Ethical Values and Long-Term Orientation

Keywords

time orientation, planning, tradition, formation of ethical beliefs, measurement

Abstract

Lapses in ethical conduct by those in corporate and public authority worldwide have given business researchers and practitioners alike cause to re-examine the antecedents to personal ethical values. We explore the relationship between ethical values and an individual’s long-term orientation or LTO, defined as the degree to which one plans for and considers the future, as well as values traditions of the past. Our study also examines the role of work ethic and conservative attitudes in the formation of a person’s long-term orientation and consequent ethical beliefs. Empirically testing these hypothesized relationships using data from 292 subjects, we find that long-term perspectives on tradition and planning indeed engender higher levels of ethical values. The results also support work ethic’s role in fostering tradition and planning, as well as conservatism’s positive association with planning. Additionally, we report how tradition and planning mediate the influence of conservatism and work ethic on the formation of ethical values. Limitations of the study and future research directions, as well as implications for business managers and academics, are also discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Nevins, Jennifer L., William O. Bearden, and R. Bruce Money (2007), “Ethical Values and Long-Term Orientation,” Journal of Business Ethics, 71 (3): 261-274.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2007

Publisher

Journal of Business Ethics

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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