Reasons Why People Make Unethical Decisions

Week Six Research Paper – Part I
Gena Cummings
American Public University
April 28, 2015
Week Six Research Paper – Part I
Introduction
The subject of ethical decision-making is attracting a lot of attention from scholars and practitioners from different industries. For instance, Shariff and Scandura (2015), and Yusoff et al., (2011) have published articles on the subject of ethical decision-making. The term ethics could be elucidated as a structure of moral principles. It is crucial for scholars and practitioners to understand the dark side of ethics because it will help them appreciate the effects of making unethical decision. Critical to the discussion is the fact that employees’ ethics are driven by environmental, issue-specific, and individual factors. By recognizing these factors, which define the cause for making unethical decisions, employers can create an environment that encourages ethical behavior. This paper discusses the dark side of ethics by arguing that even though people make unethical decisions; such people could be managed using techniques such as appropriate hiring of employees, and establishing an organizational code of conduct.
Reasons Why People Make Unethical Decisions
People make unethical decisions for reasons such as issue specific factors, individual reasons, and the environment. To begin with, employees make unethical decisions because of individual reasons such as pressure, gender, attitude, and perceived importance. As evidence, from Sharif and Scandura (2015), argue that pressure from clients and middle-level managers could corner employees into making unethical decisions. In fact, such demands often arise because demanding stakeholders do not appreciate the need for ethical decision-making. Instead, they are always concerned with personal gain. The same authors cite a study to highlight how individual reasons force employees to make unethical decisions. This owes to the reality that the study established a significant relationship between compensation due to unethical behavior and employee performance. In simple terms, employees who produce results or perform accordingly are likely to receive lenient treatment for unethical behavior.
Employees could also make unethical decisions for reasons such as gender. It is notable that several studies examining the relationship between gender and unethical decision-making have been conducted. Crucial to the discussion is the reality that there is an inconclusive evidence on whether or not gender affects ethical decision-making. As evidence, Chiu and Spindel (n.d) assert that some studies establish a significant relationship between gender and ethical decision-making while others do not. However, there are instances where gender is known to be a cause for unethical decision-making. It is particularly evident in the hiring process because some employers discriminate against women in their hiring process. It is because female employees are entitled to a maternity leaf, which cuts into otherwise productive time for employers. In addition, Chiu and Spindel (n.d) argue that female employees are likely to succumb to pressure and make unethical decisions. Therefore, gender could affect an individual’s ab...