Investigating the Impacts of Organizational Factors on Employees’ Unethical Behavior Within Organization in the Context of Chinese Firms

Xiaolin Lin (), Paul F. Clay (), Nick Hajli () and Majid Dadgar ()
Additional contact information
Xiaolin Lin: University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
Paul F. Clay: Fort Lewis College
Nick Hajli: Newcastle University Business School
Majid Dadgar: Washington State University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2018, vol. 150, issue 3, No 12, 779-791

Abstract: Abstract Unethical behavior is under-examined in the workplace. To date, few studies have attempted to explore the antecedents of an employee’s ethical decisions, particularly with respect to unethical behavior and its effects. To capture an employee’s psychological perception of unethical behavior in the workplace, this paper integrates organizational factors (codes of conduct, likelihood of detection, and performance pressure) into the Theory of Reasoned Action. By conducting an empirical study in a Chinese firm, we found that codes of conduct and performance pressure have a significant influence on an employee’s attitude toward and social beliefs about unethical behavior. We also demonstrated that employees’ unethical behaviors affect the firm performance of an entrepreneurial venture. The insights gleaned from the findings on this Chinese company have a number of important implications for both research and practice.

Keywords: Codes of conducts; Business ethics; Unethical behavior; Firm performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3209-4

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