The impact of certain determinants on the ethical perceptions and attitudes of corporate managers in Malaysia

Abstract

[Abstract]: The study of business ethics is an area that has gained a lot of attention around the world and is an ever-growing one in light of the many corporate scandals that have rocked economies in many countries around the globe. In many of the cases concerning corporate scandals, many have taken place in developed nations, and authors have devoted much attention to investigating the possible causes, including those that analyse the problem from an individual’s ethical behaviour standpoint. As a developing nation, Malaysia has seen its share of corporate irregularities, and accusations of breaches of ethical conduct by those who have an interest in corporate transparency and governance have made local headlines. What factors or determinants influence an individual’s ethical behaviour would be useful in these cases, but a dearth of studies from a Malaysian context does not allow this analysis to take place. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the impact of certain determinants on the perceptions of ethical behaviour of corporate managers in Malaysia. The demographic and situational determinants used in this study -- such as age, gender, level of education, and the presence of a code of ethics in the organisation -- are those commonly scrutinized in attempts to understand individual ethical behaviour. Information analysed quantitatively was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire distributed by e-mail to 750 individuals who are corporate managers in Malaysia. It is hoped that this study contributes to knowledge by assisting Malaysian managers to understand the factors that affect individual ethical behaviour and designing relevant policies and procedures that take the results of this study into account.