ABSTRACT
Both scholars and practitioners in the various business professions are becoming increasingly interested in knowing what determines managers to judge subordinates’ behaviors as ethical or unethical, and what prompts them to either choose certain rewards or certain punishments to encourage or discourage, respectively, behaviors that are judged ethical or unethical. Traditionally, the study of organizational consequences of employees’ behavior has gained importance in view of the fact that managerial decisions aimed at influencing subordinates’ ethical conduct seem to be affected by the consideration of the consequences of such behavior for the company (utilitarian ethics). More recently, the perception that people act morally because of a prevailing moral commitment (deontological ethics) has gained some ground. Moreover, recent research findings show that deontological (moral) considerations prevail over teleological (consequential) considerations. Our study replicates this research in a different setting (Turkey) and expands the analysis to investigate the influence of socialization and cultural values in ethical decision making. More specifically, this study examines the role of socialization and the role of culture in shaping moral commitment.
