The ethical decision-making framework

A basic model of the ethical decision making process includes four factors. They are ethical issue intensity, individual factors, organizational factors, and opportunity. Their influences on that process are very great.

Ethical issue intensity can be identified as level of importance of ethical issue to the decision makers. All individuals in organizations always have to face evaluating an issue is ethical or unethical. If they suppose that issue is important, they will certainly pay attention more.

Individual factors are honesty, conflicts of interests, gender, education, nationality, and locus of control. Some of them are more important than others are. For instance, a person of high honesty is likely to have ethical behavior, although they have generally less education or experience than other colleagues do.

Organizational factors are very important in making ethical decision of a person. Research has revealed that the organization’s values have great impacts on making decision than values of an individual. If employees perceive that they have been working for an ethical company, they are not likely to have unethical behavior. Besides, many studies points out that significant others may have more influence an employees’ decision on a daily basis than other factors.

Opportunity reflects the conditions that limit or permit ethical or unethical behavior in an organization. To avoiding employees’ making unethical decisions, companies should develop their formal codes, rules, and policies.

In Vietnam, making ethical decision of a person is also affected by above factors. Unethical behaviors, however, usually happen in some emerging cases. Conflict of interests is popular, such as some employees only make decisions, which bring them personal benefits. Moreover, a number of organizations do not punish employees if they make unethical decisions because these companies only focus on making profits.

In conclusion, although it is impossible to show exactly how an individual makes ethical decisions, we know basic factors that influence business ethics evaluations and intentions, which lead to ethical or unethical behavior.