Examining Etiological Connection Between Antisocial Behavior and Moral Disengagement: Evidence from Tourism & Hospitality Sector

Abstract

It is estimated that by 2025 tourism & hospitality sector will contribute US$7.1 billion (? 1 trillion) to the economy of Pakistan. However, one can only attach such high hopes to this sector when human resource in this sector displays prosocial and not anti-social behavior to both domestic and foreign tourists. The objective of the study is to examine the level of antisocial behavior of the managers working in this sector and test its relationship with moral disengagement. We also examine ethical orientation as mediator and ethical leadership as moderator in this relationship. Data were collected from 253 managers working in the hospitality and tourism sector of Pakistan. We find that moral disengagement has significant effect in promoting anti-social behavior by easing and expediting a process where actors convince themselves that ethical standard do not apply on them. We also find that ethical orientation mediates and ethical leadership moderates this relationship respectively.