D.Comm. / South African organisations seem to do very little to enhance business ethics, nor do they seem to promote employees' ethical behaviour. The possibility that the human resource management (HRM) practitioner may act as facilitator of organisational ethical behaviour was proposed as a possible solution to the aforementioned problem. This possibili~y was formulated in the form of a research question. An interdisciplinary approach which consisted of the fields of business ethics and industrial psychology, with the latter being operationalised as human resource management (HRM), was applied as theoretical foundation. It was also decided to utilise a literature study as research method. The analysis was conducted at the micro level, i.e. the intra-organisational level of business ethics analysis. The type of ethical analysis chosen for this purpose was descriptive ethics. An exploration of the importance of business ethics, and the necessity to do something about it, yielded, the following findings amongst others: empirical proof that ethics is also good business exists, it is a cost-effective option to invest in morality, and the cost of immorality is frighteningly high. It was also found that it is indeed possible to learn ethical behaviour in an organisational setting. This may be accomplished as a result of the reciprocity of social interaction which presupposes moral learning. The aspects that determine ethical behaviour in organisations were categorised as individual, external environmental and organisational determinants. Managerial interventions which can be applied at the strategic and systems levels to facilitate ethical behaviour and to create an ethical organisational culture, were identified and described. An analysis of the nature and role of the HRM function in organisations, as well as a critical exploration of the question relating to the possible role of the HRM practitioner being the most suitable candidate to assume responsibility for managing ethics in organisations, revealed that the practitioner does indeed have such a role. HRM practitioners have a responsibility for human ethical behaviour, by virtue of their knowledge of and functional involvement with human behaviour in the organisational setting. It was further determined that the HRM practitioner features as the most prominent contender to facilitate ethical behaviour in the organisation. HRM practitioners may use the principle of stewardship as the main source of energy in the establishment of an ethical orientation to enable them to facilitate ethical organisational behaviour at the strategic, systems and operational levels. Should the HRM practitioner assume such a role, a number of attitudinal, competence and accountability implications may apply. In addition to this, several factors that may inhibit the optimal fulfillment of this "new" role were identified, e.g. generic factors, factors specific to the HRM profession as well as factors unique to the South African situation. The most significant finding of this research endeavour was that despite their existing high workload, HRM practitioners are the suitable candidates to act as business ethics functionaries, e.g. as organisational ethics officers. This finding remains valid irrespective of the possibilities that this may only be a temporary• role and that practitioners may not necessarily embrace this role without reservation. The role was explained by means of a descriptive model. It is shown in the model how certain determinants (as inputs), can be transformed by practitioners possessing a specific orientation and attributes, to produce certain outcomes, which may be typified as characteristics of an ethical organisation. This transformation is executed despite the presence of some inhibiting factors.

Employee engagement is an essential driver to obtaining more effective, motivated employee participation and improved business performance. Perceived company ethics and remuneration package satisfaction are significant yet potentially conflicting forces on employee engagement, as companies may pursue higher financial rewards through unethical ways. This research answers the grand challenge in terms of which one of the employee engagement influencing forces of perceived company ethics and remuneration package satisfaction are stronger influences by using a quantitative approach. The financial services industry has been exposed recently for various unethical practice scandals as well as having its excessive remuneration levels being highlighted. By understanding the forces of employee engagement better, this provides financial services companies with a better informed view as to where their focus should be. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The main objective of this project is to identify whether personality traits relate to the major moral categories of Deontology and the two subcategories of Teleology, namely Egoism and Utilitarianism. Chronological Age, the three personality traits of Allocentrism, Machiavellianism and Long-Term Orientation, and the moderating variable of Biological Sex were analyzed with multinomial logistic regression to predict a respondent's justification of moral philosophy across three different scenarios. Although none of the variables were significant predictors across all three scenarios, Machiavellianism significantly predicted a respondent's choice in a confidentiality scenario, and the interaction between Allocentrism and Biological Sex were partially significant predictors for a personal income tax evasion scenario, and Chronological Age was a significant predictor for a bribery scenario and a partially significant predictor for the personal income tax evasion scenario. The results suggest that personality traits can act as significant predictors for the justification of moral acts in specific situations, but the significance of predictability depends on difference contexts.

The field of cybersecurity is relatively uncharted by rhetoricians and sociologists but nevertheless laden with terminological assumptions, violent metaphors, and ethical conflicts. This study explores the discourse surrounding the morally contentious practice of hackers selling software vulnerabilities to third parties instead of disclosing them to the affected technology companies. Drawing on grounded theory, I utilize a combination of quantitative word-level analysis and qualitative coding to assess how notions of right and wrong on this topic are framed by three groups: 1) the hackers themselves, 2) technology companies, and 3) reporters. The results show that the most commonly constructed argument was based on a "greater good" ethic, in which rhetors argue for reducing risk to "us all" or to innocent computer users. Additionally, the technology companies and hackers assiduously build their ethos to increase their trustworthiness in the public mind. Ultimately, studying this unexplored area of "gray hat hacking" has important implications for policymakers creating new cybersecurity legislation, reporters attempting to accurately frame the debate, and information technology professionals whose livelihoods are affected by evolving social norms. / Master of Arts

Business ethics is a much debated issue in contemporary America. As many ethical improprieties gained widespread attention, organizations tried to control the damage by institutionalizing ethics through a variety of structures, policies, and procedures. Although the institutionalization of ethics has become popular in corporate America, there is a lack of research in this area. The relationship between the cultural dimensions of individualism/collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity/femininity and the perceptions of managers regarding the institutionalization of ethics is investigated in this study. This research also examined whether managers' level of cognitive moral development and locus of control influenced their perceptions. Data collection was performed through a mail survey of managers in the U.S. and India. Out of the 174 managers of American multinationals who responded to the survey, 86 were Americans and 88 were Indians. Results revealed that managers' perceptions were influenced by the four cultural dimensions. Managerial perceptions regarding the effectiveness of codes of ethics and the influence of referent groups varied according to their nationality. But, managers from both countries found implicit forms of institutionalizing ethics, such as organizational systems, culture, and leadership to be more effective in raising the ethical climate of organizations than explicit forms such as codes of ethics, ethics officers, and ethics ombudspeople. The results did not support the influence of moral reasoning level and locus of control type on managerial perceptions. The results suggested that in order for ethics institutionalization efforts to be successful, there must be a fit or compatibility between the implicit and explicit forms of institutionalizing ethics. The significance of this study rests on the fact that it enriched our understanding of how national culture affects managerial perceptions regarding the institutionalization of ethics. This is the first comparative study between U.S. managers and Indian managers that examines the variables, both explicit and implicit, which influence how ethical values are cultivated and perpetuated in organizations.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Educational Studies

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate what Tennessee community colleges were currently doing in preparing students in the area of business ethics. The study explored preparedness of faculty members in teaching business ethics, motivations for teaching business ethics, preferred methods of business ethics instruction, proportion of time devoted to teaching business ethics, and faculty member perceptions of responsibility, importance, and effectiveness of teaching business ethics. Personal and professional demographic factors were collected, such as age, gender, degree earned, teaching experience. These were useful in developing a profile of business faculty members in the 13 Tennessee community colleges. An on line survey was designed to gather information to address the research questions in the study. The survey consisted of 14 questions with areas for comments and remarks from faculty members. Based upon the findings, conclusions have been drawn. The typical business faculty member is male, 56 years of age or older, teaching in higher education 16 years or longer, holding a masters degree as his highest academic achievement, and holding the current academic position of associate professor. Over two-thirds of the faculty members devoted 10% or less of their class time teaching business ethics. Eighty-five percent of the faculty members have had some business ethics training taking courses and attending workshops. It appears that the business faculty members in Tennessee community colleges are well prepared to teach business ethics. The most preferred method of teaching business ethics was the use of real-life cases, followed by discussion, and hypothetical cases. Ninety-six percent of the business faculty members perceived some degree of responsibility, 100% business faculty members perceived some degree of importance in teaching business ethics. Over two-thirds perceived business ethics instruction not to be effective, somewhat effective, or unsure. Recommendations for faculty include: commit, train, establish goals and objectives, develop effective instructional methods, put program into place, and evaluate its effectiveness. Recommendations for further research include: explore any changes from this study, include other states for comparison, go beyond the specific areas in this study, and conduct a study focused on measuring the effectiveness of business ethics education.

The disproportionate power base held by a few dominant firms within an industry provides the basis for market abuse through, price-fixing and/or market sharing arrangements or other discriminatory practices. Societal welfare benefits are believed to derive from a competitive market hence the justification for competition policy to regulate firm behaviour consistent with a competitive outcome. The imposition of fines and/or imprisonment is the prescribed means used in its enforcement. Whilst Western industrialised economies have a long-established tradition of competition policy, it is not unproblematic. Most developing economies have fairly recently embarked on this journey and are discovering the extent to which issues can arise. Global research has centred on long-standing national competition policies and relied on economics principles to explain performance. The research presented in this investigation pursues an inter-disciplinary approach in the examination of the African and Caribbean experience. Multiple case studies provide the socio-economic context and the rich detail enabling generalisations of the environmental impact on the efficacy of competition policy. The research incorporates non-economic factors — governance and ethics — in addition to structural issues. The findings assign a critical role to governance in enabling the success of competition policy. Notwithstanding the limited database to economies which have both a competition policy and sufficient data, the investigation remains of relevance to both practitioners and academics. The research facilitates global discussion beyond strictly economic principles to embrace greater consideration of institutional arrangements in policy design. In particular the findings provide policy-makers in developing countries with a clear indication of critical determining factors impacting on competition policy efficacy and provides the basis for improved policy design