Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T09:53:07.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Values and Moral Dilemmas: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Abstract

M.B.A. programs in the United States continue to admit foreign students in record numbers, yet we know little about how this cultural diversity may impact the values and ethical decision making behavior of either American or foreign students. The research discussed here examined this issue within the context of a large M.B.A. program where non-U S. citizens comprise over twenty percent of the student population.

Comparisons of U.S. and Asian students supported existing notions about the independent vs. interdependent conceptions of the role of the individual within each culture. However, these differences were not a major factor in explaining the significantly different choices made by U.S. and Asian students in selected decision making vignettes.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bandura, A. (1971) Social Learning Theory. Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press.Google Scholar
Becker, H. and Fritzsche, D.J. (1987) A Comparison of the Ethical Behavior of American, French and German Managers. Columbia Journal of World Business, 22 (4), 8795.Google Scholar
Bellah, R.N., Madsen, R.Sullivan, W.M.Swidler, A. and Tipton, S.M. (1985) Habits of the Heart. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Bowers, W.J. (1964) Student Dishonesty and its Control in College. New York: Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University.Google Scholar
Brathwaite, V. A. and Law, H. G. (1985) Structure of Human Values: Testing the Adequacy of the Rokeach Value Survey. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 9, 250263.Google Scholar
Dreyfuss, J. (1990) Get Ready for the New Work Force. Fortune, 121 (9), 165181.Google Scholar
Feather, N.T. (1975) Values in Education and Society. New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Fritzsche, D.J. and Becker, H. (1984) Linking Management Behavior To Ethical Philosophy—An Empirical Investigation. Academy of Management Journal, 27, 166175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, A., Shudo, K. and Umeshima, M. (1983) Motivation and Values Among Japanese and American Managers. Personnel Psychology, 36, 883898.Google Scholar
Kohlberg, L. (1982) The Meaning and Measurement of Moral Development. Worcester, MA: Clark University Press.Google Scholar
Leavitt, H.J. (1989) Educating Our MBA’s: On Teaching What We Haven’t Taught. California Management Review, 31 (3), 3850.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lind, G. (1986) Cultural Differences in Moral Judgment Competence? A Study of West and East European University Students. Behavioral Science Research, 20, 208225.Google Scholar
Lysonski, S. and Gaidis, W. (1991) A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Ethics of Business Students. Journal of Business Ethics, 10, 141150.Google Scholar
Markus, H.R. and Kitayama, S. (1991) Culture and the Self: Implications for Cognition, Emotion, and Motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224253.Google Scholar
McCabe, D.L. and Trevino, L.K. (1992) Academic Dishonesty: Honor Codes and Other Contextual Influences. Working Paper, Rutgers University.Google Scholar
McCabe, D.L., Dukerich, J.M. and Dutton, J.E. (1991) Context, Values and Moral Dilemmas: Comparing the Choices of Business and Law School Students. Journal of Business Ethics, 10, 951960.Google Scholar
Park, J. and Lee, J. (1982) A Study of Student’s Moral Judgments. Korean Journal of Psychology, 3 (3), 159171.Google Scholar
Rokeach, M. (1973) The Nature of Human Values. New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Rokeach, M. and Ball-Rokeach, S.J. (1989) Stability and Change in American Value Priorities 1968–1981. American Psychologist, 44, 775784.Google Scholar
Rosenhan, D.L., Moore, B.S. and Underwood, B. (1976) In Lickona, T. (ed.) Moral Development and Behavior (pp.241252). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Google Scholar
Sims, R.R. and Sims, S.J. (1991) Increasing Applied Business Ethics Courses in Business School Curricula. Journal of Business Ethics 10, 211219.Google Scholar
Sutherland, E. and Cressey, D.R. (1970) Principles of Criminology (8th ed.). Chicago: Lippincott.Google Scholar
Trevino, L.K. (1986) Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: A Person-Situation Interactionist Model. Academy of Management Review, 11, 601617.Google Scholar
Tse, D.K., Lee, K.Vertinsky, I. and Wehrung, D.A. (1988) A Cross-Cultural Study of Executives’ Choice, Decisiveness, and Risk Adjustment in International Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 52 (4), 8195.Google Scholar