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The Influence of Perceived Importance of an Ethical Issue on Moral Judgment, Moral Obligation, and Moral Intent

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Abstract

The study extends and tests the issue contingent four-component model of ethical decision-making to include moral obligation. A web-based questionnaire was used to gauge the influence of perceived importance of an ethical issue on moral judgment and moral intent. Perceived importance of an ethical issue was found to be a predictor of moral judgment but not of moral intent as predicted. Moral obligation is suggested to be a process that occurs after a moral judgment is made and explained a significant portion of the variance in moral intent.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Technology and Decision Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, U.S.A.

    Russell Haines

  2. Perdue School of Business, Salisbury University, 1101 Camden Ave, Salisbury, MD, 21801, U.S.A.

    Marc D. Street

  3. Department of Business, College of Business and Economics, University of Idaho, PO Box 443161, Moscow, ID, 83844, U.S.A.

    Douglas Haines

Authors
  1. Russell Haines
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  2. Marc D. Street
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  3. Douglas Haines
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Russell Haines.

Additional information

Russell Haines is an Assistant Professor of Information Technology at Old Dominion University. He received his B.S. and Master of Accountancy from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from The University of Houston. His research interests are in laboratory experiments, ethical decision- making, supply chain decision-making, and computer- mediated communication.

Marc D. Street is an Assistant Professor of Management at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. He received his B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park (1983); his MBA from the University of Baltimore (1993); and his Ph.D. from the Florida State University (1998). His primary research interests are in the areas of decision-making and business ethics. Dr. Street’s research has been published in journals such as Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Business Ethics, and the Journal of World Business, among others.

Douglas Haines is Associate Professor of Marketing and Department Chair of the Department of Business in the College of Business and Economics at the University of Idaho. Before acquiring his Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, he worked for 15 years in various positions at the H.J. Heinz company including

Vice President of the Weight Watchers Foods Division of Heinz USA. His research interests include decision making, particularly in the marketing channel context, inter firm relationships, and the development of the market for biodiesel and other alternative energy sources.

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Haines, R., Street, M.D. & Haines, D. The Influence of Perceived Importance of an Ethical Issue on Moral Judgment, Moral Obligation, and Moral Intent. J Bus Ethics 81, 387–399 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9502-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9502-5

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