Title

Ethical beliefs of business professionals: A study of gender, age and external factors

Abstract

The present study examined how ethical beliefs and external factors affecting ethical beliefs are related to age and gender of business professionals. The results indicated that business professionals in the younger age group exhibited a lower standard of ethical beliefs. In the younger age groups, the females demonstrated a higher level of ethical beliefs, while in the older age group, the results suggested that the males had a slightly higher level of ethical beliefs. With regards to the influence of external factors on ethical beliefs, the results yielded a significant interaction between age and gender. The younger age groups, males in particular, were more susceptible to external factors. People at home had the most influence on beliefs about ethics, while the individual's supervisor had the least impact. The results were discussed in terms of theories of moral development.

Department(s)

Information Technology and Cybersecurity
Management

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010744927551

Publication Date

6-1-2001

Journal Title

Journal of Business Ethics

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