Search results
1 – 10 of over 4000Min Luo, Bon-Gang Hwang, Xianbo Zhao and Xiaopeng Deng
This study aims to clarify the psychological mechanism of international contractors' fraud by linking performance pressure to fraudulent intention through the displacement of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to clarify the psychological mechanism of international contractors' fraud by linking performance pressure to fraudulent intention through the displacement of responsibility and addressing the moderating role of moral intensity.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on moral disengagement theory, performance pressure was hypothesized to be positively associated with fraudulent intention by mediating the displacement of responsibility. Drawing on the issue-contingent theory, moral intensity was hypothesized to inhibit the relationship between performance pressure and displacement of responsibility in three aspects: magnitude of consequences (MC), probability of effect (PE) and social consensus (SC). The scenario-based questionnaire was conducted to collect information from contractors spread across 50 countries. The partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to assess the proposed model.
Findings
The results demonstrated that performance pressure was positively associated with the fraudulent intention, and displacement of responsibility exerted a positive partial mediating impact between performance pressure and fraudulent intention. Regarding moral intensity in the moderating analysis, the negative moderating role of MC and PE was significant, while that of SC was insignificant.
Practical implications
This study provides international construction practitioners with a deep understanding of the formation mechanism of fraud at the psychological level.
Originality/value
It clarifies the psychological mechanism from performance pressure to fraudulent intention by integrating a mediation impact from the displacement of responsibility and a moderation effect from MC and PE. It contributes to the sparse research on how situational factors shape individuals' fraudulent intentions in the international context. It provides a fresh perspective on fraud by constructing a formation model from moral psychological theories.
Details
Keywords
Shuang Gao, Yu Jia, Bo Liu and Wenlong Mu
Algorithmic monitoring has been widely applied to the practice of platform economy as a management means. Despite its benefits, negative effects of algorithmic monitoring are…
Abstract
Purpose
Algorithmic monitoring has been widely applied to the practice of platform economy as a management means. Despite its benefits, negative effects of algorithmic monitoring are gradually emerging.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on moral disengagement theory, this research aims to investigate how algorithmic monitoring might affect gig workers’ attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, we explored the effect of algorithmic monitoring on gig workers’ unethical behavior. A three-wave survey was conducted online, and the sample consisted of 318 responses from Chinese gig workers.
Findings
The results revealed that algorithmic monitoring positively affected unethical behavior through displacement of responsibility, and the individualistic orientation of gig workers moderated this relationship. However, the relationship between moral justification and algorithmic monitoring was not significant.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the algorithmic monitoring literature and examines its impact on gig workers’ unethical behavior. By revealing the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions, this research furthers our understanding of the negative influences of algorithmic monitoring and provides practical implications.
Details
Keywords
Teresa Almeida, Francisca Abreu and Nelson C. Ramalho
Leadership is a time-dependent process and a recent leadership research trend posits a central role of time-based variables. The dyadic tenure plays a keystone role in…
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership is a time-dependent process and a recent leadership research trend posits a central role of time-based variables. The dyadic tenure plays a keystone role in understanding leader–follower dynamics, especially as regards leader ethics. In line with this, from a social learning theory perspective, the authors propose a model that explains how and when ethical leaders' behaviors influence subordinates' moral disengagement.
Design/methodology/approach
With a sample of 220 employees, the present study tests the conditional indirect effect of ethical leadership on followers' moral disengagement via instrumental ethical climate (IEC), using dyadic tenure as the moderator variable. The analyses were conducted with Hayes PROCESS macro.
Findings
Results suggested that IEC fully mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and moral disengagement. Thus, when followers perceive low levels of ethical leadership, they notice higher levels of IEC, which is positively related to moral disengagement. However, IEC perception only influences moral disengagement when dyadic tenure approaches the third year.
Originality/value
This paper answers calls to include time-based variables in leadership studies. Hence, using dyadic tenure, this study gives support to previous propositions that were still awaiting empirical test.
Details
Keywords
Muhammad Arshad, Neelam Qasim, Emmanuelle Reynaud and Omer Farooq
This research seeks to examine the mitigating effect of religiosity on the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical behavior in employees, with moral disengagement…
Abstract
Purpose
This research seeks to examine the mitigating effect of religiosity on the relationship between abusive supervision and unethical behavior in employees, with moral disengagement serving as a mediating factor. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the study proposes an overarching moderated mediation framework to analyze this complex dynamic.
Design/methodology/approach
The testing of the model was based on hierarchical data obtained from 70 work units in services sector. Within this framework, 70 supervisors evaluated the unethical conduct of employees, while 700 employees assessed the abusive supervision they experienced and reported on their own moral disengagement and religiosity. For the analysis of both the measurement and the hypothesized models, multilevel modeling techniques in the Mplus software were utilized.
Findings
The study's findings indicate a direct positive link between abusive supervision and employees' unethical behavior, with moral disengagement mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the research discovered that abusive supervision leads to unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement only in instances where their religiosity is low.
Originality/value
This research delves deeper by elucidating the role of moral disengagement in the dynamic between abusive supervision and unethical behavior. Diverging from prior research, this study uniquely highlights the moderating role of religiosity, showing its potential to weaken the impact of abusive supervision on unethical behavior in employees through moral disengagement.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research that aimed to determine what university students living in Unite accommodation in the UK understand about the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research that aimed to determine what university students living in Unite accommodation in the UK understand about the concept of sustainable living. It considers what barriers they perceive to be standing in the way of following sustainable living practices. In particular, the research aimed to explore any value–action gap for the student population with a view to informing future actions to help close any gap.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was completed through an online questionnaire survey of students living in halls of residence operated by provider The Unite Group Plc. The survey informed semi-structured interviews and focus groups that explored the issues raised in greater detail.
Findings
It was found that students living in Unite properties believed sustainable living to be important, yet levels of understanding were very low and there appeared to be a wide value–action gap. Reasons for this are varied; however, an unexpected theme emerged around the association of effort and importance. There was a very strong association between sustainable living and recycling, which, therefore, saw the lack of adequate recycling facilities as a significant barrier to sustainable living. There were also issues around a lack of information, cost and respondents’ flatmates as further barriers. However, the most significant barrier was the displacement of responsibility for sustainable living to other people or organisations.
Originality/value
Gaining an insight into the complexity of attitude and behaviour of students with the sustainability agenda will enable understanding that can be applied to activities that promote sustainability.
Details
Keywords
Virve Marionneau and Veera Kankainen
Gambling is used to raise public funds through taxes, fees and direct contributions. The rent generated can be distributed through two basic models: absorbing the surplus into…
Abstract
Purpose
Gambling is used to raise public funds through taxes, fees and direct contributions. The rent generated can be distributed through two basic models: absorbing the surplus into state budgets and institutions, or channeling funds to civil society organizations (CSOs). However, gambling also causes negative externalities. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how the beneficiaries of gambling in two societies representing these opposite models respond to the moral issue of accepting funds from a source that causes harm to some.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis is conducted by applying the moral disengagement (MD) model to qualitative interviews conducted with beneficiaries of gambling in Finland and France. In Finland, the majority of gambling revenue is redistributed to CSOs, who also exercise a strong influence and are heavily involved in the system. In France, most gambling proceeds are directed to the central state, making other beneficiaries less powerful.
Findings
The results of this paper show that in France, where the state is a strong beneficiary, other actors express more political awareness and debate than in the Finnish model in which CSOs benefit and are tightly implicated in the system. On the other hand, the involvement of Finnish actors in the system encouraged them to accept moral responsibility for the harm caused by gambling.
Originality/value
The paper provides policymakers information on beneficiaries’ implication and position in different types of models of dividing the rent of gambling, and the academic audience with a comparative and sociological application of the MD model.
Details
Keywords
Brandon Randolph-Seng, John Humphreys, Milorad Novicevic, Kendra Ingram and Foster Roberts
Scholars have begun calling for broader conceptualisations of moral disengagement processes that reflect the interaction of dispositional and situational antecedents to a…
Abstract
Scholars have begun calling for broader conceptualisations of moral disengagement processes that reflect the interaction of dispositional and situational antecedents to a predilection to morally disengage. The authors argue that collective leadership may be one such contingent antecedent. While researching leaders from the Gilded Age of American business history, the authors encountered a compelling historical case that facilitates theory elaboration within these intersecting domains. Interpreting evidence from the embittered leader dyad of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick, the authors show how leader egoism can permeate moral identity to promote symbolic moral self-regard and moral licensing, which augment a propensity to morally disengage. The authors use insights developed from our analysis to illustrate a process conceptualisation that reflects a dispositional and situational interaction as a precursor to moral disengagement and explains how collective leadership can function as a moral disengagement trigger/tool to reduce cognitive dissonance and support the cognitive, behavioural, and rhetorical processes utilised to justify unethical behaviour.
Details
Keywords
Francesca D’Errico and Marinella Paciello
The purpose of this paper is to explore the “dark nuances” of social media by identifying moral disengagement (MD) mechanisms and hostile emotions in people discussing the hosting…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the “dark nuances” of social media by identifying moral disengagement (MD) mechanisms and hostile emotions in people discussing the hosting of immigrants and examining the relationship between MD mechanisms and hostile emotions expressed online (annoyance, irritation and contempt).
Design/methodology/approach
The method was based on a psycho-lexicographical approach that analysed the in vivo real words, adopting a quanti-qualitative point of view. The investigation started from the case of a Facebook post in support of immigrants after a serious shipwreck causing the death of more than 700 would-be migrants. More than 10,000 comments were codified. For the comments against the hosting of such immigrants, the authors followed a codebook aimed at identifying MD mechanisms and hostile emotions.
Findings
The main findings show an interplay between different hostile negative emotions and online MD mechanisms. The greater the intensity of hostile emotions, the more the locus of disengagement moves from the unethical individual’s behaviour – for example, offering moral justifications – to the target recipient of such behaviour – for example, blaming or dehumanising.
Practical implications
The study could be applicable in designing and developing algorithms and technological tools aimed at preventive interventions to promote moral awareness and emotional regulation in online settings.
Social implications
The study may be a useful contribution to understanding unethical orientation by identifying areas where education can intervene in reducing harmful behavioural tendencies.
Originality/value
This study takes together expressed hostile emotions and MD mechanisms by means of the analysis of real words in vivo through social media discussions.
Details
Keywords
Patricia Lanier Pence, Paula Phillips Carson, Kerry D. Carson, J. Brooke Hamilton and Betty Birkenmeier
Suggests that the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City in 1911 was the veritable genesis of laws safeguarding workers. The events of the 18‐minute inferno which…
Abstract
Suggests that the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City in 1911 was the veritable genesis of laws safeguarding workers. The events of the 18‐minute inferno which killed 146 young, immigrant garment workers are summarized, as are the factory owners’ responses to the fire, along with the rationalizations they used to defend their lethal actions, which included moral justification, accusing the accuser, blaming the victim, advantageous comparison, responsibility displacement, responsibility diffusion, dehumanization, and blame attribution. Reviews workplace reforms initiated as a direct result of this fire and discusses why such historical disasters are unlikely to re‐occur if three simple lessons are heeded: first, it is unfortunate that it has required major trauma or carnage to awaken the public to the realities of existing dangers; second, mere compliance with existing statutes is often insufficient for protecting workers; and third, organizations which fail to self‐monitor will often be subjected to external control and regulation.
Details
Keywords
Emma Elizabeth Curry and Panoraia Andriopoulou
The aim of this study is to explore the dual-experiences of AN recovered service providers. Prognoses for anorexia nervosa (AN) and anorexia nervosa-like (AN-like) presenting…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explore the dual-experiences of AN recovered service providers. Prognoses for anorexia nervosa (AN) and anorexia nervosa-like (AN-like) presenting patients remain poor, and notably, no current treatment approach is reliably successful. Past research into AN has focused on singular experiences, those of either AN patients or those of practitioners providing treatment, but has yet to explore the experiences of recovered AN service users now working as AN service providers.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, four UK-based female participants shared their dual experiences of treatment for AN or AN-like presentations through individual semi-structured interviews. Data collection and analysis were conducted in accordance with an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methodology.
Findings
Analysis revealed four primary themes, including barriers to accessing services; the impact of treating professionals’ approaches; displacement of responsibility for treating AN; and the value of dual-experience of AN.
Research limitations/implications
This study focuses on AN and AN-like presentations and does not address the other eating disorders. Additionally, only female-identifying individuals volunteered their participation. As such, this study is notably lacking the voices of individuals of other genders.
Practical implications
Participant narratives suggest that improvements in the treatment of AN lie in improving professionals’ understanding of – and compassion towards – this patient group to optimise the power of the therapeutic relationship across all AN-treating professions.
Social implications
Participants revealed a pervasive misunderstanding of AN among treating professionals that is hindering patients’ treatment and suggested that lived experience can be an asset in a professional context.
Originality/value
Individuals with dual experiences of AN can provide a unique and reflective insight into experiences of treatment through their combined personal and professional expertise and elucidate the experiences that both helped and hindered their own recovery.
Details