How to requisitely holistically consider internal gaps of business ethic

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to report about a requisitely holistic examination of the business ethics, focused on internal gaps between company’s and employees’ ethics. Contribution considers reasons for emergence of business ethics’ internal gaps and their appearance forms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors specify and test model drawing upon modified versions of the ethics and management theory. In all, 1,125 responses were analyzed from an on-going survey conducted biannually among employees in Slovenian companies in the past decade.

Findings

Results reveal that company’s real business ethics remained steady over the decade, while employees’ real business ethics have significantly improved. Significant differences exist between employees’ and company’s real business ethics and shape internal business ethics’ incompatibilities. Finally, results reveal a significant influence of employees’ real business ethics on company’s real business ethics.

Research limitations/implications

Research is limited to postulated hypotheses, qualitative consideration of internal gaps of business ethics and quantitative analysis of business ethics’ development in the considered Slovenian companies in the past 10 years.

Practical implications

The authors rethought the habit of separated consideration of managerial business ethics and employees’ ethics as well as the presumption about congruence between company’s and employees’ business ethics. The requisitely holistic understanding and consideration of internal gaps of business ethics is suggested.

Originality/value

Available literature does not provide a similar model for a requisitely holistic consideration of internal gaps of business ethics. The study confirms the proposed model of business ethics gaps.

Citation

Nedelko, Z., Mulej, M. and Potocan, V. (2017), "How to requisitely holistically consider internal gaps of business ethic", Kybernetes, Vol. 46 No. 06, pp. 914-932. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2017-0027