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Ethical Orientation and Research Misconduct Among Business Researchers Under the Condition of Autonomy and Competition

Author

Listed:
  • Matthias Fink

    (Johannes Kepler University Linz
    Grenoble Ecole de Management)

  • Johannes Gartner

    (Lund University)

  • Rainer Harms

    (University of Twente
    HSE University)

  • Isabella Hatak

    (University of St. Gallen)

Abstract

The topics of ethical conduct and governance in academic research in the business field have attracted scientific and public attention. The concern is that research misconduct in organizations such as business schools and universities might result in practitioners, policymakers, and researchers grounding their decisions on biased research results. This study addresses ethical research misconduct by investigating whether the ethical orientation of business researchers is related to the likelihood of research misconduct, such as selective reporting of research findings. We distinguish between deontological and consequentialist ethical orientations and the competition between researchers and investigate the moderating role of their perceived autonomy. Based on global data collected from 1031 business scholars, we find that researchers with a strong deontological ethical orientation are less prone to misconduct. This effect is robust against different levels of perceived autonomy and competition. In contrast, researchers having a consequentialist ethical orientation is positively associated with misconduct in business research. High levels of competition in the research environment reinforce this effect. Our results reveal a potentially toxic combination comprising researchers with a strong consequentialist orientation who are embedded in highly competitive research environments. Our research calls for the development of ethical orientations grounded on maxims rather than anticipated consequences among researchers. We conclude that measures for ethical governance in business schools should consider the ethical orientation that underlies researchers’ decision-making and the organizational and institutional environment in which business researchers are embedded.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Fink & Johannes Gartner & Rainer Harms & Isabella Hatak, 2023. "Ethical Orientation and Research Misconduct Among Business Researchers Under the Condition of Autonomy and Competition," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 619-636, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:183:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-022-05043-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-022-05043-y
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    Cited by:

    1. Fink, Matthias & Maresch, Daniela & Gartner, Johannes, 2023. "Programmed to do good: The categorical imperative as a key to moral behavior of social robots," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Research misconduct; Ethical orientation; Deontological/consequentialist ethics; Autonomy; Competition; Survey;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

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