Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Greek attitudes
Spero C. Peppas
Mercer University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
George J. Peppas
University of La Verne, Athens, Greece
Keywords
Abstract
Management Decision
38/6 [2000] 369376
# MCB University Press
[ISSN 0025-1747]
Introduction
In recent years, there has been considerable
interest among academicians in the topic of
business ethics and a call for additional
research regarding ethics across cultures (for
example, Laczniak, 1993; Vitell et al., 1993).
Given that there is little empirical research
in this area, international managers have
had, in most cases, to draw their own
conclusions regarding ethics in foreign
markets (Schlegelmilch and Robertson, 1995).
A recent study suggests that there are
different perceptions about ethical standards
in northern and southern Europe (Jeurissen
and van Luijk, 1998). In an effort to provide
global managers with a better understanding
of ethical perceptions in different nations,
this paper examines the attitudes of a sample
of the current college-student population in
Greece regarding professional and business
ethics. We attempt to find how we might
expect future generations of Greeks to
behave once they complete their university
education and are forced to make the difficult
decisions that are a part of doing business. At
a time when the European Union is receiving
increased attention, we feel that a study of
ethics in an EU country that has received
little attention in the literature and that has
been historically linked to both East and
West, as well as to Eastern Europe, should
prove useful to managers, academicians, and
consultants. We examine the attitudes of
Greek students in terms of an ethical
practices code and with respect to a set of
ethical value statements. We compare
responses in terms of sex, age, work
experience, and religious preference to see if
significant differences exist. In addition, we
examine the effects of a course in ethics on
attitudes toward a code and the ethical value
statements.
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Relevant literature
Prior research on the topic of ethics has come
from a wide range of disciplines, has focused
on a wide range of issues and, in many
instances, is inconclusive. Following is a
representative, rather than exhaustive,
summary of some of the more relevant
findings. For the purposes of this study, the
findings have been grouped under three
headings related to the study at hand.
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Codes of ethics
Methodology
The primary purpose of this study was to
measure attitudes of a particular segment of
the EU population toward an ethical
practices code and toward eight ethics value
statements. To this end, we examined
responses of a sample of Greek university
students and made comparisons in terms of
sex, age, work experience, and religious
preference to see if significant differences
existed.
In addition, we examined the effects of a
course in ethics on attitudes toward the code
and the ethical value statements.
Sampling
Measurement instrument
Methods of analysis
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Results
Demographics
Ethics
Assessment of the ethics practices code
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Conclusions
We embarked on this study to examine
attitudes of a segment of the EU population
toward business ethics and to determine if
certain demographic factors affected
attitudes toward an ethical practices code
and ethical value statements. Of interest was
whether sex, age, religious affiliation, work
experience and whether respondents had
taken a course in ethics had an effect on
ethical values of Greek students.
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References
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Application questions
1 Do ethical practices codes raise ethical
levels?
2 Are Greek attitudes toward ethics and
ethical practices codes different from
those of other EU citizens?
3 Why do Greek students who have been in
the workplace see issues surrounding
ethics differently than those who have no
work experience?
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