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Organizational Moral Values

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Elizabeth D. Scott
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Abstract:

This article argues that the important organizational values to study are organizational moral values. It identifies five moral values (honest communication, respect for property, respect for life, respect for religion, and justice), which allow parallel constructs at individual and organizational levels of analysis. It also identifies dimensions used in differentiating organizations’ moral values. These are the act, actor, person affected, intention, and expected result. Finally, the article addresses measurement issues associated with organizational moral values, proposing that content analysis is the appropriate measurement technique to be used for an organization-level conception of moral values.

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Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , January 2002, pp. 33 - 55
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Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2002

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