Method
Participants
Participants consisted of forty (Males=20, Females=20) undergraduate students (mean age= 19.57 years, SD= 1.48) at the University of Gloucestershire. I randomly selected participants by knocking on dorm rooms on the Park Campus. Therefore, an individual in the room and willing to participate became a participant. Other participants were selected by being present and also willing to participate. A large portion of participants were randomly chosen from my Introduction to Film class.
Design
The gender of the participant was the independent variable (IV). The dependent variable is the ethical response chosen after reading the given scenario. A within-subject design was used. All participants read the scenario first and filled in the questionnaire second.
Apparatus/Material
Participants read the same scenario (see Appendix E), which involved a legal ethical situation that could be encountered in a business environment. After reading this, all participants completed a questionnaire, which asked them to choose a response to the ethical dilemma. They could tell the employee about the company’s plans to close or they could not tell the employee about the company’s plans to close. On the questionnaire, participants were asked to select their gender, fill in their age, and the course they are studying. The ages and courses being studied by the participants are not variables in the study, but may be used in the discussion to make general correlations and possibly suggestions for further study.
Procedure
Participants were given a brief overview of the study, which entailed what would be involved of them and what the scenario concerned. Then, they were given a consent form to read and sign if they were still willing to participate. Afterwards, they were instructed to read the ethical scenario and complete the questionnaire, which included their response to the ethical dilemma and their gender along with age and course being studied.
Results
Results showed similar positive responses to telling the employee for males (15) and females (19). A chi-square design was used because the study required a categorical design. Participants were only able to fall into one category. This category would be determined by their gender and answer. I was not sure how many people would be in each category, but assumptions were made on how many subjects, based upon gender, would fall into a certain category.
Chi-square value is insignificant (χ²=..877, p>.05). However, chi-square has an assumption that there must not be more than twenty-five percent of cells with an expected frequency of less than five. Looking at the crosstabulation in Appendix B, fifty percent (two cells) of cells contain expected values less than five. Therefore, Fisher’s exact test had to be carried out. Although there was not a significant difference between male and females responses (one-tailed Fisher exact p= .294). As the graph shows in Appendix A, there is not a significant difference between males who would tell the employee, females who would tell the employee, and vice versa.
Discussion
The study’s results have implied that there is not a different response between genders when dealing with an ethical situation in business that involves employees. Overall, there were more females than males that responded positively to telling the employee (see: Appendix C). These findings did not support the hypothesis. Although, other studies (Feingold, 1994; Franke et al, 1997; Wark & Krebs, 1996) have found that females relate and reason more on a personal level than do males. It is interesting that there was not a significant difference between male and female responses. In addition, other studies (Dawson, 1995; Skoe et al, 1996; Wark & Krebs, 1996) have reported that women rely on ethics that are more care based. Women are more likely to challenge authority because they are guided by emotions more than men are. They look for solutions that will ‘not hurt anyone’s feelings’ (Dawson, 1995).
However, the findings from this study concur with the results of other studies (Franke et al, 1997; Pratt et al, 1991; Wark & Krebs; Boldizar, Wilson, & Deemer, 1989) that have found there is not a significant difference in the ethical decisions between males and females. Various studies (Dawson, 1995; Franke et al, 1997; Pratt et al, 1991) have concluded that the ethical responses between genders vary greatly from one situation to the next. Moreover, Franke et al. suggested that in business ethics there tends to be a difference in results when comparing students to non-students (e.g. professionals that have been in the workforce for a minimum amount of time). It is important to note that the chart in Appendix C shows a higher proportion of eighteen, nineteen, and twenty year old participants when compared to the other ages of participants. Moreover, the charts in Appendix D display a noticeably higher response for eighteen and nineteen year old males and females that would tell the employee. Other research should examine more closely the relationship between business ethics and the amount of time spent in the workforce.
Another suggestion for future research is the gender of the person involved in the ethical situation. Perhaps if the employee was male or an unidentified gender, the results could be varied. Studies discussed previously as well as this one, have found that males and females will have varied opinions depending on the circumstance. Future research should emphasize other possible factors that can determine the intensity of a moral issue (e.g. relation to individual, harm to others, degree of consequence, etc).
In conclusion, this study did not find significant results between men and women’s ethical responses in a business situation. These results may be due to the gender of the employee or the type of situation that was described in the scenario. Findings may have also differed if a working population had been used. It is emphasized once again that future research investigate students’ ethical responses in different scenarios and also, that the non-student population’s responses be compared with students.
References
Boldizar, J.P., Wilson, K.L., & Deemer, D.K. (1989). Gender, life-experiences, and moral judgment development: A process-oriented approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 229-238.
Dawson, L.M. (1995). Women and men, morality and ethics. Business Horizons, 61.
Feingold, A. (1994). Gender differences in personality: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 429-456.
Franke, G.R., Crown, D.F., & Spake, D.F. (1997). Gender differences in ethical perceptions of business practices: A social role theory perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 920-934.
Hewstone, M., Stroebe, W., & Stephenson, G.M. (1996). Introduction to social psychology. (2nd ed). Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
Hoffman, J.J. (1998). Are women really more ethical than men?: Maybe it depends on the situation. Journal of Managerial Issues, 60-74.
Jones, T.M. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. The Academy of Management Review, 366.
Pratt, M.W., Diessner, R., Hunsberger, B., Pancer, S.M., et al. (1991). Four pathways in the analysis of adult development and aging: Comparing analyses of reasoning about personal-life dilemmas. Psychology and Aging, 666-675.
Ragins, B.R., & Sundstrom, E. (1990). Gender and perceived power in manager-subordinate relations. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 273-287.
Skoe, E.E., Pratt, M.W., Matthews, M., & Curror, S.E. (1996). The ethic of care: Stability over time, gender differences, and correlates in mid-to late adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 28-292.
Vitz, P.C. (1990). The use of stories in moral development: New psychological reasons for an old education method. American Psychologist, 709-720.
Wark, G.R., & Krebs, D.L. (1996). Gender and dilemma differences in real-life moral judgment. Developmental Psychology, 220-230.
Waterman, A.S. (1988). On the uses of psychological theory and research in the process of ethical inquiry. Psychological Bulletin, 283-298.
List of Appendices
Appendix A- p.12
Appendix B- p.13
Appendix C- p.14
Appendix D- p.15
Appendix E- p.16-19
Appendix A
Figure A1.
Appendix B
Table B-1. Response * Gender Crosstabulation
Table B-2. Chi-Square Tests
a Computed only for a 2x2 table
b 2 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 3.81.
Appendix C
Figure C-1.
Appendix D
Figure D-1.
Figure D-2.
Appendix E
Figure E-1. Scenario and Questionnaire Presented to All Participants
The manager of a large department store has recently been told that the company is going bankrupt and the store will be closing four months from now. The news has come as a complete shock and the manager is dreading having to let the employees know. Many employees rely heavily on this job as their principal income. However, the manager is told not to disclose the information to anyone. The company wants the employees to stay working there until closing day. The manager reluctantly agrees and promises to stay quiet about the situation.
The next day, Elizabeth stops by the manager’s office. She has worked under the manager for several years and they have developed a cordial relationship. Elizabeth explains to the manager when she will take her maternity leave. She has planned her leave for approximately a week after the store will close. The manager also knows that she is not married and will be supporting the baby on her own. The manager feels the need to explain the company’s situation to her so that she can make alternative job arrangements as quickly as possible, so she will be able to provide for her new baby. However, the manager is well respected by his boss and has promised to keep quiet. The manager also knows that continued dedication to the company will help in acquiring new employment through contacts that have been made.
Now the manager is facing an ethical dilemma and is not sure how to handle the situation. Should the manager stick to the promise made and not inform the employee about the company’s situation? Sticking to the promise will help the manager in getting a new job and keeping the contacts made, but not sticking to the promise will mean that the manager is jeopardizing another employee’s future and her child’s.
On the other hand, should the manager tell the employee about the company’s situation so that she is able to make other arrangements for providing for herself and unborn baby? Explaining the situation would help her greatly. The manager has known Elizabeth for some time and has acquired a respected friendship with her. On the other hand, if the manager is discovered to have not kept the secret, then his contacts and help for future work are destroyed.
Please answer the questions below and tick only one response.
1. If you were the manager, what would you do?
I would tell the employee about the company’s plans to close. _____________
I would not tell the employee about the company’s plans to close. ____________
2. I am a Male_________ Female___________
3. I am ______ years old.
4. I am studying the ___________________________________ course at the University of Gloucestershire.
