Synonyms
Conflicts of interest; Value clarification
Definition
Conflicts of commitment are specific types of conflict of interest. Conflict of interest is generally defined as a situation where a person is in a position of trust and authority and is supposed to decide between alternative choices rationally and with unbiased fairness but where one decision benefits the person deciding either directly or indirectly. In the case of a conflict of commitment, the difference is that the choices may be one where the decision-maker may be altruistic and not self-motivated but may still be in conflict. In these cases, a conflict may be between two or more professional commitments that will potentially affect “one’s focus of time, attention, and responsibility” (Werhane and Doering 1995, p. 51).
Conflicts of commitment are differentiated from conflicts of interest because they “involve the distribution of focus and effort between two sets of professional obligations, rather than a conflict...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Kachuck NJ (2011) Managing conflicts of interest and commitment: academic medicine and the physician’s progress. J Med Ethics 37:2–5. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2010.035832
Schwepker CH (1999) Research note: the relationship between ethical conflict, organizational commitment and turnover intentions in the salesforce. J Pers Sell Sales Manag XIX(1):43–49
Werhane P, Doering J (1995) Conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment. Prof Ethics Multidiscip J 4(3–4):47–81
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Pearson, G.S. (2023). Conflict of Commitment. In: Poff, D.C., Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Business and Professional Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22767-8_1207
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22767-8_1207
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-22765-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-22767-8
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities