Magister Commercii - MCom (Business and Finance) / This master's thesis report is a record of my action research study conducted at a traditional bank in South Africa. The report follows a narrative writing style. It contains my personal learnings and reflections. In it I record my practices aimed at promoting Islamic banking products of a traditional bank. In undertaking this action research, I employed interventions whereby I improved my own learning and behaviour through practice. This action research took place within the customer facing division of a national traditional bank in the Western Cape. While conducting my situational analysis, I found that front-line employees lacked knowledge and awareness about Islamic banking products, which negatively impacted their attitude and willingness to promote the Islamic banking offering. As the action research progressed, another concern was identified, namely, the lack of awareness of Islamic banking by customers. In order to guide activities that are directed at improving the behaviour of front-line employees and customers, I drew insights from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) by Icek Ajzen (1991) for my theoretical framework. Observations, interviews and interview schedules were used to collect data and continuously analysed using content analysis and univariate analysis for the respective data types. Evidence was generated by measuring the data against a standard of judgments as required for an action research project. This resulted in the identification of key factors that influence front-line employees' willingness to promote the Islamic banking products. These factors were their attitudes and perceived behavioural control. It was further identified that the lack of awareness by customers had a negative impact on their attitudes towards using the Islamic banking offering. Both issues were addressed, by following the cyclical approach of action research. In order to influence front-line employees' behaviour, with the support of the necessary stakeholders, I implemented internal marketing programmes such as training and development. To increase the level of customer awareness, I implemented activities directed at external customers such as brochures and poster displays within branches. The study finds that through my ethical and political practices, front-line employees were motivated and stakeholders actively participated in planning and executing interventions designed to improve the performance of Islamic banking sales. The practices implemented by myself, as an Islamic banking product champion, were identified as a key influence in the promotion of Islamic banking. I also identified that senior management and middle management influenced front-line employees' acceptance and implementation of internal marketing practices.

Yes / This paper proposes a model to explain what makes organisations ethically vulnerable. Drawing upon legitimacy, institutional, agency and individual moral reasoning theories we consider three sets of explanatory factors and examine their association with organisational ethical vulnerability. The three sets comprise external institutional context, internal corporate governance mechanisms and organisational ethical infrastructure. We combine these three sets of factors and develop an analytical framework for classifying ethical issues and propose a new model of organisational ethical vulnerability. We test our model on a sample of 253 firms that were involved in ethical misconduct and compare them with a matched sample of the same number of firms from 28 different countries. The results suggest that weak regulatory environment and internal corporate governance combined with profitability warnings or losses in the preceding year increase organisational ethical vulnerability. We find counterintuitive evidence suggesting that firms’ involvement in bribery and corruption prevention training programmes is positively associated with the likelihood of ethical vulnerability. By synthesising insights about individual and corporate behaviour from multiple theories, this study extends existing analytical literature on business ethics. Our findings have implications for firms’ external regulatory settings, corporate governance mechanisms and organisational ethical infrastructure.

Yes / Sharing economy is flourishing and increasingly customers are shifting towards “using instead of owning” products and services. The objective of our research is to empirically prove that low organizational trust can trigger strict organizational practices such as ethics training and audits but excessive use of both of these practices can negatively impact the relationship quality in sharing economy. In doing so, it has detrimental effects on co-creation and co-innovation particularly when the goals are related to emotional cognitive, material support and relationship building. This study, therefore, targets to scrutinize the dark side of B2B sharing economy platforms using the ethical theory of organizing. The unique contribution of this study is first, showcasing the relationships between ethical climate, ethical practices and consequences. Second, it highlights that B2B alliances that perceive strictness in ethics audits have a low level of willingness to enhance relationship quality. However, the effect of strictness in ethics training does not lead to the development of a low level of willingness to enhance relationship quality. This is an interesting finding and generates a theoretical debate. The findings of the study will promote the development of an ethical model that addresses the negative aspects of the B2B sharing economy. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 06 Oct 2024.

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Submitted by Marlene Santos (marlene.bc.ufg@gmail.com) on 2016-06-08T18:06:20Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cristina Machado Oliveira Santos - 2016.pdf: 1768416 bytes, checksum: 95cd5044b63e0689c783a51332cb2148 (MD5) license_rdf: 19874 bytes, checksum: 38cb62ef53e6f513db2fb7e337df6485 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2016-06-09T11:25:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cristina Machado Oliveira Santos - 2016.pdf: 1768416 bytes, checksum: 95cd5044b63e0689c783a51332cb2148 (MD5) license_rdf: 19874 bytes, checksum: 38cb62ef53e6f513db2fb7e337df6485 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-09T11:25:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Márcia Cristina Machado Oliveira Santos - 2016.pdf: 1768416 bytes, checksum: 95cd5044b63e0689c783a51332cb2148 (MD5) license_rdf: 19874 bytes, checksum: 38cb62ef53e6f513db2fb7e337df6485 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-07 / This research aimed to apprehend primarily possibilities, limits, actions and functions of the philosophical knowledge for ethics and practical teachers’ training of Educational Support Services Specialized (AEE), the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children (APAE) of Goiania. The central question of this study was to investigate whether initial training courses for teachers take into account the ethics of teaching and what consequences it brings to the practice of teaching students with disabilities. To understand and respond to this question, the concepts of ethics in Kant and Defectology in Vygotsky were taken as references, along with the Laws that conduct the Special Education in Brazil. Due to its characteristics, this research was called applied quantitative and qualitative nature (LUDKE; ANDRÉ, 1986), with bibliographical sources, document analysis and questionnaires. First, the training in higher education of the AEE teachers from the APAE of Goiânia was identified and subsequently conducted a data survey of the Pedagogical Political Project and their graduation and specialization courses in order to realize the presence or not of the philosophical and ethical training in their curricula as well as teaching professional profile desired. The total of eighteen professionals who make up the AEE framework of APAE/Goiânia 13 participated (seven teachers, five graduates in Physical Education and an audiologist ) which responded to the three blocks of questions about ethics and its make daily school. The results were presented through graphs and charts, and analyzes raised that although the theme "Ethics" is not linear and clearly specified in the PPC's of their courses, these teachers consider very important the contributions of philosophical knowledge to professional ethics training, and they expressed concern over an ethical school for students with disabilities. Therefore it was possible to consider that the values, the ethical behavior of each individual are seized from stimuli issued by the family, peer groups, beyond the formal school environment. It is noteworthy the considerations of the teachers refer to think of a philosophy in constant dialogue with the practice, with the classroom with the student. In this response teachers indicated ethical values present in their actions and towards the learning and development of their pupils, emphasizing respect for differences; respect for the student, the family, culture and disability; responsibility and commitment to the work. Providing think that ethics is inclusion, is to recognize the students as subjects, considering the human being, consisting of desire, needs, potentials and limits and not to enhance the disabilities. Concluding it can be said that the ethics and teacher training are now issues that are at stake, so it is necessary to consider how they belong in the process of training and teaching practice, because the teaching profession requires attitudes, decisions and actions that have ethical implications. The teacher needs to be more attentive and prepared to ethical issues, because he often faces dilemmas, decisions, rights of them and students. Ethics is a content of philosophy, is a knowledge facing the "must- be" in this sense, it is important to support the concepts and the actions of teachers. And as a result of this investigation, which qualifies a applied research in the chapter entitled Ethics and Continuing Education in APAE is a proposal for a study group aiming to contribute to this ongoing transformation. / Esta pesquisa buscouapreender, prioritariamente, possibilidades, limites, ações e funções do saber filosófico para a formação ética e prática de professores do Atendimento Educacional Especializado (AEE), na Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais (APAE) de Goiânia. A questão central deste estudo foiinvestigar secursos de formação inicial e continuada de professores levam em conta a ética na docência e queconsequências isto traz para a prática de ensino de alunos com deficiência. Para compreender e responder a esta pergunta, foram tomados como referência os conceitos de Ética, em Kant, e de Defectologia, em Vygotsky, bem como as Leis que regem a Educação Especial, no Brasil. Por suas características, esta pesquisa foi aplicada de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa (LUDKE; ANDRÉ, 1986), com base em fontes bibliográficas, análise documental e aplicação de questionários. Primeiramente, foi identificada a formação em nível superior dos professores do AEE da APAE de Goiânia e, posteriormente, realizado um levantamento de dados dos Projetos Políticos Pedagógicos deseus cursos de graduação e especialização, a fim de percebera presença ou/não da formação filosófico-ética em seus currículos, bem como o perfil profissional docente almejado. Do total de dezoito profissionais que compõem o quadro do AEE da APAE/Goiânia, trezeparticiparam (sete pedagogos, cinco licenciados em Educação Física e um fonoaudiólogo), os quaisresponderam aos três blocos de perguntas sobre ética e seu fazer escolar diário. Os resultados foram apresentados por meio de gráficos e quadros, e suas análises suscitaram a ideia de que, embora o tema “Ética” não esteja linear e claramente especificado nos PPC’s de seuscursos, esses professoresconsideraram muito importante as contribuições dos saberes filosóficos para a formação ética profissionale demonstraram preocupação com um fazer escolar ético no ensino para alunos com deficiência. Assim, foi possível considerar que os valores e a conduta ética do indivíduo são apreendidos a partir de estímulos emitidos pela família, grupos de convivência, além do ambiente escolar formal. Destaca-se que as considerações dos professores remetem a pensar numa filosofia em diálogo constante com a prática, com a sala de aula, com o aluno. Nessa resposta, os professores indicaram os valores éticos presentes nas suas ações, na direção da aprendizagem e no desenvolvimento dos seus alunos, destacando o respeito às diferenças; respeito pelo aluno, pela família, pela cultura e por sua deficiência; responsabilidade e compromisso com o trabalho. Essas respostas propiciaram o pensamento de que ética é inclusão, é reconhecer o aluno como sujeito, considerando o ser humano, constituído de desejos, necessidades, potencialidades e limites e a não valorizar a deficiência. Finalizando, tornou-se possível afirmar que a ética e a formação docente são hoje assuntos que estão em pauta. Sendo assim, é preciso considerar como eles se pertencem no processo da formação e na prática docente, pois o exercício da docência requer atitudes, decisões e ações que têm implicações éticas. O docente precisa estar mais atento e preparado para lidar com as questões éticas, pois, com frequência, depara-se com dilemas, decisões, direitos seus e dos alunos. A ética é um conteúdo da filosofia, é um saber voltado para o “dever-ser”. Nesse sentido, ela é importante para fundamentar as concepções e as ações dos docentes. E, como resultado desta investigação, que se qualifica como uma pesquisa aplicada no capítulo intitulado “Ética e Formação Continuada na APAE”, foi apresentada uma proposta de Grupo de Estudo objetivando colaborar para esta permanente transformação.

Ethics was identified by the Ethiopian government as one of the areas requiring attention and was made an integral part of the ongoing Civil Service Reform Program since 1996. Despite the reform efforts that have been going on for about two decades, no rigorous academic and empirical research has been conducted to understand the nature and depth of the problems. Moreover, the theoretical discourses in the general literature and the national efforts made by the government and its development partners also emphasize on the structural and procedural issues of ethics, giving little focus to the behavioural components or dimensions of ethics of civil servants. The purpose of this study was to investigate and critically analyse the nature and dynamics of work ethics in the Ethiopian civil service; and to assess the ethical environment within which the public sector operates in the country. Mixed research method was applied. Questionnaires were used to collect primary quantitative data from two groups of research participants – civil servants and the service users; whereas primary qualitative data were collected employing in-depth interviews from managers and key experts in the field. Data from secondary sources were also used. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive analysis. The qualitative ones were analysed using the qualitative data analysis technique with the emphasis on the phenomenological approach. The study showed that there is clearly growing awareness of ethical challenges within the civil service, though a fundamental change in the ethical conduct of the employees is not yet realized. It is also found out that there is no problem of legislation and policy frameworks; rather the problem lies in the weak implementation and enforcement of them. Leadership behaviour, absence of strong institutions, poor accountability system, poor remuneration and politicization of the civil service were identified as the biggest challenges to foster ethical conduct. Accordingly, it is suggested that the government play a key role in addressing the problems that hamper the effective implementation of the reform efforts. Other stakeholders such as the civic society organizations, religious institutions, the private sector, schools and the general public should also work closely with the government. Ensuring ethical conduct requires synergy of all actors, ranging from ordinary citizens to high-level decision-making bodies. / Business Management / D.B.L.