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Journal of Business Ethics (2010) 91:467483 Springer 2009 DOI 10.1007/s10551-009-0134-9
The Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility in Organizational Success: A Spanish Perspective
Scott John Vitell Encarnacin Ramos
Ceri M. Nishihara
ABSTRACT. Ethics has assumed a dominant position in the current economic debate, and this study focuses on ethics as a legitimate underpinning to good business decision making. Using a self-response survey of marketing managers in Spain, the current theory on ethical decision making is extended. Results support the mediating influence of the PRESOR construct (an individuals perception of the importance of ethics and social responsibility for the effectiveness of the organization) on relativistic and idealistic moral thinking when one is considering the moral intensity of a situation. In addition, the study found support for the relationship between relativism (negative), idealism (positive), corporate ethical values, and job satisfaction, thereby providing additional support for the prior theory. Finally, a thorough review of the extant literature and suggestions for future ethics research in the marketing field are included.
KEY WORDS: marketing ethics, ethical decisions, ethical judgments
In recent years, ethics has clearly come to play a critical role in the business world. Extant theories abound in the area of business ethics, many of them centered on the practice of marketing (e.g., Ferrell et al., 1989; Ferrell and Gresham, 1985; Fisher, 2007; Hunt and Vitell, 1986, 1993), and these theories have appeared in the most prestigious business journals (e.g., Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Macromarketing, Journal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Research and Industrial Marketing Management). Indeed, ethics plays an integral role in the success or failure of any organization. Regarding the need for an organization to take an active role in the promulgation and formalization of its ethics, the possibility and
viability of such practices was examined in a recent study where Emiliani (2005) stated, white papers, and other forms of guidance are generally intended to inform sellers of challenges and opportunities, discourage the use of reverse auctions or clarify domains of appropriate use, or eliminate abuse by market makers, buyers, and sellers depending upon the perspective of the trade group (Emiliani, 2005,p. 530). In addition, it is important to emphasize that the consideration of ethics in current...