Asian Journal of Business Ethics最新文献

Digital technologies can be an asset to serving communities and societies through data analytics and management to achieve greater good. However, care must be exercised in that societies without digital access do not get overlooked or, worse, face abuses of privacy disclosure or exploitation. Regulations exist to prevent this happening, but ethical considerations are important in deciding in what is allowable and what is not. The further risk of artificial intelligence where computers start to make autonomous decisions and the vulnerabilities we are exposed to is considered. Steps are proposed to develop an ethics-based digital strategy and how to mitigate cyber risk.

Ethical cultures, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainability strategies are increasingly being addressed through formal organisational policies and structures. This is evidenced by codes of ethics, conduct, whistle-blowing reporting lines, anti-bribery and corruption policies, and broader stakeholder and environmental engagement strategies. In the United States, corporate ethics managers are responsible for these functions, supported by specific professional and university-level qualifications. However, this is not the case in Australia and Asia where the role appears delegated to human resource personnel in organisations. Human resource management (HRM) is increasingly advanced as a formal profession, yet whether corporate ethics content features as a significant component of the HRM profession is unclear. Expert knowledge is a foundation of a profession along with the duty to act within the limits of that knowledge and expertise. This paper scopes what constitutes professional expert knowledge. It examines corporate ethics expertise and HRM within this context. Major Australian and Asian organisations are examined to verify that HRM Departments, and thus HRM practitioners, are responsible for managing corporate ethics. Given the seniority and strategic importance of this function, the content of selected Masters in HRM and related fields are examined to identify the extent of ethics content. This is considered in the light of the expertise required to manage corporate ethics, and conclusions are drawn whether the HRM discipline is appropriately qualified to manage this function. Finally, recommendations and further research towards advancing the role and function of corporate ethics managers in general are proposed.

In organizational scholarship, the infusion of spirituality into corporate culture has emerged as a transformative force that significantly influences employee well-being, work engagement, and operational efficiency, ushering in a new era of workplace harmony. However, amidst this evolution, the Indian banking industry remains relatively unchartered. This study embarks on a pioneering journey, exploring the intricate interplay between workplace spirituality and spiritual fulfillment within this dynamic sector and discerning differences between public and private sector employees. The workplace Spirituality and the Spiritual Fulfillment questionnaire were administered to obtain the complete information from 342 respondents from Delhi and Delhi (NCR). Data analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0. Multiple regression analysis uncovers a significant impact of spirituality-driven culture on employees’ sense of spiritual fulfillment. The findings demonstrate that Indian banking institutions harbor the seeds of spiritual workplaces. The study heralds a spiritual awakening within the banking sector by offering fresh perspectives that have the potential to redefine conventional paradigms in academia and the industry. The authors believe replicating the findings might realize the positive outcomes of a more spiritual workplace throughout the whole network and hierarchy of the banking sector.

This study investigates why successful companies have pursued creating shared value (CSV) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the immediately ensuing post-COVID-19 era. The paper aims to achieve a better understanding of the triggers that induce companies to pursue CSV initiatives. A qualitative thematic analysis of cases of CSV involving 54 companies honored by Fortune magazine within its 2022 Change the World list was investigated and systematically reviewed. Based on the analysis, we identified and classified the motivators of CSV projects according to various internal and external triggers. The qualitative results revealed seven types of internal triggers for CSV initiatives. These are: (1) following founder/leader philosophy or experience, (2) foreseeing customer growth and profit potential, (3) enhancing employee loyalty and commitment, (4) developing a future talent pool, (5) improving operational efficiency and cutting costs, (6) building differentiation weapons, and (7) becoming an industry pioneer. Seven types of external triggers for CSV initiatives were also identified. These comprise (1) economic benefits, (2) environmental protection, (3) human rights, (4) public health, (5) social justice, (6) partnership availability, and (7) government stimuli. This study contributes to the CSV literature by providing analyses of the motivators that have induced CSV initiatives during the COVID-19 era. We conclude by discussing the implications for business academics and practitioners.

In today’s competitive economy, the war for talent has intensified. Organizations are increasingly investing in student engagement initiatives to build a robust talent pipeline. Among these initiatives, the offering of internship placements is a popular choice as it not only helps identify suitable talent, students can also benefit with valuable opportunities to develop work-related skills and gain experience. However, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders involved remains a challenge due to diverging expectations among stakeholder groups. This study aims to enhance our understanding of high-quality internship design by applying stakeholder theory (ST) and the expectancy theory of motivation (ET) as theoretical frameworks. Qualitative research methods were employed, including semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from higher education institutions, human resources managers, and front-line supervisors as well as a focus group with graduating business students. Thematic analysis of the data revealed several key themes related to stakeholder priorities and interests. The findings of this paper contribute to the fields of ST and ET by addressing an under-researched area: the motivations of supervisors as crucial stakeholders in delivering the internship experience. Scholars and practitioners have largely overlooked this aspect. From a managerial perspective, the findings highlight opportunities for fostering more synergistic partnerships between stakeholders, not only at the institutional level but also among internal stakeholder groups, including top management, human resources functions, and front-line supervisors.

Consumers can continue purchasing from or boycott a company in response to unethical conduct. Moral decoupling and moral rationalization are two mechanisms that aim to explain consumer support for the transgressor company. Further, consumers can make moral judgments based on their moral philosophies. This study aims to explore the effect of personal moral philosophies on consumer responses to company moral transgressions and the mediating role of moral reasoning strategies in these relationships. Moreover, it aims to uncover the effects of two elements of moral intensity: magnitude of harm and psychological proximity in adopting moral reasoning strategies. A scenario-based empirical study with a 2x2 between-groups factorial design was conducted. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was adopted to analyze the data. Findings delineate that idealism positively affects boycott intention through moral judgment and negatively affects purchase intention through moral rationalization. This paper also indicates that relativism positively influences purchase intention through moral rationalization and decoupling. Finally, it uncovers the positive direct effect of the magnitude of harm and the moderating role of psychological proximity on adopting moral reasoning strategies.

Based on the work-home resource model (ten Brummelhuis & Bakker by American Psychologist, 67, 545-556, 2012), this study investigates the impact of goal alignment for work-from-home (WFH) on personal and family well-being, turnover intention, and the mediating role of work engagement between these relationships. Moreover, we explore whether gender differences moderate the proposed research model. We recruited 701 residents in Singapore to complete an online questionnaire. Our findings suggest that WFH goal alignment is positively associated with personal and family well-being but negatively associated with turnover intention. Furthermore, work engagement significantly mediates the relationship between WFH goal alignment and turnover intention. Finally, we discuss the implications of gender differences in the research model. This study highlights the importance of goal alignment in achieving personal and family well-being and reducing turnover intention and emphasises the role of work engagement in mediating these relationships.

This paper analyzes perceptions of responsible leadership in eight Asia-based firms during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The focal firms were a mixture of multinational corporations (MNCs), large-sized enterprises, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In all eight focal firms, we found that the responsible decision-making of leaders during the pandemic was perceived to be guided by five main moral principles. These comprised equity-based justice for employees, meeting employees’ basic needs, ethics of care for employees, concern for non-employee stakeholders, and interactional justice for employees. We developed a conceptual map of how these principles related to aspects of four ethics-oriented leadership theories. Our analysis also identified four types of responsible leadership policies and practices. These comprised prioritizing the health and safety of stakeholders, flexible work arrangements, meeting employees’ and customers’ special needs, and financial and psychological support for employees.

As climate change continues to be a pressing issue affecting businesses, firms are taking proactive measures by integrating carbon considerations into their overall strategic planning for environmental sustainability. Nonetheless, the question of whether it pays to be green remains inconclusively answered. Based on an analysis of the 200 largest public listed firms by market capitalisation in Malaysia, the findings indicated that most of the firms are still reactive in managing their carbon activities; however, corporate carbon strategy does, indeed, lead to better financial performance. The findings reaffirmed that going green pays off, particularly for firms with higher levels of foreign ownership. Interestingly, an inverse relationship was observed among firms with higher levels of government shareholdings. Additionally, the firms have been categorised into six different groups based on their scope and level of corporate carbon strategies, ranging from “wait-and-see” to “all-round explorer” classifications. Taken together, these findings enrich corporate carbon and sustainability literature and offer insights into theoretical and policy implications, along with suggestions for future research.