Leadership is the moving of people towards specified goals. Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. The leadership dynamic of human interaction is one of the most studied and least understood phenomena. More attention is currently being given to the ethics of leadership in light of recent situations involving misconduct in the White House, illeagal accounting practices amoung top corporations, and misuse of power in religous organizations. In this study, I sought to identify and prioritize characteristics of ehtical leadership with the assistance of leaders in four distinct groups; the business, religious, political, and educational communities within a six county area in Upper East Tennessee. The counties represented were: Carter, Greene, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan, and Washington. Using the Delphi technique, the characteristics were compiled and prioritized according to relative importance as perceived by members of the Delphi panel. The Delphi technique is essentially a series of questionnaires used to gain consensus on a topic. A panel of leaders in the business, education, political, and religious communities listed and assigned values to the characteristics they believed to be most important in being an ethical leader. Through the use of three rounds of questionnaires, consensus was reached on a prioritized list of ethical characteristics and leadership traits. The study resulted in the identification of five ethical characteristics and seven leadership characteristics that the panel agreed should be demonstrated by ethical leaders. The ethical characteristics are: Integrity, Following Biblical Principles of Behavior, Hones/Truthful, High Moral Standards/Firm Convictions, and being Fair/Unbiased. The leadership characteristics are: Lead by Example, Develop an Atmosphere of Trust, Honest/Truthful, Involve Others in Decision Making, Team Builder, Good Communicator/Articulate, Creates a Vision for Others to Follow. The study also resulted in the identification of five ethical traits and sixteen leadership traits about which the four groups significantly differed in their assignment of values. Tables are provided that indicate the range, mean, and standard deviation that each trait received during the process.

The goal of the presented research is to explain the importance of integrating the literatures on leader bottom-line mentality (BLM) and behavioral ethics and to demonstrate that leader BLM can adversely impact followers' perceptions of ethical leadership. By doing so, several contributions can be made. First, I identify an antecedent of ethical leadership. Predominantly, most ethical leadership research has focused on identifying its outcomes (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). Second, I will offer new theoretical insights regarding the antecedents of ethical leadership. Past ethical leadership research has primarily relied on social exchange (Blau, 1964; Gouldner, 1960) and social cognitive (Bandura, 1977, 1986) theories, whereas I will draw on trait activation and cognitive stress theories to examine the relationship between BLM and ethical leadership. By integrating these two theories I will demonstrate Kerr's (1975) example of “the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B.” Third, I will explain and demonstrate why follower BLM and leader stress perceptions are important boundary conditions regarding the primary relationship of interest and overall model. Comprehensively, I examine and demonstrate the potential of a backfiring effect that can be strengthened or weakened. This research aims to shed light on the often disregarded catch-22 leaders face in world that is increasingly concerned about bottom-line outcomes, while also demanding an immaculate standard of ethical behavior from leaders.

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This study links ethical leadership theory to the implementation of improved leadership practices and examines whether ethical leadership characteristics actually exist, particularly in highly operational environments. The study analyses how ethical leadership can be embedded by process, by applied leadership (role modelling), and by changing culture and climate. The conclusion reveals that all three approaches are needed for an implementation and depend on middle managers, otherwise no organisational transformation is possible. The research design of this qualitative study analyses data from 100 in-depth interviews using inductive categorisation, aiming to retrieve deep, rich and unprompted data from a highly developed and advanced production facility. The ethical leadership characteristics, and evidence specific influences on leadership behaviour, revealing 14 perceived leadership issues resulting in a leadership climate which negatively influences motivation, performance, and corporate culture. These issues were found to be responsible for deteriorating work climate, motivation, morale, and team spirit. Particularly favouritism, inequalities, shouting, blaming, internal competition and unclear strategies ruin motivation, employee health, and co-operation. Concerning the implementation of a better suited leadership culture, a research framework model is developed, integrating transformational change and leadership. Findings document that the influence of middle managers acting as role models seems to be greater than research suggests. Key findings also show that individual leadership development without changing the corporate realities is not sufficient to implement ethical strategies. Neglecting to actively control the leadership climate can have devastating effects even for very successful operations. Considering the pressure of goal attainment in highly operational areas, an absence of unethical behaviour can already be seen as a success for leaders. Finally, a change process sequence for shaping leadership climate was identified. These research results are highly relevant for organisations and leaders wishing to be engaged in improving their leadership quality.

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No description available.

This study examined the conceptual framework of ethical reasoning of public elementary school assistant principals during decision-making. An ethical framework not only provides a descriptive way of thinking during ethical decision-making, but also provides a rationale for decisions. The purpose of this study was to determine which ethical reasoning framework, including the ethics of justice, critique, care, and the profession, elementary school assistant principals' use during decision-making. Additionally, the study determined other resources assistant principals' consult during decision-making. This study incorporated descriptive survey research through purposeful sampling with specific participant criteria. A researcher-developed survey of hypothetical dilemmas was deployed electronically to public elementary school assistant principals. Thirty-seven participants responded to four hypothetical scenarios, involving either staff or students, through a Likert scale and open response questions. Each hypothetical scenario included one of the ethical frameworks of justice, critique, care, or the profession embedded in one of four potential solutions. The findings suggest that elementary school assistant principals use an ethical framework during decision-making, whether they refer to the framework specifically by name or not. The data suggest the assistant principals in this study most frequently selected the ethic of care framework for their decision-making. Lastly, the evidence in this study suggests the most frequently consulted resource during decision-making by the assistant principals in this study was that of their principal. There is much research on ethics, teachers, and school leaders, but there are few studies on ethics and the assistant principal. Additionally, there are few studies on the assistant principal and ethical decision-making. The literature suggested that the assistant principalship is a stepping-stone to the principalship. If the assistant principalship is truly a stepping-stone for future principals, assistant principals need to have developed their personal and professional code of ethics, as well as, have an understanding of the ethical reasoning frameworks for implementation during ethical decision-making.

Tidigare forskning har undersökt effekterna av etiskt ledarskap på redovisningsbeslut och etiska riktlinjers allmänna påverkan, men vi saknar forskning kring variablernas gemensamma påverkan på redovisningsbeslut, vilket är syftet med detta arbete. Arbetet undersöker vilken effekt etiskt ledarskap och etiska riktlinjer har när en redovisningskonsult ställs inför en komplicerad redovisningsfråga. Variablerna undersöks både individuellt och tillsammans. En enkätundersökning genomfördes bland auktoriserade redovisningskonsulter i Sverige och 142 respondenter deltog. Studien tyder på att det finns ett gemensamt inflytande av etiskt ledarskap och etiska riktlinjer på etiskt laddade redovisningsbeslut. Redovisningskonsulter tycks vara mindre benägna att bokföra en kostnadspost utan underlag när det finns ett svagt etiskt ledarskap och de inte påminns om etiska riktlinjer, jämfört med alla andra kombinationer av variablerna. Effekten av etiska riktlinjer tycks vara störst i ett svagt etiskt ledarskap. Fortsatt forskning skulle med fördel kunna inriktas på studiens resultat kring de etiska riktlinjerna och fokusera på varför de etiska riktlinjerna påverkar redovisningskonsulterna i en icke förväntad riktning. / Previous research has examined the effects of ethical leadership in accounting decisions and the general impact of codes of conduct. However, we lack research about the variables combined influences on accounting decisions, which is the aim of this work. This work examines what impact ethical leadership and codes of conduct have when an accounting consultant is confronted with a complex accounting issue. The variables is examined both alone and together. A survey was conducted among authorized accounting consultants in Sweden and 142 respondents participated. The study suggests that ethical leadership and codes of conduct has a mutual influence on ethically charges accounting decisions. Accounting consultants seem to be less likely to record a cost without documentation when there is a weak ethical leadership and they are reminded of the codes of conduct, compared to all other combination of the variables. The effect of codes of conduct have proved to be higher in a weak ethical leadership compared to a strong ethical leadership. Further research could use this study's results concerning the ethical guidelines and focus on why the codes of conduct impact accounting consultants in a non expected way.

The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to determine if any significant relationships existed between secondary school teachers’ perceptions of principal leader integrity as measured by the Perceived Leadership Integrity Scale ([PLIS], Craig & Gustafson, 1998) and schools’ organizational health as perceived by secondary school teachers and gauged by the Organizational Health Inventory for Secondary Schools ([OHI-S], Hoy & Feldman, 1987). The study also explored the seven OHI-S dimensions: (1) Institutional Integrity, (2) Initiating Structure, (3) Consideration, (4) Principal Influence, (5) Resource Support, (6) Morale, and (7) Academic Emphasis—and their relationships with the demographics of the sample. The sample involved six hundred fifty (650) Tennessee secondary school teachers identified through a purposive sampling process. These teachers completed both surveys and the requested demographic questionnaire online. Pearson product correlations revealed statistically significant relationships between Perceived Leader Integrity (PLI) and the composite score calculated from the scores of the seven OHI-S dimensions—the Organizational Health Index (OH Index), as well as between PLI and each of the seven OHI-S dimensions. Multiple regression analysis provided closer scrutiny of the data. In terms of the seven dimensions on PLI, this analysis showed the OH Index to have a moderate direct relationship, Consideration to be the strongest indicator, and Institutional Integrity and Academic Emphasis to a have a smaller, but statistically significant relationships. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variance tests were conducted to determine differences between and among PLI, the OH Index, and the demographic variables. Subject taught was strongly significant in relation to the seven OHI-S dimensions. The Tukey HSD and the Bonferroni correction were performed to examine more closely the significant differences found to exist among educational level or total years of teaching experience and the OH Index, as well as each of its seven dimensions. These findings help broaden understanding of the relationship between leadership and ethics. Northouse (2004) suggests that clarification of this relationship can identify implications for policy and decision making. Future research should explore the use of longitudinal or qualitative research methodology to study PLI and organizational health in greater depth.

Titel: Etiskt ledarskap i säljande organisationer Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi. Författare: Moa Bohman och Evelina Nilsson. Handledare: Pär Vilhelmson, Kristina Mickelsson och Maria Fregidou-Malama. Datum: Augusti 2015. Syfte: Denna studies syfte är att bidra till ökad förståelse för hur chefer i säljande organisationer utövar etiskt ledarskap, sett ur chefers perspektiv. Forskningsfrågorna som formulerades efter en genomgång av den befintliga teorin är: 1. Påverkar chefer sina anställdas beteende genom att vara en förebild? 2. Påverkar chefer sina anställdas beteende genom förstärkning av etiska normer? 3. Påverkar chefer sina anställdas beteende genom kommunikation om etik? 4. Påverkar chefer sina anställdas beteende genom förstärkning och kommunikation om etiska riktlinjer? 5. Påverkar chefer sina anställdas beteende på något annat sätt? Metod: En fältstudie i form av kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes för att samla in information. Respondenter var chefer i säljande organisationer. Efter transkribering av intervjuerna analyserades informationen genom uppdelning och jämförelser. Resultat & slutsats: Denna studie visar att de intervjuade cheferna utövar ett etiskt ledarskap genom att vara förebilder, genom att kommunicera om etik, genom att belöna i form av beröm och positiv feedback samt genom att förstärka det etiska klimatet med hjälp av kommunikation om etiska riktlinjer. Studien kan varken bekräfta eller dementera huruvida förstärkning av etiska normer genom bestraffningar sker. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: I denna studie finns det begränsningar i urvalets storlek, dess geografiska utbredning samt valet av perspektiv. Av den anledningen rekommenderas att undersökningen upprepas med antingen ett större urval eller på en annan geografisk plats än Gävle eller ur andra perspektiv. Framtida forskning bör även beröra huruvida bestraffningar används eller inte, och även varför. Relationen mellan de påverkansmetoder som tas upp i studien bör också undersökas. De nya påverkansmetoder som inte omfattades av den teoretiska modellen men som nämndes i intervjuerna bör också vara föremål för framtida forskning. Uppsatsens bidrag: Denna uppsats bidrar med insikter för den företagsekonomiska teorin. Då studiens resultat i vissa avseenden inte överensstämmer med den befintliga litteraturen har detta lett till konstruerandet av en ny teoretisk modell. Denna modell ger underlag för framtida forskning då dessa differenser behöver undersökas i en större omfattning. Studien bidrar även med ökad förståelse för hur chefer utövar etiskt ledarskap, vilket har potential att leda till ökad kunskap hos dagens aktiva chefer. Chefernas etiska ledarskap kan utvecklas och förbättras genom reflektion över sina egna tillvägagångssätt och hur dessa skiljer sig, eller överensstämmer, med de metoder som tas upp i denna studie. Nyckelord: Etiskt ledarskap, etiskt beteende, etiskt klimat, säljorganisationer. / Title: Ethical leadership in selling organizations. Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Moa Bohman and Evelina Nilsson Supervisor: Pär Vilhelmson, Kristina Mickelsson and Maria Fregidou-Malama. Date: August 2015. Aim: The purpose of this study is to contribute to greater understanding for how managers in selling organizations practice ethical leadership, viewed from a manager perspective. Following research questions were formulated after a review of the existing literature: 1. Do managers influence the behavior of their followers by being role models? 2. Do managers influence the behavior of their followers by reinforcement of ethical standards? 3. Do managers influence the behavior of their followers by communication about ethics? 4. Do managers influence the behavior of their followers by reinforcement and communication about ethical codes? 5. Do managers influence the behaviour of their followers in some other way? Method: A field study in terms of qualitative interviews was conducted to gather information. The interview subjects were managers in selling organizations. After transcribing the interviews the information was analyzed by selection and comparison. Result & Conclusions: This study shows that the interviewed managers practice ethical leadership by being role models, by communicating about ethics, by rewarding in terms of credit and positive feedback as well as by reinforcing the ethical climate through communication about ethical codes. The study can neither confirm nor deny whether reinforcing ethical norms through punishment occurs. Suggestions for future research: In this study, there are limitations in sample size, geographic range and the choice of perspective. For that reason a repeated study with larger selection, participants from another geographical area or the use of a different perspective (for example the follower) is recommended. Future research should also address whether punishments are used or not, and also why that is. The relationship between the suggested methods should also be examined. The new methods, which were not covered by the theoretical model but were mentioned in the interviews, should also be subjects for future research. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes with understandings for the business administration theory. Since the study results in some ways differed from the current literature a new theoretical model was created. This model provides a foundation for future research as these differences should be further investigated. The study also contributes with an increased understanding for how managers practice ethical leadership, which has the potential to enhance the knowledge of today’s active managers. The ethical leadership that the managers practice may evolve and improve by reflection about their own methods and how these differ, or correspond, to the methods presented in this study. Key words: Ethical leadership, ethical behavior, ethical climate, selling organizations.