Auswahl der wissenschaftlichen Literatur zum Thema „Securities industry – moral and ethical aspects“

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to increase our understanding of the challenges the banking industry continues to face from an ethics standpoint more than a decade after the credit crisis. Since 2007, there has been renewed interest in the way professional ethics is integrated within the banking culture. With a public that has become more sensitive towards ethical and corporate governance failures, the banking industry has been at the receiving end of strong ethical criticism. Yet, in spite of the regulatory response to the crisis, ethics is still a major issue in an industry where the corporate governance systems implemented by companies have failed to control employee behaviours, even in institutions branding themselves as ethical banks. Design/methodology/approach This paper studies factors inside and around institutions in the banking industry that impact the moral anomie in bankers’ professional environment. This paper applies an ordinary least square regression analysis, preceded by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, to test the hypothesised relations between anomie and the factors proposed. Findings The results show that long-term orientation, strategic aggressiveness and competitive intensity do have an influence on anomie. These results are compared to previous research applied in non-financial industries and prompt the strengthening of corporate governance systems in financial companies with aggressive corporate cultures. Originality/value The paper therefore introduces the factors that lead bankers to ignore the morals they gained from society and provide a better understanding of the reasons behind the deviant behaviours that caused the crisis a decade ago. It represents a crucial first step for future policymaking that fills an important gap in the financial regulation literature. Indeed, the lack of understanding of the factors dictating behaviours in the industry meant that regulatory changes in the past decade have mostly focussed on technical aspects of the problem (e.g. new capital structure requirements) and produced few answers to address the ethical challenges.

Introduction: We are interested in the theoretical considerations of the actual pragmatic questions about ethical worldview meaning of understanding of the innovation dealings world, the nature of its conceptual risk dilemmas and problems and sententious thinking in the sphere of political business industry. Our viewpoint is dedicated to the most important aspects of the essence and peculiarities of the social moral standards of innovation approaches in the context of a political solution through methodology of modern mental technology - especially: cognitive methods with gnostic wisdom research and utilitarian creative knowledge and axiological methodology with overestimation ethical values and demonstrating intellectual concepts. Into the framework of the main goal of the research are reviewed the basic theoretical paradigms on the background of ethical worldview analysis (through comparative historical technique of thinking) of the leading-edge conceptual theories of the famous contemporary Russian, American and European thinkers. The purpose of the article is to prove, substantiate and confirm the following thesis. In order for the ethical of timely paroemiac responsibility and political freedom to be able to fulfill its axiological tasks, it is necessary to reach some worldview ideas: ??to create an universal model of moral consciousness and high valuable behavior; overcome mental and sociocultural biases regarding the debatable assessment of the convincingness of events and determine the relevant logical reaction of society not only to a certain risk of eatable technical thinking, but also to uncertainty regarding their intellectual decision in relation to approved ethical, operational, empirical and principled notions, proposals, expression views and suggestions. The results. Scientific conceptual alternatives of optimization of practical and urgent ethical valuable dilemmas are given. The issues of the possibility of formation of a worldview system through practical ethical requirements that standard regulates the reactionary politics of intellectual reality to probabilistic hazards are discussed. The ethical standards of universal prohibitions, the moral responsibility of human nature and the ethics of virtue make a conflict of social and political interests through insurmountable cognitive, discussible, reviewable and discursive difficulties are demonstratively shown. Conclusions. Taking into dominant the essence of the main backgrounds of the existential specific theoretical approaches for worldview methods solving moral political problems is integrated some innovation decisions through valuable considerations. The fundamental ethical concepts of utilitarian thought of historical reminiscences synthesize the possibility problematic circumstances into the logical model of making morally important and useful decisions much easier are analyzed, but through in the valuating pragmatic context needs a main transformation in mental formation of ideological metric and social-political structure. Keywords: ethical worldview decision, political industry, innovation approaches, moral values, mental technologies, risk decision methods, conceptual risk dilemmas.

Given the pivotal function of ethical leadership (EL) in the hospitality industry, this study explains how moral guidance can help to reduce mental stress. The modern complex and hectic working style of organizations demands ethical conduct, in order to sustain the positive behavior of employees for knowledge sharing (KS). For this reason, in this study, we restrict our awareness to the usage of social media (SM) for social identity and aspects of subjective well-being (SWB) for happiness intensity. The time-lag method is applied for data collection from 406 supervisors and subordinates of the hotel industry in Pakistan. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and bootstrapping are utilized to scan the data. The results of the current study demonstrate that ethical leadership provides motivational strength for knowledge sharing amongst employees. Moreover, the serial mediation effects of subjective well-being and social media boost knowledge sharing by the induction of ethical values. Our findings indicate that knowledge sharing is an important product of subjective well-being and social media. Therefore, we recommend that managers focus on ethical leadership values and employee well-being (e.g., life satisfaction), as well as highlight the individuality of employees to promote knowledge sharing. The presented research adds to the literature by establishing a new connection between ethical leadership and knowledge sharing by opening the black box of contextual (i.e., ethical leadership) and developmental (i.e., subjective well-being and social media) factors.

The article highlights theoretical aspects of the professional and ethical orientation of the personality of a future specialist in banking. The author consistently examines the key concepts of the problem under study and defines the relationship between them. On the basis of this, specification of the professional and ethical orientation of the personality of a future specialist in the industry has been disclosed. It is shown that the professional and ethical orientation of the personality of a specialist in banking is strengthening of his/her positive attitude towards the future profession, interests, inclinations and abilities to it, the desire to improve his/her qualifications, the development of ideals, views, beliefs about the importance of following the ethical norms in professional activity. The author considers the need to increase the interest of students in studying the problems of professional ethics by means of potential of the educational process. The content of educational materials, a review of literature on the topic, the emphasis on the practical significance of the material and its importance for the profession are determined as important aspects for achieving set goals. It is pointed out that the basis of professional and ethical knowledge is the knowledge acquired in the study of such disciplines as «Ethics and Aesthetics», «Ethics of business communication», «Psychology of business success». The necessity to combine the material of the Humanities with the current problems of banking and the life aspirations of students and to help them to determine their value orientations, to enrich their moral personality potential has been noted in the article. According to the author the professional interest acquired by the students should have special personal content, related to their daily life and future life prospects. In order to do this, it is important to emphasize the importance of professional and ethical knowledge in the activities of the banking industry, to reveal its entirety with the ethical content of the chosen profession at the announcement of the topic at each class.

Abstract The banking sector appreciates business morals greatly; additionally, research has been done to find out their effects on organizational success capacities, stakeholders’ trust and the general stability of the financial system. This is a time of increased intricacy and interrelation which means that financial companies like banks especially worldwide’ economic systems being backbone must be ethically sensitive. The paper examines many aspects of corporate morality while applying them within bank operations one such area being transparency where all things done openly without concealment another fairness between different people so none feels oppressed lastly among others CSR which includes activities that benefit not only customers but also employees or even community. Based on a thorough investigation into academic literature, this article explains the real advantages of moral practices in banking. It looks at how ethical behavior encourages lasting customer loyalty and support from other stakeholders as well as strengthens financial institutions’ ability to endure. Moreover, ethical tests that banks come across during this era of technology are outlined while focusing on implications brought about by advanced systems towards data privacy, cybersecurity and fair lending measures. The urgency for the banking sector to take up and firmly establish moral considerations is underscored in this document, which evaluates reputational damage caused by moral breakdowns within the industry as well as on wider economy scale. The development and implementation of robust ethical frameworks are required, which are built on effective control systems to minimize the risks of unethical behavior in banks’ operating activities. These research findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on the place where business ethics and the banking sector intersect. The comprehension obtained can aid in decision making for policies, laws or strategies by financial institutions that want to foster integrity and responsible entrepreneurship.

This study explores the complex field of finance ethics, providing insights into the many ethical concerns that are prevalent within the financial sector. This study aims to analyze and comprehend the moral quandaries often encountered by professionals in the financial sector, therefore delving into the ethical aspects of financial processes. The study underscores the widespread presence of ethical dilemmas within the realm of finance, emphasizing its important arguments and conclusions. This study aims to identify and analyze the prominent ethical challenges that emerge within the financial industry, including conflicts of interest, insider trading, risk management, and responsible investment. This text examines the ramifications of unethical conduct within the financial sector and emphasizes the significance of ethical decision-making in maintaining the industry's stability and integrity. This study utilizes a rigorous methodology that incorporates a wide range of data sources, including both quantitative and qualitative data. This study involves a comprehensive examination of relevant scholarly works, empirical case studies, and survey data in order to assess and integrate the ethical dimensions within the field of finance. Moreover, it actively participates in ethical analyses and deliberations in order to put forth prospective answers and tactics aimed at cultivating a more ethical financial milieu. This study intends to add to the continuing conversation on the ethics of finance, presenting insights and suggestions that may serve as a compass for ethical decision-making within the business.

The target of this research is the alumni/graduates of the Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Mataram (STP) who have worked in the field of tourism services (hotels) on the island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara. This research is intended to map the level of user satisfaction in terms of aspects (ethics, expertise in the field of science, mastery of technology and information, communication skills, cooperation, self-development, and foreign language skills) alumni/graduates of the STP Mataram Hospitality Study Program on several aspects of ability. This research is focused on the D3 Hospitality program through a survey study of 25 respondents (stakeholders/users) in the tourism service industry (hospitality). Data were collected through observation, filling out questionnaires and documentation studies using descriptive-quantitative analysis. This study found that aspects of integrity, professionalism, understanding of technology, teamwork, and self-development of STP Mataram alumni were at a good level. Meanwhile, their English-speaking ability is still weak. This research is expected to be useful for: (1) increasing the quality of STP Mataram graduates who are moral, ethical, and with integrity according to the tourism culture, (2) strengthening skills, knowledge, and attitudes in the tourism service industry, and (3) strengthening understanding and skills digital tourism (digital tourism) in the millennium era (industry 4.0) with the use of technology which has become a tourism development paradigm. This research is targeted to be carried out for 4 months with the personnel involved, namely three research lecturers.

В статье определяются принципы предпринимательской культуры спортивного бизнеса на основе определения моральных и этических аспектов социально ориентированной деятельности спортивных организаций, приводится определение понятия предпринимательской культуры; выделяются 3М уровни ее развития в экономике. В том числе в данной работе представлено соотношение жизненного цикла организаций со спортивной отраслью; выделены принципы предпринимательской пластичности спортивного бизнеса; приведены примеры спортивной этики спортивного бизнеса. В качестве методического аппарата исследования используются исходные модели экономической науки; теории жизненных циклов организации; теории предпринимательской культуры. Впервые в теории экономики предпринимательства выделена категория «предпринимательская пластичность», под которой авторы понимают функцию бизнеса по реагированию на ключевые моральные и этические принципы предпринимательски-социально-ориентированных видов деятельности, их сохранение, соблюдение, адаптацию и масштабирование. The paper defines sports business culture principles in terms of moral and ethical aspects defining of sports organizations socially oriented activities; provides the definition of entrepreneurial culture concept; specifies 3M levels of its development in the economy. Moreover, the correlation of organizations life cycle with the sports industry is presented; the principles of entrepreneurial plasticity of the sports business are highlighted; examples of sports ethics of the sports business are given. As for the methodological apparatus of the study, the initial models of economic science are used; organization life cycle theory; theory of entrepreneurial culture. For the first time in the theory of business economics, the category of “entrepreneurial plasticity” has been singled out, by which the authors understand the function of a business in responding to key moral and ethical principles of entrepreneurial and socially oriented activities, their preservation, compliance, adaptation, and scaling.

The main legal ways to the socio-political regulation of sexual services (prostitution) in different countries are considered. The main problems facing the society of each state in the field of regulation of prostitutes activity, their so-called �curatores� and clients. The participation of the state in identifying and solving the problems of the sex industry are defined. It is determined that an important role in the legalization of prostitution is played not only by the legal but also by the moral and ethical aspects, which have a lot of limits in every society. Four models of prostitution regulation that exist in different countries of the world are analyzed. It is substantiated that not every model in itself is effective and is optimal for implementation. It depends of the legal system, level of consolidation of society and position of the government on this issue. Criminal liability for pimping, which exists in Ukraine, is only a small positive step in the fight against illegal profits related to the exploitation (voluntary or forced) of another person's body. The negative point in this area is the lack of social, medical and legal protection of prostitutes, as their clients are also at risk. So, the legalization on of the sexual services is necessary for our state, but it must be preceded by a series of successive authority�s steps: public dialogue on different public platforms, changes in legislation and government administrative decisions.

The article discusses some relevant philosophical and methodological aspects of the analysis of the processes of digitalization of markets and the introduction of digital technologies in business management related to digital ethics. The empirical research conducted by the author is aimed at identifying current trends in the implementation of artificial intelligence in marketing, the attitude of company management to the implementation of these processes, awareness of ethical aspects and problems of interaction with consumers. The goal of the work is to advance the issues of determining the attributes of digital ethics for the use of artificial intelligence in business: assessing the awareness of new opportunities and risks in Russian entrepreneurship. These issues naturally attract the attention of Russian. In this regard, a number of ethical problems relevant to the digital space are identified, such as problems of information wars and cyber attacks, problems of information security, privacy of private life, primacy of information sources, digital education technologies, transformation of moral values, in particular , perceptions of cruelty and violence in the digital entertainment industry, ethics of virtual communities, the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in production teams. The issues of developing the business environment, in particular, the reputational risks of companies in the context of the emergence of a new digital ethics, also deserve special attention . The wide public response to the ethical aspects of digitalization of various aspects of public relations has led to the development of a number of international and Russian documents that bring to the fore the observance of ethical principles and norms in the new environment of life and development of society. About two dozen large Russian companies and organizations signed the first Russian “Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence” at the end of 2021. The Artificial Intelligence Code states that responsibility in the application of this technology must always remain with humans. Its development is provided for by the AI Development Strategy until 2030 and the federal project “Artificial Intelligence”. For now, compliance with the norms of this document is voluntary. There are similar documents in 20 countries, 35 large companies in the world already have their own codes, in Russia - Sberbank and Yandex (Artificial Intelligence...). At the end of 2022, the European Union adopted the European Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles (European Digital Rights.). Keywords: digital ethics, business ethics, artificial intelligence, marketing, parasocial relationships.

Ethics is not a new or modern discipline. It was developed thousands of years ago and still remains relevant today. Ethics is applied in all spheres of modern life from philosophy to business and religious environments and even around dinner table conversations. It is applicable to all areas of life. This research is aimed at investigating whether ethical conduct among new entry level emerging contractors can contribute to and ensure their sustainable competitiveness within the South African construction industry. This research is also aimed at determining whether education and knowledge of entrepreneurship, business, project and construction management and building contracts can contribute to new entry level emerging contractors’ ethical conduct and sustainable competitiveness. The literature reviewed and results of quantitative and qualitative research amongst professional consultants in South Africa formed the basis of the study. Ethics is a sensitive topic within the industry and therefor it is difficult to gather data directly from contractors, as they are reluctant to participate in fear of revealing their identities and having it negatively influencing their personal and business credentials. Therefor unbiased respondents who were not directly linked to emerging contractors and who were unafraid to give objective opinions were questioned. These unbiased respondents included consultants within the industry. The study revealed that ethics is an important factor in any business environment and that the correct application thereof can partially contribute to the sustainable competitiveness of new entry level emerging contractors and this in turn can promote the long term survival of a business. Furthermore, knowledge of good management practices and building contracts can contribute to a successfully run business. However, the average new entry level emerging contractor has insufficient experience and knowledge of the management of construction projects, as well as building contracts.

Pharmaceutical advertising involves the advertising of medicines, medical devices, and healthcare services. A review of available international literature indicates the belief that pharmaceutical advertisements negatively affect healthcare decisions made by consumers. Very little research has been conducted to determine how consumers in South Africa (SA) are affected by pharmaceutical advertisements. This study aimed to determine how consumers in the Nelson Mandela Metropole (NMM) perceive pharmaceutical advertisements. More specific objectives included the investigation of legislation in SA employed in pharmaceutical advertisements, the interpretation and misinterpretation of the advertisements, and the identification of problematic areas in this form of advertising. South African legislation applied to pharmaceutical advertisements was investigated by means of a literature review. A qualitative research design was also used to achieve the aim and objectives. This included a focus group consisting of six randomly selected participants in the NMM. A consumer survey, consisting of a 100 consumers obtained from 10 randomly selected community pharmacies within the NMM, supported the findings of the qualitative techniques. The themes identified in the focus group were incorporated into a questionnaire used in the consumer survey. Three randomly selected pharmaceutical advertisements were also decoded to interpret the components employed in each. The results determined that pharmaceutical advertising is a marketing tool that incorporates various emotional and psychological techniques to persuade consumers. It was also evident that consumers can misinterpret pharmaceutical advertisements. Various legal and ethical problems were identified in pharmaceutical advertisements. These results showed that pharmaceutical advertisements have the possibility of negatively affecting consumers’ healthcare decisions and warrants further investigation.

This work examines the use of nonhuman animals in the farming industry and seeks to understand why this practice takes place and what supports its continuation. The research is approached from a critical realist perspective and after a description of past and current practices in the industry, it uses abduction and retroduction to determine the essential conditions for the continuation of the phenomenon of nonhuman animal farming. One essential condition is found to be the existence of negative discourses relating to nonhuman animals and this aspect is examined in more detail by analyzing a corpus of texts from a farming magazine using Critical Discourse Analysis. Major discourses which were found to be present were those of production, science and slavery which construct the nonhumans respectively as objects of scientific investigation, as production machines and as slaves. A minor discourse of achievement relating to the nonhumans was also present. Further analysis of linguistic features examined the way in which the nonhumans are socially constructed in the discourses. Drawing on work in experimental psychology by Millgram, Zimbardo and Bandura it was found that the effects of these discourses fulfil many of the conditions for bringing about moral disengagement in people thus explaining why billions of people are able to support animal farming in various ways even though what happens in the phenomenon is contrary to their basic ethical and moral beliefs.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is one important response to the increasing amounts of criticism levelled at corporations. A number of studies have focused on CSR in a range of industries; however, some contentious industries, e.g. the gambling industry, remain unexplored. Mobilizing CSR in a novel setting not only enhances the knowledge of CSR and gambling, but also provides an overview of this industry itself. This thesis attempts to investigate three questions: to what extent does the gambling industry disclose CSR-related data, how is CSR understood in this industry and why does the gambling industry engage in CSR? This thesis provides a general overview of the international gambling industry and an in-depth investigation of Macao's gambling industry. The research design of the thesis employs mixed methods: content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The principal research is based on 49 interviews. This thesis advances three main arguments. First, it will be argued that there are relatively low volumes of Corporate Social Disclosure (CSD) and Responsible Gambling (RG) disclosure in the international gambling industry, which can be viewed as a legitimising strategy. Second, in Macao's gambling industry, it is argued that organisations in this industry tend to place a greater emphasis on positive social impacts, while obscuring such negative impacts as gambling addiction and health-related issues. Third, this thesis holds that organisations in Macao's gambling industry engage symbolically, rather than substantively, with CSR and RG in order to manage stakeholders' perceptions in an attempt to gain different sources of legitimacy and in turn to enhance its economic interests. In conclusion, the gambling industry does not entirely conform to the institutional environment, which poses a challenge to the organisational legitimacy literature. This thesis introduces a necessary caution into the discussions about the extent of CSD, CSR, and RG in this industry more generally.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The historical development of the role of directors in public listed companies contains inherent tensions by reference to the fiduciary responsibility of directors and the method in which directors are remunerated. The nature of incentive based remuneration is such that it will compel directors, in certain circumstances, to weigh their interests against those towards whom they owe a duty of care and a moral responsibility to act with prudence and temperance. The modem day corporate environment is complex and calls for directors with strong ethical views. This assignment endeavours to identify some of the complexities that contribute towards directors finding it difficult to stay on the ethical "straight and narrow" and attempts to weigh the effect of those factors against the effect of incentive remuneration, both as detractors from ethical behaviour. Both the shareholder supremacy business model and the stakeholder approach are analysed to identify those factors present in each that may add to the ethical complexity that directors have to deal with. The advent of the stakeholder approach in particular, adds an enormous amount of complexity. The case studies deal with two South African financial services companies that have both ceased trading as a consequence of unethical behaviour. The incentive remuneration models of both companies have been found to have played a major contributing role in the decision making processes in the companies, and have contributed to the demise of these organisations. Lessons are taken from the case studies and applied against the backdrop of the various principles of ethical behaviour namely rights, utility, justice and the ethics of responsibility. The finding of this study is that there is a role for incentive remuneration of directors, provided that the ethical pitfalls that this causes are recognised and steps taken to address them. Some of these steps are identified.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die historiese ontwikkeling van die direkteursrol, en spesifiek van openbare genoteerde maatskappye bevat inherente teenstrydighede met verwysmg na direkteursvergoeding en die vertrouensverpligtinge wat op direkteure rus. Die aard van direkteursvergoeding met 'n aansporingskomponent is so dat dit 'n direkteur van tyd tot tyd in 'n posisie plaas waar hy tussen sy eie belange en die van die ander belanghebbendes in 'n maatskappy, aan wie hy dit verskuldig is om met verdrag en versigtig op te tree, moet kies. Die hedendaagse maatskappyomgewing is kompleks van aard, en vereis direkteure met sterk etiese oortuigings. Hierdie werkstuk poog om sommige van die komplekse faktore wat afbreuk doen aan 'n direkteur se vermoe om ten alle tye streng eties op te tree, te identifiseer en op te weeg teen die effek wat direkteursvergoeding speel - beide as items wat afbreuk doen aan etiese optrede. Hier word ondersoek ingestel na beide die sogenaamde "aandeelhouersmodel" asook die" belanghebbende" model waarvolgens besigheid bedryf word. Die ontsluimering van die belanghebbende model veroorsaak spesifiek 'n aansienlike hoeveelheid etiese kompleksiteit. Die gevallestudies behandel twee Suid Afrikaanse fmansiele instellings wat hul bedrywighede gestaak het as gevolg van onetiese optrede deur direkteure. Die aansporingskomponent van die vergoedingsrnodelle in daardie maatskappye blyk 'n groot bydraende faktor te wees in die onetiese besluitneming wat plaasgevind het, en wat uiteindelik tot die ondergang van die ondernemings gelei het. Laastens, word die lesse wat geleer is uit die gevallestudies, toegepas in gewysigde format, en getoets aan die hand van die verskillende beginsels wat etiese besluitneming onderhou, naamlik die beginsels van regte, regverdigheid, utiliteit en die beginsel van etiese verantwoordelikheid. Daar word tot die slotsom gekom dat daar wel ruimte vir aansporingskemas vir direkteure is, maar dat dit slegs eties regverdigbaar sal wees mits ag geslaan word op die lesse wat uit die gevallestudie voortspruit, tesame met die impementering van sekere korrektiewe maatstawwe.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the world of business today, the reputation of an organisation matters tremendously. After the global financial crisis in 2008-2009, it has never been more difficult for organisations to maintain a positive reputation. The past decade differs from previous ones, as rules and regulations enforced by regulatory bodies are more rigid, public criticism and expectations are greater and the emotional contracts between employees and leadership are not as strong as they once were. The financial services industry, in South Africa and abroad, has been inundated by unethical behaviour and the global downturn has exacerbated this problem. In light of the revelations that have come to pass worldwide, the magnifying glass has been firmly fixed on companies operating within the financial services sector. The crisis has led to numerous companies questioning and reviewing their own compliance and organisational practices to establish whether they are ethical. In the South African financial services industry there has been a war raging among organisations fighting for market share. With the increased competition levels among businesses, there is a desire to find new and creative ways of achieving competitive advantage. Business ethics, therefore, has become essential in the conducting of any type of business. The competitive advantage of business ethics revolves around the building of relationships with organisational stakeholders based on its integrity, which will maintain these relationships. By establishing an ethics programme, an organisation could enable the management of business ethics in the workplace. Ethics programmes often convey the values of the organisation, making use of policies and codes to guide behaviour and the decision-making process of stakeholders. These programmes could be used, during turbulent times, to maintain a moral path, especially when leaders require a clear moral compass for guidance. This moral compass function is also very helpful for new employees, as they may need to be familiarised with ethically correct behaviour within the organisation that aligns with its values. If employees are satisfied with the ethics programme, it could work as a mechanism to stimulate productivity, teamwork and to motivate personnel. A study was conducted within a private sector organisation in the South African financial services industry with a focus on evaluating the effectiveness of their ethics programme. The findings from the fieldwork established that the ethics programme of the organisation was found to be highly effective, as perceived by both employees and directors. An effective ethics programme means that the ethical culture of the organisation is strong. The findings serve to confirm that, by monitoring the key variables that play an important role in predicting the effectiveness of ethics programmes, organisations can achieve a positive result by knowing what the impact of potentially harmful behaviour can have on the ethical climate and culture. The findings also serve to confirm that an effective ethics programme can become a source of competitive advantage if engaged correctly by the entire organisation. This study may be used to argue that sound business ethics and ethics programmes can be viewed as a new competitive advantage that organisations require for long-term sustainability and business success.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In vandag se sakewêreld is die reputasie van ’n organisasie geweldig belangrik. Sedert die globale finansiële krisis in 2008-2009 is dit vir organisasies moeiliker as ooit om ’n positiewe reputasie te handhaaf. Die afgelope dekade is anders as die voriges omdat reëls en regulasies wat deur reguleringsliggame afgedwing word, meer rigied is, openbare kritiek en verwagtinge groter is, en die emosionele kontrakte tussen werknemers en leierskap nie meer so sterk is as vroeër nie. Die bedryf van finansiële dienste – in Suid-Afrika en in die buiteland – is erg geteister deur onetiese gedrag, en die globale insinking het dié probleem vererger. In die lig van onthullings wat wêreldwyd plaasvind, word die vergrootglas ferm gerig op maatskappye wat binne-in die finansiëledienste-sektor sake doen. Die krisis het tot gevolg gehad dat talle maatskappye hul eie reëlnakoming en organisatoriese praktyke bevraagteken en hersien om vas te stel of hulle wel eties is. In die Suid-Afrikaanse (SA) finansiëledienste-bedryf het daar onder organisasies ’n oorlog om markaandeel gewoed Met die toenemende vlakke van mededinging onder sake-ondernemings, is daar ’n begeerte om nuwe en kreatiewe maniere te vind om mededingende voordeel te bereik. Sake-etiek het dus noodsaaklik geword om enige soort besigheid te bedryf. Die mededingende voordeel van sake-etiek draai om die bou van verhoudings met organisatoriese aandeelhouers, gebaseer op hul integriteit wat hierdie verhoudings in stand gaan hou. Deur die vestiging van etiese programme kan ’n organisasie die bestuur van sake-etiek in die werkplek moontlik maak. ’n Etiese program dra dikwels die waardes van die organisasie oor met die gebruik van beleid en kodes as riglyne vir gedrag en die besluitnemingsproses van aandeelhouers. Hierdie programme kan in onstuimige tye gebruik word om ’n morele weg te handhaaf, veral wanneer leiers ’n helder morele kompas nodig het vir leiding. Die funksie van hierdie morele kompas is ook baie nuttig vir nuwe werknemers omdat hulle vertroud wil raak met eties korrekte gedrag binne-in die organisasie wat in lyn is met sy waardes. As werknemers tevrede is met die etiese program, kan dit dien as meganisme om produktiwiteit en spanwerk te stimuleer, asook om hulle te motiveer. ’n Studie wat binne-in ’n organisasie in die private sektor van die Suid-Afrikaanse finansiëledienste-bedryf gedoen is, het gefokus op evaluering van die doeltreffendheid van hul etiese program. Die bevindings van die veldwerk het gestaaf dat die etiese program van die organisasie hoogs doeltreffend was, soos waargeneem deur die werknemers en direkteure. ’n Doeltreffende etiese program beteken dat die etiese kultuur van die organisasie sterk is. Die bevindings dien as bevestiging dat, deur die monitering van die belangrikste veranderlikes wat ’n belangrike rol speel in die voorspelling van die doeltreffendheid van etiese programme, organisasies ’n positiewe uitslag kan bereik indien hulle weet wat die impak van potensieel skadelike gedrag op die etiese klimaat en kultuur kan hê. Die bevindings bevestig ook dat ’n doeltreffende etiese program ’n bron van mededingende voordeel kan word as dit korrek deur die hele organisasie omarm word. Hierdie studie kan gebruik word in ’n betoog dat gesonde sake-etiek en etiese programme beskou kan word as ’n nuwe mededingende voordeel wat organisasies benodig vir langtermynvolhoubaarheid en sake-sukses.

There has been increasing public concern about farm animal welfare regarding transportation, slaughter, and some management practices, especially in systems where animals are confined for most of their existence. Animal welfare organizations (groups) have traditionally focused on forwarding their agendas through legislation, although more recent attempts have focused on convincing large firms that buy agricultural commodities to require particular production process standards to be met. The strategic interactions of players in the egg industry are modeled using a game theory approach. Two scenarios were explored: a principal-agent contract model between food firms and farmers, and a model where two firms are targeted by animal activists. The former model was empirically analyzed while the latter model was theoretically examined. Results for the principal-agent contract model indicate that, in general, the decision by the farmer of whether to invest in a free-range production system is dependent on the probability of being caught cheating. Whether contracts will be accepted or rejected by suppliers is dependent on the premium for free-range eggs. Finally, as the amount that can be lost if caught breaching the contract decreases, investment is motivated only with a higher probability of being caught. Theoretical analysis where competition did not matter and animal welfare was not a determinant of demand shows that animal activists must convince food firms that there will be a significant change in revenue with compliance as opposed to rejecting the contract or negotiating a compromise in order to attain their objectives of increased animal welfare.

This thesis provides a behavioural perspective to the problem of collusive tendering in the construction market by examining the decision making factors of individuals potentially involved in such agreements using marketing ethics theory and techniques. The findings of a cross disciplinary literature review were synthesised into a model of factors theoretically expected to determine the individual's behavioural intent towards a set of collusive tendering agreements and the means of reaching them. The factors were grouped as internal cognitive (the individuals' value systems) and affective (demographic and psychographic characteristics) as well as external environmental (legal, industrial and organisational codes and norms) and situational (company, market and economic conditions). The model was tested using empirical data collected through a questionnaire survey of estimators employed in the largest Australian construction firms. All forms of explicit collusive tendering agreements were considered as having a prohibitive moral content by the majority of respondents who also clearly differentiated between agreements and discussions of contract terms (which they found to be a moral concern but not prohibitive) or of prices. The comparisons between those of the respondents that would never participate in a collusive agreement and the potential offenders clearly showed two distinctly different groups. The law abiding estimators are less reliant on situational factors, happier and more comfortable in their work environments and they live according to personal value and belief systems. The potential offenders on the other hand are mistrustful of colleagues, feel their values are not respected, put company priorities above principles and none of them is religious or a member of a professional body. The research results indicate that Australian estimators are, overall law abiding and principled and accept the existing codification of collusion as morally defensible and binding. Professional bodies' and organisational codes of conduct as well as personal value and belief systems that guide one's own conduct appear to be deterrents to collusive tendering intent and so are moral comfort and work satisfaction. These observations are potential indicators of areas where intervention and behaviour modification can increase individuals' resistance to collusion.