Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T06:35:00.824Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Scenarios in Business Ethics Research: Review, Critical Assessment, and Recommendations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

James Weber
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A growing number of researchers in the business ethics field have used scenarios as a data gathering technique in their empirical investigations of ethical issues. This paper offers a review and critique of 26 studies that have utilized scenarios to elicit inferences of ethical reasoning, decision making, and/or intended behavior from managerial or student populations. The use of a theoretical foundation, the development of hypotheses, various characteristics germane to the use of scenarios, population and sampling issues, and the use of statistical measures are explored and assessed. In the interest of improving scenario-based research, ten recommendations are presented to guide future scenario research.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 137 - 160
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1992

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

Akaah, I. P. (1989) “Differences in research ethics judgments between male and female marketing professionals,” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 375–381.Google Scholar
Alexander, C. S. & Becker, H. J. (1978) “The use of vignettes in survey research,” Public Opinion Quarterly 42(1): 93–104.Google Scholar
Arlow, P. & Ulrich, T. A. (1980) “Business ethics, social responsibility and business students: An empirical comparison of Clark's study,” Akron Business and Economic Review Fall: 17–22.Google Scholar
Armacost, R. L., Hosseini, J. C., Morris, S. A., & Rehbein, K. A. (1990) “Alternative questioning methods for addressing social desirability effects in SIM research,” paper presented at the annual National Academy of Management meeting, San Francisco, CA.Google Scholar
Babbie, E. (1989) The practice of social research, 5th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Barnett, J. H. & Karson, M. J. (1987) “Managers, values and executive decisions: An exploration of the role of gender, career stage, organizational level, function, and the importance of ethics, relationships and results in managerial decision-making,” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 747–771.Google Scholar
BaumhartS. J., R. C. S. J., R. C. (1961) “How ethical are businessmen?” Harvard Business Review July-August: 6–ff.Google Scholar
Bellizzi, J. A. & Hite, R. E. (1989) “Supervising unethical salesforce behavior,” Journal of Marketing 53 (April): 36–47.Google Scholar
Betz, M., O'Connell, L. & Shepard, J. M. (1989) “Gender differences in proclivity for unethical behavior,” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 321–324.Google Scholar
Bommer, M., Gratto, C., Gravander, J. & Tuttle, M. (1987) “A behavioral model of ethical and unethical decision making,” Journal of Business Ethics 6: 265–280.Google Scholar
Brady, F. N. (1988) “A Janus-headed model of ethical theory: Looking two ways at business/society issues,” Academy of Management Review 10(3): 568–576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brenner, S. N. & Molander, E. A. (1977) “Is the ethics of business changing?” Harvard Business Review January-February: 57–71.Google Scholar
Burstin, K., Doughtie, E. B. & Raphaeli, A. (1980) “Contrastive vignette technique: An indirect methodology designed to address reactive social attitude measurement,” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 10 (March-April): 147–165.Google Scholar
CavanaghS. J., G. F. S. J., G. F. & Fritzsche, D. J. (1985) “Using vignettes in business ethics research,” in Preston, L. (Ed.) Research in corporate social performance and policy (Greenwich, CT: JAI Press) 7: 279–293.Google Scholar
ClarkS. J., J. W. S. J., J. W. (1966) Religion and moral standards of American business. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing.Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1990) “Things I have learned (so far),” American Psychologist 45(12): 1304–1312Google Scholar
Collins, D. (1989) “Organizational harm, legal condemnation and stakeholder retaliation: A typology, research agenda and application,” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 1–13.Google Scholar
Dillman, D. (1978) Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method. New York: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Dubinsky, A. J. & Ingram, T. N. (1984) “Correlates of salespeople's ethical conflict: An exploratory investigation, Journal of Business Ethics 3: 343–353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubinsky, A. J. & Loken, B. (1989) “Analyzing ethical decision making in marketing,” Journal of Business Research 19: 83–107.Google Scholar
Fortado, B. (1990) “The responsibilities of a semistructured interviewer,” Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 3(1): 31–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fredrickson, J. W. (1986) “An exploratory approach to measuring perceptions of strategic decision process constructs,” Strategic Management Journal 7: 473–483.Google Scholar
Freeman, S. M. J. & Giebink, J. W. (1979) “Moral judgment as a function of age, sex, and stimulus,” The Journal of Psychology 102: 43–47.Google Scholar
Fritzsche, D. J. & Becker, H. (1983) “Ethical behavior of marketing managers,” Journal of Business Ethics 2: 291–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fritzsche, D. J. & Becker, H. (1984) “Linking management behavior to ethical philosophy—An empirical investigation,” Academy of Management Journal 27: 166–175.Google Scholar
Grant, E. W. Jr., & Broom, L. S. (1988) “Attitudes toward ethics: A view of the college student,” Journal of Business Ethics 7: 617–619.Google Scholar
Harris, J. R. (1989) “Ethical values and decision processes of male and female business students,” Journal of Education for Business 64(5): 234–238.Google Scholar
Harris, J. R. (1990) “Ethical values of individuals at different levels in the organizational hierarchy of a single firm,” Journal of Business Ethics 9: 741–750.Google Scholar
Jones, C. & Aronson, E. (1973) “Attribution of fault to a rape victim as a function of respectability of the victim,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 26: 417–419.Google Scholar
Jones, T. M. (1991) “Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model,” Academy of Management Review 16: 366–395.Google Scholar
Jones, W. A. Jr., (1990) “Student views of ‘ethical’ issues: A situational analysis,” Journal of Business Ethics 9: 201–205.Google Scholar
Laczniak, G. R. & Inderrieden, E. J. (1987) “The influence of stated organizational concern upon ethical decision making,” Journal of Business Ethics 6: 297–307.Google Scholar
Landy, D. & Aronson, E. (1969) “The influence of the character of the criminal and his victim on the decision of simulated jurors,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 5: 141–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazerwitz, B. (1968) “Sampling theory and practice,” in Blalock, H. A. & Blalock, A. B. (Eds.) Methodology in social research. New York: McGraw-Hill: 278–328.Google Scholar
Longenecker, J. G., McKinney, J. A. & Moore, C. W. (1989) “The generation gap in business ethics,” Business Horizons 32(5): 9–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathison, D. L. (1988) “Business ethics cases and decision models: A call for relevancy in the classroom,” Journal of Business Ethics 7: 777–782.Google Scholar
McNichols, C. W. & Zimmerer, T. W. (1985) “Situational ethics: An empirical study of differentiators of student attitudes,” Journal of Business Ethics 4: 175–180.Google Scholar
Nederhof, A. J. (1985) “Methods of coping with social desirability bias: A review,” European Journal of Social Psychology 15: 263–280.Google Scholar
Norris, D. G. & Gifford, J. B. (1988) “Retail store managers’ and students’ perceptions of ethical retail practices: A comparative and longitudinal analysis (1976-1986),” Journal of Business Ethics 7: 515–524.Google Scholar
Nosanchuk, T. A. (1972) “The vignette as an experimental approach to the study of social status: An exploratory study,” Social Science Research 1 107–120.Google Scholar
Payne, S. L. & Giacalone, R. A. (1990) “Social psychological approaches to the perception of ethical dilemmas,” Human Relations 43(7): 649–663.Google Scholar
Posner, B. Z. & Schmidt, W. H. (1987) “Ethics in American companies: A managerial perspective,” Journal of Business Ethics 6: 383–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Randall, D. M. & Fernandes, M. (1991) “The social desirability response bias in ethics research,” Journal of Business Ethics: 805–817.Google Scholar
Randall, D. M. & Gibson, A. M. (1990) “Methodology in business ethics research: A review and critical assessment,” Journal of Business Ethics 9: 457–471.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, R. & Rosnow, R. L. (1975) The volunteer subject. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Shaw, J. & McMartin, J. A. (1975) “Perpetrator or victim?: Effects of who suffers in an automobile accident of judgment strictness,” Social Behavior and Personality 3(1): 5–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Star, S. A. (1955) “The public's ideas about mental illness,” paper presented at the National Association for Mental Health meeting, Indianapolis.Google Scholar
Stead, W. E., Worrell, D. L., Spalding, J. B. & Stead, J. G. (1987) “Unethical decisions: Socially learned behaviors,” Journal of Social Behavior and Personality 2(1): 105–115.Google Scholar
Stevens, G. E. (1984) ‘Business ethics and social responsibility: The responses of present and future managers,” Akron Business and Economic Review 15(3): 6–11.Google Scholar
Trevino, L. K. (1986) “Ethical decision making in organizations: A person-situation interactionist model,” Academy of Management Review 11(3): 601–617.Google Scholar
Trevino, L. K. & Youngblood, S. A. (1990) “Bad apples in bad barrels: A causal analysis of ethical decision-making behavior,” Journal of Applied Psychology 75(4): 378–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, J. (1990) “Managers” moral reasoning: Assessing their responses to three moral dilemmas,” Human Relations 43(7): 687–702.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weber, J. (1991) “Adapting Kohlberg to enhance the assessment of managers’ moral reasoning,” Business Ethics Quarterly 1(3): 293–318.Google Scholar
Weber, J. & Green, S. (1991) “Principled moral reasoning: Is it a viable approach to promote ethical integrity?” Journal of Business Ethics 10: 325–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zinkham, G. M., Bisesi, M. & Saxton, M. J. (1989) “MBAs’ changing attitudes toward marketing dilemmas: 1981-1987,” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 963–974.Google Scholar