| Is Corporate Social Responsibility a "Fundamentally Subversive Doctrine"? An Emerging Ethical Profile |
| | Mudrack, Peter E. | Kansas State U. | ac6193@wayne.edu | (734)-981-7095 |
| | Mason, E. Sharon | Brock U. | mason@osprey.bus.brocku.ca | (905)-688-5550 |
| | What characteristics do individuals possess who believe that corporate social responsibility is a "fundamentally subversive doctrine"
(Friedman, 1970)? In three samples of employed persons (total N = 475), a profile reflecting conservatism, deference to authority, and
apparent "unethical" proclivities emerged. Prior research (Mason & Mudrack, 1997) suggested that social traditionalists (i.e.,
supporters of Friedman's beliefs) were Machiavellian, and seemed accepting of "unethical" behaviors for organizational (but not
personal) gain. In the first of three samples reported here, social traditionalists had an external work locus of control. In particular,
such persons seemed to feel little control over workplace rewards rather than their own job performance. We interpreted this as
indicative of a tendency to defer to organizational interests. With regard to work ethic beliefs, traditionalists seemed self-denying
rather than hard working. Once again, these results suggested deference to authority. Social traditionalists emerged as right-wing
authoritarian in the second sample, a result that reflects both deferential tendencies and conservatism. In possibly the most
provocative finding, agreement with Friedman (1970) was inversely related to moral reasoning capabilities in the third sample. An
enhanced awareness of social responsibility attitudes may be important in that such attitudes likely influence organizational actions
regarding social issues. |
| | Keywords: Social responsibility;; Ethics |
| Employee Fair Treatment and Ethics-Related Outcomes: A Field Survey |
| | Trevino, Linda Klebe | Pennsylvania State U., U. Park | ltrevino@psu.edu | (814)-865-2194 |
| | Weaver, Gary R. | U. of Delaware | weaverg@udel.edu | (302)-831-4568 |
| | We surveyed employees in four companies regarding their perceptions of general fair treatment and the
fairness of the firm's ethics/compliance program. Using organizational justice theory, we hypothesized
and found that these justice evaluations were related to the extent of observed unethical conduct in the
firm, employees' willingness to report problems to management, and their organizational commitment.
We also found support for an interaction: unethical conduct was lowest when employees perceived
both general fair treatment and a fair ethics/compliance program. Implications for research and for
management are discussed. |
| | Keywords: business ethics; organizational justice; ethics programs |
| Individual Aggressiveness and Minority Status as Moderators of the Relationship Between Perceptions of Injustice and Workplace Deviance |
| | Galperin, Bella L. | Concordia U., Montreal | bella@vax2.concordia.ca | (514) 848-2738 |
| | Corporate crime, such as theft, computer fraud, embezzlement, and vandalism is becoming increasingly common in organizations. Researchers have referred to these acts as workplace deviance. This study examines the relationship between different forms of organizational justice perceptions (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice) and deviant behavior. In addition, it hypothesizes that the relationship between perceived injustice and deviance is moderated by dispositional aggressiveness and minority status, two individual characteristics. In general, the results supported the predictions. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. |
| | Keywords: Deviance; Organizational Justice; Diversity |
| Thick as Thieves: A Social Embeddedness Model of Rule Breaking in Organizations |
| | Mac Lean, Tammy L. | Boston College | macleata@bc.edu | (617) 552-0172 |
| | Rule breaking in organizations is both common and expensive. There are many studies documenting incidents of
pilfering, embezzlement, securities fraud, and other activities that represent organization members violating
organizational rules both on behalf of and at the expense of the organization (i.e. Eichenwald, 1995; Hollinger,
Slora & Terris, 1992; Vaughan, 1983). Statistics suggest that rule breaking by employees in the form of fraud
and other dishonest practices cost organizations more than $400 billion annually (Hays, 1998).
Rule breaking in the workplace is a type of deviant organizational behavior. The roots of deviant behavior have
been attributed to both the individual-level characteristics of the deviant (i.e. Hollinger et al., 1992) as well as to
social-structural characteristics (i.e. Vaughan, 1983; 1996). However, research exploring the influence of social
relationships is quite limited, despite work that recognizes the influence of social relationships on individual
behavior (i.e. Brass, Butterfield & Skaggs, 1998; Granovetter, 1985).
"Thick as thieves" is a colloquial expression that describes the close relationships between parties. Taken more
literally, it implies that those who break laws share strong social bonds. Both the familiar usage of the phrase
and its more literal interpretation allude to the signficance of social relationships in organizational rule breaking.
A social embeddedness perspective offers a new theoretical lens through which to view deviance; a new way of
understanding how rule breaking becomes widespread. This case study focuses on the proliferation and
persistence of rule breaking at a life insurance company, and finds that relationships act as mechanisms that
enable widespread rule breaking.
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| | Keywords: deviance; rule breaking; social embeddedness |