, Cheryl L., Russell, Craig J., and Werbel, James D.Judgments of Fit in the Selection Process: The Role of Work Value Congruence. Personnel Psychology 47 (1994): 606–23.Google Scholar
Aristotle, . The Works of Aristotle: Volume II. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1952.Google Scholar
Baier, Annette. Why Honesty is a Hard Virtue. In Identity, Character and Morality: Essays in Moral Psychology, ed. Owen, Flanagan and Amelie, Oksenberg Rorty, pp. 259–82. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Barnett, John H., and Karson, Marvin J.Personal Values and Business Decisions: An Exploratory Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics 6 (1987): 371–82.Google Scholar
Baron, Jonathan, and Mark, Spranca. Protected Values. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 70 (1997): 1–16.Google Scholar
Barrett, Donald. Values in America. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1961.Google Scholar
Beauchamp, Tom L., and Bowie, Norman E.Ethical Theory and Business. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1983.Google Scholar
Betz, E., et al. The Concept of Work Adjustment. In Vocational Behavior: Readings in Theory and Research, ed. Zytowski, Donald G., pp. 443–49. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1968.Google Scholar
Boatright, John R.Ethics and the Conduct of Business. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1993.Google Scholar
Boatright, John R.Morality in Practice: Dees, Crampton, and Brer Rabbit on A Problem of Applied Ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly 2 (1992): 63–73.Google Scholar
Bond, E. J.Reason and Value. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.Google Scholar
Bowie, Norman E.Challenging the Egoistic Paradigm. Business Ethics Quarterly 1 (1991): 1–21.Google Scholar
Bretz, Robert D. Jr., Rynes, Sara L., and Barry, Gerhart. Recruiter Perceptions of Applicant Fit: Implications for Individual Career Preparation and Job Search Behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior 43 (1993): 310–27.Google Scholar
Carmody, Denise Lardner, and John, Tully Carmody. How To Live Well: Ethics in the World Religions. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1988.Google Scholar
Chatman, Jennifer A.Matching People and Organizations: Selection and Socialization in Public Accounting Firms. Administrative Science Quarterly 36 (1991): 459–84.Google Scholar
Cochran, Larry. Harmonious Values as a Basis for Occupational Preference. Journal of Vocational Behavior 29 (1986): 17–26.Google Scholar
Derry, Robbin. An Empirical Study of Moral Reasoning Among Managers. Journal of Business Ethics 8 (1989): 855–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, Thomas, and Dunfee, Thomas W.Toward a Unified Conception of Business Ethics: Integrative Social Contracts Theory. Academy of Management Review 19 (1994): 252–84.Google Scholar
Donaldson, Thomas, and Werhane, Patricia H.Introduction. In Ethical Issues in Business: A Philosophical Approach, ed. Thomas, Donaldson and Werhane, Patricia H., pp. 1–23. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1993.Google Scholar
Dunfee, Thomas, Janice, Bellace, and David, Cohen. A Brief Overview of Business Ethics. In Business and Its Legal Environment. 3d ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1991.Google Scholar
Enz, Cathy. The Role of Value Congruity in Intraorganizational Power. Administrative Science Quarterly 33 (1988): 284–304.Google Scholar
Etzioni, Amitai. The Moral Dimensions: Toward a New Economics. New York: Macmillan, 1988.Google Scholar
Fichter, Joseph H., Religious Values, S.J., A Sociological Perspective. In Values in America, ed. Barrett, Donald N., pp. 137–44. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1961.Google Scholar
Fincham, F. D.Perception and Moral Evaluation in Young Children. British Journal of Social Psychology 20 (1981): 265–70.Google Scholar
Flanagan, Owen. Ethics Naturalized: Ethics as Human Ecology. In Mind and Morals, ed. Larry, May, Marilyn, Friedman, and Andy, Clark, pp. 19–44. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 1996.Google Scholar
Frank, Robert H.Passions Within Reason, The Strategic Role of the Emotions. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1988.Google Scholar
Frankena, William A.Ethics, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1973.Google Scholar
Frederick, William C.Embedded Values: Prelude to Ethical Analysis. In Profit and Responsibility, ed. Patricia Hogue Werhane and Kendall D’Andrade, pp. 47–64. New York: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1985.Google Scholar
Gauthier, David. Value, Reason, and the Sense of Justice. In Value, Welfare, and Morality, ed. Frey, R.G. and Christopher, Morris, pp. 180–208. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Gilligan, Carol. In a Different Voice. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1982.Google Scholar
Gini, A.R., and Sullivan, T.Robins, A. H.: The Dalkon Shield. In Ethical Issues in Business A Philosophical Approach, ed. Thomas, Donaldson and Werhane, Patricia H., pp. 414–37. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1988.Google Scholar
Gioia, Dennis A.Pinto Fires and Personal Ethics : A Script Analysis of Missed Opportunities. Journal of Business Ethics 11 (1992): 379–389.Google Scholar
Grover, Steven L.Lying, Deceit, and Subterfuge: A Model of Dishonesty in the Workplace. Focused Issue: The Legalistic Organization. Organization Science 4 (1993): 478–95.Google Scholar
Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. New York: Collier Books, 1962.Google Scholar
Hume, David. A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992.Google Scholar
Johnson, Harold L.Can the Businessman Apply Christianity? Harvard Business Review 35, no. 5, September-October 1957, pp. 68–76.Google Scholar
Jones, Thomas M.Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue Contingent Model. Academy of Management Review 16 (1991): 366–395.Google Scholar
Jones, William A.Student Views of “Ethical” Issues: A Situational Analysis. Journal of Business Ethics 9 (1990): 201–205.Google Scholar
Joseph, Dan. No Run-of-the-Mill Businessman. B’nai B’rith International Jewish Monthly Online. <http://bnaibrith.org/ijm/articles/methuen/index.html>..>Google Scholar
Kahneman, Daniel, and Amos, Tversky. Choices, Values, and Frames. American Psychologist 39 (1984): 341–350.Google Scholar
Kant, Immanuel. Ethical Philosophy. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1983.Google Scholar
Kant, Immanuel. Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1981.Google Scholar
Kelly, Arthur L.Italian Tax Mores. In Case Studies in Business Ethics, ed. Thomas, Donaldson and Al, Gini, pp. 69–71. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.Google Scholar
Langtry, Bruce. Stakeholders and the Moral Responsibilities of Business. Business Ethics Quarterly 4 (1994): 431–44.Google Scholar
Lewis, Hunter. A Question of Values. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.Google Scholar
Lewis, Phillip V.Defining “Business Ethics”: Like Nailing Jello to a Wall. Journal of Business Ethics 4 (1985): 377–383.Google Scholar
Liedtka, Jeanne M.Value Congruence: The Interplay of Individual and Organizational Value Systems. Journal of Business Ethics 8 (1989): 805–815.Google Scholar
Matthews, John B., Goodpaster, Kenneth E., and Nash, Laura L.Policies and Persons: A Casebook in Business Ethics. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1991.Google Scholar
Milgram, Stanley. Obedience to Authority. New York: Harper and Row, 1974.Google Scholar
Mill, J. S.On the Connection Between Justice and Utility. In Justice, ed. Alan, Ryan, pp. 51–72. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Mitchell, Ronald K., Agle, Bradley R. and Wood, Donna J.Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts. Academy of Management Review 22 (1997): 853–886.Google Scholar
Morris, Sara A., and McDonald, Robert A.The Role of Moral Intensity in Moral Judgments: An Empirical Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics 14 (1995): 715–726.Google Scholar
Mueller, Daniel J, and Wornhoff, Steven A.Distinguishing Personal and Social Values. Educational and Psychological Measurement 50 (1990): 691–699.Google Scholar
Nash, Laura L.Believers in Business. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994.Google Scholar
Nash, Laura L.Ethics Without the Sermon. Harvard Business Review, November-December 1981, pp. 79–81.Google Scholar
Niemczynski, Adam. Contextual Relativism of Moral Judgment in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence. In Social and Moral Values: Individual and Societal Perspectives, ed. Nancy, Eisenberg, Janusz, Reykowski, and Ervin, Staub, pp. 105–115. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989.Google Scholar
O’Reilly, Charles A. III, Jennifer, Chatman, and Caldwell, David F.People and Organizational Culture: A Profile Comparison Approach to Assessing Person-Organization Fit. Academy of Management Journal 34 (1991): 487–516.Google Scholar
Parfit, Derek. Reasons and Persons. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984.Google Scholar
Pitts, Robert E., Wong, John K., and Whalen, D. Joel. Consumers’ Evaluative Structures in Two Ethical Situations: A Means-Ends Approach. Journal of Business Research 22 (1991): 119–130.Google Scholar
Posner, Barry Z.Person-Organization Values Congruence: No Support for Individual Differences as a Moderating Influence. Human Relations 45 (1992): 351–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randall, Donna M., and Gibson, Annetta M.Methodology in Business Ethics Research: A Review and Critical Assessment. Journal of Business Ethics 9 (1990): 457–471.Google Scholar
Ravlin, E.C., and Meglino, Bruce M.The Transitivity of Work Values: Hierarchical Preference Ordering of Socially Desirable Stimuli. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 44 (1989): 494–508.Google Scholar
Rawls, John. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press, 1971.Google Scholar
Robertson, Diana C.Empiricism in Business Ethics: Suggested Research Directions. Journal of Business Ethics 12 (1993): 585–599.Google Scholar
Rokeach, Milton. The Nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press, 1973.Google Scholar
Rousseau, Jean Jacques. Selected Works. In The Great Books: Montesquieu and Rousseau, ed. Robert, Maynard Hutchins, pp. 319–439. Chicago: William Benton, 1952.Google Scholar
Royce, Josiah. The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce, Volume II. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969.Google Scholar
Schlachter, Paul J.Organizational Influences on Individual Ethical Behavior in Public Accounting. Journal of Business Ethics 9 (1990): 839–853.Google Scholar
Schwartz, Shalom H., and Wolfgang, Bilsky. Toward a Theory of the Universal Content and Structure of Values: Extensions and Cross-Cultural Replications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 58 (1990): 878–891.Google Scholar
Scott, Elizabeth D.Values in Employment Decisions: The Effect of Moral Values-Fit on Application and Offer Decisions. Ph. D. Diss., University of Pennsylvania. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI, 1996.Google Scholar
Simon, Herbert A.Administrative Behavior. New York: The Free Press, 1976.Google Scholar
Smart, J. J. C., and Bernard, Williams. Utilitarianism: For and Against. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.Google Scholar
Sullivan, Joseph P., and McMahon, Thomas F.Faith That Mandates Justice: A Case Study. Chicago Studies 29 (April 1989): 17–31.Google Scholar
Turiel, Elliot. Moral Judgment, Action, and Development. New Directions for Child Development 47 (Spring 1990): 31–49.Google Scholar
Tyszka, Tadeusz. Information and Evaluation Processes in Decision Making. In Social and Moral Values: Individual and Societal Perspectives, ed. Nancy, Eisenberg, Janusz, Reykowski, and Ervin, Staub, pp. 175–93. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1989.Google Scholar
Vandivier, Kermit. Why Should My Conscience Bother Me? In Corporate and Governmental Deviance, ed. Ermann, M. David and Lundman, Richard J., pp. 205–26. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.Google Scholar
Velasquez, Manuel G.Toy, Wars. In Ethical Issues in Business A Philosophical Approach, ed. Thomas, Donaldson and Werhane, Patricia H., pp. 390–394. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1988.Google Scholar
Werhane, Patricia. Individual Rights in Business. In Just Business, ed. Tom, Regan, pp. 100–129. Philadelphia, Penn.: Temple University Press, 1983.Google Scholar
Williams, Bernard. Moral Luck. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.Google Scholar
Yacker, Nancy, and Sharon, Weinberg. Care and Justice Moral Orientation: A Scale for Its Assessment. Journal of Personality Assessment 55 (1990): 18–27.Google Scholar