This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of servant leadership and the ethical climate in an agricultural business. Using the Executive Servant Leadership Scale (ESLS) and the Ethical Climate Questionnaire (ECQ), the data was collected; full-time employees of an agricultural business, rating the servant leadership style of their managers in addition to the ethical work climate of their organisation. The survey was conducted on a convenience sample (N=151) representing a response rate of 63.3% from a sample of 240 employees. This study found a statistically significant correlation between the manager’s leadership style of servant leadership and the ethical work climate of the organisation. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study investigates the relationship between perceptions of servant leadership and the ethical climate in an agricultural business. Using the Executive Servant Leadership Scale (ESLS) and the Ethical Climate Questionnaire (ECQ), the data was collected; full-time employees of an agricultural business, rating the servant leadership style of their managers in addition to the ethical work climate of their organisation. The survey was conducted on a convenience sample (N=151) representing a response rate of 63.3% from a sample of 240 employees. This study found a statistically significant correlation between the manager’s leadership style of servant leadership and the ethical work climate of the organisation. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Moral distress is a negative emotional and somatic response to external constraints on moral action. The constraints are typically identified as a component of the work environment, called the ethical climate. Moral distress is identified as a primary reason for job attrition by up to one-quarter of registered nurses who leave their jobs. One strategy suggested to staff nurses who experience moral distress is to consult their Nurse Manager (NM). However, the moral distress of NMs who are employed in acute care hospitals is poorly understood. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine NMs' perceptions of the external constraints on moral agency, specifically the hospital ethical climate, which leads to their experience of moral distress and how attributes of the ethical climate facilitated or impeded resolution of their moral distress. Semi-structured, audio-recorded telephone interviews were conducted with 17 NMs from across United States. An interpretive description design using an iterative process between data collection and data analysis was used. Data were analyzed through descriptive coding and thematic analysis. The participants in this study were 15 women and 2 men with a mean age of 46.4 years. The mean length of time in their current positions was slightly less than 5 years. Of the 17 hospitals represented, 6 were affiliated with a university and 4 had a religious affiliation. Fifteen of 17 NMs described situations in which the implicit and explicit values of the hospital were incongruent with their personal moral values and professional ethics. Common themes describing factors contributing to moral distress were administrative policies, negative communication patterns and relationships with physicians, issues related to staff nurses, issues related to patients and families, and multiple competing job obligations. Respondents described strategies to navigate through their moral distress. The strategies included taking a positive perspective, seeking the advice of NM colleagues, reliance on a positive relationship with a supervisor, and talking it through with family members. For 5 of the 15 NMs who experienced moral distress, their final strategy included plans to resign from their positions. Issues within the ethical climate of the hospital that were perceived to contribute to the development of moral distress among this cohort of NMs differed from those reported for staff nurses. Further examination of strategies used by NMs to improve the ethical climate may yield insights into effective ways to address moral distress for this population.

Abstract Ethical mechanism is generated by taking ethical perception into business organization policy; ethical climate is developed by the application of ethical mechanism in business organization operation; and ethical behavior is created by ethical climate within an organization. Therefore, ethical mechanism, ethical climate and ethical behavior are closely related, and profoundly affect the operation and development of a business organization. This thesis is to study the relationship among ethical mechanism, ethical climate and ethical behavior within organization levels and cross-levels. The wealth management specialists working at 32 banks and 4 stock trading companies are the main object of this study, and the analysis demonstrated in this thesis is based on 36 questionnaires collected from managers and 298 questionnaires from practitioners. On organizational level, the study focuses on how ethics mechanism influences the formation of ethical climate. On cross-level, the effect of ethical climate on staff¡¦s ethical behavior is thoroughly studied. 1. In general, financial business adopts seven ethical mechanisms, which are code of ethics, rewards and punishments, promotion, ethics committee, audit system, employee selection and ethics training. 2. There are four types of ethical climate existent in financial business, which are compliance of regulations, employee caring, independent thinking, and personal interest. 3. There are three structures of ethical behavior, which are honesty, integrity, and obedience. 4. The Effect of Ethical Climate on Ethical Mechanism l The implementation of ethical mechanism such as code of ethics, ethics committee and audit are greatly beneficial to the formation of ethical climate of employee¡¦s compliance of regulations. l The implementation of audit for ethical mechanism is helpful for the formation of ethical climate of compliance of regulations and independent thinking. l Employee selection and ethics training rarely affect the formation of ethical climate of compliance of regulations, employee caring and independent thinking. l The ethical climate of personal interest is suppressed by the implementation of open and fair promotion. l Of all ethical mechanisms, promotion is the only one that affects the ethical climate of personal interest. 5. The Effect of Employee¡¦s Ethical Behavior on Ethical Climate l The ethical climate of compliance of regulations can upgrade employee¡¦s ethical behavior of honesty, integrity, and obedience. l The ethical climate of employee caring is helpful for employee¡¦s ethical behavior of integrity, and obedience. l The ethical climate of independent thinking directly affects the ethical behavior of obedience. l The ethical climate of personal interest is irrelevant to the employee¡¦s ethical behavior. l In all, the more emphasis laid on ethical climate, the more ethical behavior of obedience. Key word: ethical mechanism, ethical climate, ethical behavior

Abstract Nowadays, firms and corporate have came to realize that ethics is as important as innovation. As researches pointed that a great portion of business damage is done by white collar crimes (Bowman, 1984). Aside from preventing the happening of crime, firms must constantly come up with new ideas in order to provide useful products for their consumers in order to survive in a vicious and competitive market (Johne, 1999). Under the pressure of having to live up to two harsh demands, not many have dedicated to the research in explore the relation of ethics and innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explore if there is any direct relationship between two among many recognize competitive advantages of present day firms. The result of this research demonstrated that there is no linear relation between organizational ethical climate and innovation. However, this research point out other variables that influence organizational ethical climate and further narrow down the possibilities of variables that might of have an influence on innovation.

A quantitative research project was conducted at all public and private colleges and universities in the state of Maryland to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and ethical climate among higher education administrators. An online survey was completed by 278 higher education administrators working in public and private colleges in Maryland during the 2016 fall semester. Survey results were analyzed in conjunction with participant characteristics, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and ethical climates. Data were analyzed using MANOVA, Chi-Square, and descriptive statistics. Findings indicate that the perceptions of ethical climate differed significantly by job satisfaction, gender and administrative position. A median split was performed on the composite score of job satisfaction. The median was calculated at 69.00. Scores below the median indicate respondents have low job satisfaction and scores above the median indicate respondents have high job satisfaction. A benevolent ethical climate is significantly associated with job satisfaction. Egoism is significantly associated with organizational commitment. Respondents with high organizational commitment favored an egoistic ethical climate. A significant difference in ethical climate existed by gender with men reporting significantly more principled ethical climate responses than women. Ethical climate also significantly differed by administrative position where deans and directors favored a principled ethical climate compared to Vice Presidents. The study is important because few researchers have evaluated job satisfaction through the lens of organizational commitment and ethical climate. Therefore, the study contributes to the existing literature related to job satisfaction among higher education administrators. Organizational commitment and ethical climate may impact overall job satisfaction among higher education administrators.

Astract The purpose of the research aims at exlporing the relationship of organizational ethical climate, the principles of medical ethic and the performances of medical behavior and hope to get some findings that will benefit the managers and decresae the medical disputes. The major findings are summarized as follows: 1. The more health care workers pay attention to the principles of medical ethic of nonmaleficence¡Bautonomy and beneficence, the better the performances of medical behavior are. 2. The more health care workers emphasize the importance of the principle of medical ethic of justice, the less the breakout of injustice. 3. The more hospitals put emphasis on the importance of climates of law and code¡Bcaring¡Brules, the better the performances of medical behavior are 4. While Instrumental climate is obvious, the outbreak of the injustice is easier. 5. Compared with others technicians, administrants, and nutritionists, doctors and nurses feel less the climate of caring. 6. The higher the climates of law and code¡Brules that hospital managers conducted are, the lower the climates of caring and instrumental are. 7. Those who are seniors show the climates of law and code¡Brules more, while those who are older also show the climate of the rules.. 8. The invasion of autonomy in the climate of performances of medical behavior is the most serious. 9. Those health care workers with a bachelor¡¦s degree feel less the climate of law and code.

The aim of the study was to analyse and to evaluate ethical climate in Kaunas Sanciai outpatient clinic. Tasks – to evaluate ethical climate in Kaunas Sanciai outpatient clinic; to determine and evaluate ethical climate relationship between varies workers group depending from age, education, work expierence; to identify mostly occurred ethical disturbances in Kaunas Sanciai outpatient clinic. Methods. Investigative were workers (n=237) of Kaunas Sanciai outpatient clinic, interviewed in October-November 2005. The data analysis was performed in 233 (98.3%) persons, using MS Excel and EpiInfo 6.0 statistical programme packages. Results. The major part of Kaunas Sanciai outpatient clinic workers the ethical climate evaluate positive: 77.3% respondents answer, that in the outpatient clinic predominant confidence and honor ambience, 91.9% of persons answer, that each workers committed for own decisions, 73.0% of respondents answer, that predominant friendliness, 67.8% of workers aggreed with affirmation, that the directors of outpatient clinic promote ethical behavior, so the directors are ethical decorum example in 85.5% of persons. Majority (81.1%) respondents answer, that in the outpatient clinic necessary organization members ethical education. Majority of youngest persons and working until one year disagreed with affirmation, that each workers commited for own decision, that in the outpatient clinic predominant friendliness, that organization directors promote workers ethical... [to full text]

Using organizational theory, this research study examines whether a firm's business strategy influences the ethical culture and climate within the organization, and thus explains why a firm's business strategy may ultimately contribute toward an increased risk of financial misreporting. This study develops from recent research which finds that companies following an innovative, risk-oriented Prospector business strategy are significantly more likely to experience financial reporting irregularities, despite increased audit effort levels. To examine the research question, both survey and archival methods are employed. Using a large-scale research survey, I find two subset groups of Prospector firms where a smaller (larger) group is significantly associated with a less (more) ethical culture and climate, which offer insights into why companies following a Prospector business strategy continue to experience irregularities despite auditors' efforts. Results suggest auditors may not be able to distinguish between the two sets of Prospectors and thus may direct higher audit efforts too generally at Prospector firms rather than at the smaller set of firms with less ethical cultures and climates?i.e., firms more prone to rationalizing less ethical behavior. I also find that firms pursing a second type of strategy, a transitory Reactor strategy, are consistently associated with a negative ethical culture and climate. For a subset of public companies which can be linked to archival data, I find evidence to suggest that companies with less (more) ethical climates are associated with an increased (reduced) risk of financial misreporting while controlling for incentive and opportunity factors. I continue to find evidence that companies following a Prospector business strategy are associated with greater risks of misreporting, confirming prior research. Altogether, my findings suggest several antecedents for firms experiencing greater risk of financial statement misreporting and provide evidence regarding the third leg of the auditing fraud triangle (rationalization).

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The current study was motivated by the need to establish the factors that predispose leaders to engage in counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs) in organisations. Corporate scandals continue to rise unabated and their damage to organisations financially, is unendurable, hence the need to mitigate them so that organisations can thrive under the harsh economic conditions that have ravaged the global economies in recent history. Evidence from the literature shows that leadership plays a significant role in combating CWBs in organisations therefore making it an integral component under the current study