In the trends of democratization, informationalization and globalization, the internet has compressed the circulation speed of strategies and concepts and linked different places of the world on the same network. Thus, in recent years many countries of the world never stop making administrative reforms and stressing the styles and abilities of full-range moral character management of high-rank civil servants so as to promote the administrative quality of the government and the civic aesthetics, strengthen the administrative and information ethics, and establish a good system for excellent democratic administration. In the process of social development and transformation of Taiwan, high-rank civil servants bear the responsibilities of leading the decisions as well as realizing and deepening the democratic administration. After the change of ruling party of Taiwan in 2000, the issues about high-rank civil servants¡¦ identification with the reforms of the party-state system and with Taiwan became the focuses of concern in different circles. In fact high-rank civil servants are not only the policy implementers, but also the policy-makers. The roles they are playing are very significant. In a democratized civic society, the democratic value that democratic administration pursues, the operation principles and the construction mechanism have to be formulated in order to create more solid civic power and human power, enhance the competitiveness of Taiwan, and investigate the internal qualities, techniques, styles and attainments of the moral character management of high-rank civil servants. In the 21st century the abilities that talents should possess include studying ability, personal ability and civic ability. Among these abilities, civic ability is most important. Civic ability includes such personal abilities as responsibility, self-discipline, honesty, etc. as well as the abilities to respect others, to accept and appreciate diversified cultures. Unfortunately, our society only emphasizes studying ability. Therefore, this study focuses the investigation on how to strengthen the employment, selection and moral character management of high-rank civil servants at the stage of government system reconstruction and administrative reforms. The study reviews the related literature of different areas and also the local and foreign research reports collected in the internet, and absorbs the experience of businesses, so as to remind the high-rank civil servants¡¦ mission of stressing moral character management, and arouse their identification with and loyalty to Taiwan. High-rank civil servants should be able to self-consciously make use of executive power to improve the bureaucratic system. Through education, democratic legal system can be propagated, promoting the effectiveness of democratic administration, strengthening the practicing of moral character management, achieving administrative reforms and political neutralization, deepening democratic quality, enlarging the democratic society, and creating advantageous situation for Taiwan.

Moral courage captures one's ability to do 'what is right' for 'the greater good' in situations where doing so involves personal danger, risks, or difficulties (Detert & Bruno, 2017; Rate, 2010). Recognizing the organizational and social benefits of moral courage, management researchers and practitioners alike encourage business students and employees to engage in morally courageous behaviours (Comer & Sekerka, 2018; Sekerka & Godwin, 2010). However, we lack the understanding of how others perceive and react to organizational members' acts of moral courage (Detert & Bruno, 2017). This dissertation examines how individuals react to displays of workplace moral courage. I argue that although by and large people do respond favourably towards employees who engage in workplace moral courage, the extent to which such responses are (un)favourable is dependent on characteristics of both the actor (i.e., gender) and the observer (i.e., social dominance orientation). I conduct three pilot studies and three hypotheses testing studies as part of my dissertation. The hypotheses testing studies include two experimental designs and one field-survey design and examine both peer- and supervisor responses to employees' acts of moral courage. While the effects of actor's gender and observers' social dominance orientation on observers' reactions towards workplace moral courage did not fully replicate across all three studies, the pattern of the findings was generally consistent.

The ability to correctly judge moral character—an individual’s disposition to think, feel, and behave ethically—is critical considering the negative consequences of misjudgment (e.g., being betrayed or swindled). However, it is currently unknown whether people can reliably detect strangers’ moral character, nor is it known how to best elicit relevant information from strangers to determine their moral character. This research is designed to remedy this dearth in our understanding of moral character judgments, particularly in settings where we need to make prompt evaluations of strangers based on limited information that we obtained from them. The biggest challenge in assessing another person’s moral character is that it is extremely socially desirable, and therefore highly susceptible to distorted self-perceptions and impression management. To address this problem, I propose and test a new person-perception theory: the hidden information distribution and evaluation (HIDE) model. In chapter 1, I develop the HIDE model, which posits that there are aspects of information that individuals do not correctly know about themselves (which I call the hiddenself), as well as aspects of information individuals misrepresent to others (which I call the hiding-self). This model articulates when and why judges (i.e., evaluators) not personally acquainted with targets of evaluation (e.g., job applicants) can reliably detect these targets’ moral character and predict their future unethical behavior. In particular, I propose that the impromptu thinking and language usage that arises when a person answers specially designed interview questions reveal information about his/her hidden-self and hiding-self, enabling a group of judges to make valid judgments about his/her moral character. Additionally, the HIDE model predicts that judges’ evaluations using this written interview method will be more valid than evaluations provided by targets’ acquaintances. This is because social relationships can lead people to form biased impressions of targets they are acquainted with, so that they are unable to see the targets’ hidden selves as clearly as judges who do not know the targets. In chapter 2, I test the HIDE model’s prediction that groups of judges can reliably predict targets’ unethical behavior by evaluating their moral character using the written interview method. In studies 1 and 2, large groups of judges were crowd-sourced online. I show that their average moral character evaluations successfully predicts targets’ frequency of unethical behaviors in the laboratory (study 1) and the workplace (study 2). Study 3 extends these findings by determining the minimum number of judges (six) required to make moral character evaluations that predict unethical behavior. In chapter 3, I test the HIDE model’s prediction that judges’ evaluations based on the written interview method can capture unique information about targets’ hidden-self. Three empirical studies (studies 4, 5, and 6) show that these evaluations indeed capture unique variance in targets’ moral character that is missed by both self-reports and ratings provided by targets’ acquaintances. Consequently, these evaluations are more predictive of targets’ unethical behavior than the ratings provided by either the targets themselves or their acquaintances. In chapter 4, I investigate the HIDE model’s prediction that judges’ evaluations using the written interview method can capture unique information about targets’ hiding-self. This occurs because responses to the interview questions reveal implicit aspects of moral character that targets cannot control or fake, even when they want to. In study 7, I manipulated whether targets had an incentive to answer the interview questions in a positively biased manner. I show that judges’ evaluations of targets (based on the interview questions) are actually more predictive of their unethical behavior when targets were motivated to respond in a positively biased manner. Finally, in chapter 5, I carried out text analyses to explore how human judges utilize linguistic cues in written responses to form impressions of moral character, and how these cues predict targets’ unethical behavior. The goal of this chapter is to identify linguistic cues that human judges fail to correctly detect or utilize, and thus to identify shared biases in human perceptions of ethicality. Building on these exploratory text analyses, I discuss the future directions of this research program, especially the potential value of combining human judgments and machine algorithms to boost the accuracy of unethical behavior forecasts.

Abstract A government free from corruption is the foundation of a country¡¦s competitiveness, and therefore the degree of incorruption is a major criterion to use when the effectiveness and efficiency of a country¡¦s governmental administration are to be judged. In fact, corruption prevention has long been a universal issue. For decades, our country has invested much in corruption prevention with certain advancements achieved, and yet the achievements still fall far behind people¡¦s expectations. The codes of ethics for government officials have been moving from hollow moral appeals towards concrete, detailed behavioral norms, and some have even become laws. However, we are still quite a distance from corruption prevention law completion and full-scale practice. Since the promulgation of the codes of ethics for government officials by the Administrative Yuan in 1994, there have been codes for government officials to follow when it comes to lobbying, banqueting, and bribery, but disappointingly, corruption has not been suppressed by much. So far, quite a number of studies can be referred to that are focused on common individual¡¦s ethical behavioral decision-making, and a variety of factors have been identified that affect the decisions. However, hardly any integrity-related behavioral decision-making models have been established especially for government officials. In this thesis, on the basis of L. K. Trevino¡¦s Person-Situation Interactionist Model, the author aims to explore the correlations among different factors that affect government official ethical behaviors so as to thereby offer more practical corruption prevention suggestions. This thesis analyzes personal factors, environmental factors, and the developmental stages of ethical awareness. In addition, indicators to these factors have been extracted from the literature concerned and put together into a questionnaire, which was filled out by Penghu County government officials. As a result, 424 valid questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed, revealing the following facts: 1. Government official attributes: including individual attributes and group attributes. Sex, age, seniority, education, and rank of position are the five individual-

This thesis argues that Kant has a viable, intellectualist account of moral character that is much richer and more interesting than has often been thought. This account is consistent with his broader practical philosophy, in particular, his account of moral worth. Chapter one establishes that Kant has a theory of education on which a child's inclinations are to be trained in preparation for her to grasp the moral law and acquire full moral agency. It argues that his account of habit is complex, recognizing a kind of moral value that is broader than his definition of moral worth. Chapter two argues that sympathy is, for Kant, a primarily cognitive disposition of special importance; this is because it provides knowledge of how the moral law applies in particular circumstances, therefore enabling an agent to fulfill her duties toward others. This chapter also resolves a puzzle concerning Kant's dual concept of character (as both intelligible and empirical) by drawing an analogy with one account of weakness of will. Chapter three develops an account of moral worth that incorporates these more palatable elements of Kant's account of moral character with the seemingly more austere elements familiar from the Groundwork. This theory allows for positive, participating inclinations alongside ascriptions of moral worth. Further, it introduces a distinction between full and mitigated moral worth, to account for agents who, for example, act rightly but for confused reasons as in the case of Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Chapter four responds to two objections to Kant on the basis of moral demandingness, one concerning psychological integration and personal relationships, the other concerning the value of non-moral goods more broadly. It then responds to some objections to his account of the highest good, or the idea of a world in which happiness is distributed in proportion to virtue.

The current Afro-communitarianism (AC) articulation and analysis of botho is characterised by two main approaches. First it treats botho as if it is a universal concept that can be expounded independently in a theoretical manner devoid of any specific cultural perspective that give it meaning and authority. Second it abstracts the Sesotho proverb “motho ke motho ka batho” (MKKB) from the rest of Sesotho narrative elevating it as foundational to the definition and meaning of the concept, where a particular reading of this proverb has come to be taken as the quintessential articulation of the meaning of this concept. This thesis problematizes this account within the context of Sesotho culture from which the proverb derives. Firstly, it rejects the abstraction and exceptionalism of MKKB as poor scholarship and a deficiency in the knowledge of the ethical significance of narratives in Sesotho culture, arguing that this is an unjustified abstraction of MKKB from Sesotho narratives inconsistent with how proverbs are interpreted and used. It asserts that MKKB is best understood not in isolation, but within the context of the unity of African narratives and their meaning and unique role as the chief means of moral education into botho. Secondly, the thesis questions the dominance of one specific reading of Ubuntu in the current botho discourse and the privileged status this reading has enjoyed over other, equally justified, interpretations. It argues for a definition of botho (moral personhood ) based on the definition of this term as a moral statement describing good admirable moral qualities of character of motho. The study thus starts from the premise that talk about botho turns out to be talk about character of motho because botho cannot be fully realised independently of the characters of individuals who make it a reality. The study recommends a character centric definition of botho as a fresh alternative, where an understanding of the possession of botho by motho, entails inculcation of makhabane or virtues of botho, many of which are found narratives especially proverbs. Its attractiveness is that it is consistent with the nature of African ethics as character-based ethic, but also underscores important assumptions behind botho including the primacy of character and the existence of a particular social order as a prerequisite for botho to flourish, all of which are worth serious consideration in the current botho discourse. / Research Institute for Theology and Religion

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With this dissertation I developed a new theory and measure of ethical work climate (EWC). Currently, there exists one dominant theory and measure of EWC developed by Victor and Cullen (1988, 1987). Even though researchers have identified problems with this theory, such as inconsistencies with regard to its limited theoretical scope and troubling psychometric properties, it is the most widely utilized framework for conceptualizing and testing EWC. Therefore, I propose to develop an improved theory and measure of EWC, one capable of addressing some of the principle shortcomings of earlier efforts. Building on Rest's (1986, 1979) "Four-Component" model of individual-level ethical decision-making and behavior, I specify four dimensions of EWC necessary for the emergence of ethical behavior: collective moral sensitivity, collective moral judgment, collective moral motivation, and collective moral character. I developed a multidimensional instrument capable of capturing each of these dimensions at the climate level. I anticipate that this theory and instrument will allow researchers to understand EWCs and their impact on attitudes and behaviors more effectively than previous approaches. Chapter 1 reviews the organizational climate and culture literatures, so as to gain a comprehensive understanding of the organizational climate construct in general and how it differs from organizational culture in particular. Chapter 2 includes a review and evaluation the EWC literature. This helped to identify opportunities and suggestions for a new theory and measure of EWC. Chapter 3 describes the development of the new theory of EWCs, the Psychological Process Model, with propositions for future research. Chapter 4 informs about the development of the Ethical Climate Index, the measure used to assess the new theory of EWCs. It describes 3 studies that were used to construct the Ethical Climate Index to measure the ethical work climate dimensions of collective moral sensitivity (12-items), collective moral judgment (10-items), collective moral motivation (8-items), and collective moral character (6-items). Study 1 and 2 resulted in parsimonious and reliable scales for each one of the four dimensions. Results of the 3rd study support convergent and discriminant validity for each one of the scales and suggest that the ECI is a valid and reliable predictor of ethical and unethical behavior. Implications and suggestions for the use of this measure in future research is discussed.

Selon Kant, il faut rendre la Critique plus compréhensible. Cela revient à doter son exposition d’un plus haut degré de lucidité (Helligkeit), c’est-à-dire combiner la clarté discursive avec une clarté intuitive. Pour ce faire, nous représentons les grandes lignes de la structure discursive de la Critique sous la forme d’un modèle emprunté à la description de la formation du caractère moral esquissé dans l’Anthropologie. Ainsi, la raison est d’abord régie par son « instinct de connaissance » (Wißbegierde, Erkenntnistrieb), qui la plonge dans un état de vacillement (Schwankender Zustand). Ensuite, elle réagit par du dégoût (Überdruß), ce rejet ouvrant la voie à l’introspection (Selbsterkenntnis) proprement critique. La raison entreprend alors une révolution de son mode de pensée spéculatif (Revolution der Denkungsart) consistant à passer, sous l’égide du devoir moral (Pflicht), de la malhonnêteté à l’honnêteté, envers soi-même ainsi qu’envers autrui. Il s’agit, en un mot, d’une « renaissance » (Wiedergeburt) morale. / According to Kant, the Critique must be made more comprehensible. This entails increasing the degree of lucidity (Helligkeit) of the exposition, i.e., by combining discursive clarity with intuitive clarity. In order to accomplish this task, the lines of force of the discursive structure of the Critique are represented here in the form of a model borrowed from Kant’s description of the formation of moral character in the Anthropology. Thus, reason is at first ruled by its “knowledge-instinct” (Wißbegierde, Erkenntnistrieb), which, however, plunges it into a state of vacillation (Schwankender Zustand). Reason eventually reacts with disgust (Überdruß), and this rejection opens the way to a properly critical introspection (Selbsterkenntnis). Finally, reason undergoes a revolution of its speculative mode of thinking (Revolution der Denkungsart), i.e., a transition, under the aegis of moral duty (Pflicht), from dishonesty to honesty, towards itself and towards others: in a word, a moral “rebirth” (Wiedergeburt).

RÉSUMÉ: Selon Kant, il faut rendre la Critique plus compréhensible. Cela revient à doter son exposition d’un plus haut degré de lucidité (Helligkeit), c’est-à-dire combiner la clarté discursive avec une clarté intuitive. Pour ce faire, nous représentons les grandes lignes de la structure discursive de la Critique sous la forme d’un modèle emprunté à la description de la formation du caractère moral esquissé dans l’Anthropologie. Ainsi, la raison est d’abord régie par son « instinct de connaissance » (Wißbegierde, Erkenntnistrieb), qui la plonge dans un état de vacillement (Schwankender Zustand). Ensuite, elle réagit par du dégoût (Überdruß), ce rejet ouvrant la voie à l’introspection (Selbsterkenntnis) proprement critique. La raison entreprend alors une révolution de son mode de pensée spéculatif (Revolution der Denkungsart) consistant à passer, sous l’égide du devoir moral (Pflicht), de la malhonnêteté à l’honnêteté, envers soi-même ainsi qu’envers autrui. Il s’agit, en un mot, d’une « renaissance » (Wiedergeburt) morale. / ABSTRACT: According to Kant, the Critique must be made more comprehensible. This entails increasing the degree of lucidity (Helligkeit) of the exposition, i.e., by combining discursive clarity with intuitive clarity. In order to accomplish this task, the lines of force of the discursive structure of the Critique are represented here in the form of a model borrowed from Kant’s description of the formation of moral character in the Anthropology. Thus, reason is at first ruled by its “knowledge-instinct” (Wißbegierde, Erkenntnistrieb), which, however, plunges it into a state of vacillation (Schwankender Zustand). Reason eventually reacts with disgust (Überdruß), and this rejection opens the way to a properly critical introspection (Selbsterkenntnis). Finally, reason undergoes a revolution of its speculative mode of thinking (Revolution der Denkungsart), i.e., a transition, under the aegis of moral duty (Pflicht), from dishonesty to honesty, towards itself and towards others: in a word, a moral “rebirth” (Wiedergeburt).