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Unethical Behavior

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Unethical Behavior
Chapter 2

Literature Review

Introduction

Ethics in business has been asserted to be the most important problem facing American companies today. The issue of unethical behavior has recently become the focus of media attention in wake of scandals in companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco International. (Chen and Tang, 2006).

The organization is one of the biggest influences on ethics in the work place. Organizations do affect ethical behaviors. One of the main sources that affect behavior in organizations is the commitment of management to ethical practices and behavior. Such commitment can be communicated in a code of conduct or code of ethics document. . A code of ethics is a formal statement of values and ethical standards. The code of conduct document explicitly defines ethical and unethical behavior and therefore identifies the consequences of unethical practices. (Schemer horn, 2008, p. 42).

Attitude Personal mindset

According to Fritzsche, 2005, peers influence on ethical behavior. They are easily influenced to do what is done by their colleagues. Most theorists consider that the key responsibility of an embedded power group is to challenge the assumptions which comprise the group's own mindset. According to these commentators, power groups which fail to review or revise their mindsets with sufficient regularity cannot hold power indefinitely, as a single mindset is unlikely to possess the flexibility and adaptability needed to address all future events.

Time theft

According to Chen and Tang, 2006 Unethical behavior by employees includes things such as wasting company time, using company supplies for personal use, property theft, failing to whistle blow, illegitimately exchanging company resources for personal gain, and deceiving customers or clients. The prevalence of ethical misconduct in the workplace, there is a paucity of empirical research examining the antecedents of these behaviors.

According to

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