Abstract
The implications of individual values and attitudes for human behavior has been of concern to researchers in many disciplines of the social sciences. Anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists, among others, have used values and attitudes constructs and measures to further their respective lines of inquiry (e.g., Braithwaite and Scott, 1991; Ajzen, 2001; Schwartz, 1992). The ongoing attention these constructs receive speaks to their utility in explaining a wide variety of social phenomena. In this chapter, we discuss the values and attitudes constructs most salient to the study of business ethics. As might be expected, this subset of the literature is still relatively broad and fairly diverse. From highlighting more ubiquitous values and attitudes (e.g. Schwartz et al., 2012) to those that differ from culture to culture (e.g., Spini, 2003), to those that bear directly on ethical behavior (e.g., attitudes toward competitive bluffing, Lewicki and Robinson, 1998), what we present in this chapter is intended to increase researcher awareness of the variety of attitudes and values constructs that have been proposed and measured. Unlike some constructs in the business ethics literature, values and attitudes are decades-old. While the 1950s and 1960s were periods of considerable discussion and debate for how to best conceptualize values and attitudes, definitions have generally coalesced.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Research Companion to Ethical Behavior in Organizations |
Subtitle of host publication | Constructs and Measures |
Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. |
Pages | 119-160 |
Number of pages | 42 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781782547471 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781782547464 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2014 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
- General Business, Management and Accounting