6. Malpractice and Unethical Conduct: Strategies for Prevention

2018 ◽  
pp. 208-248
Keyword(s):  
Unethical Conduct

scholarly journals Work Ethics, Values, Attitudes and Performance In The Nigerian Public Service: Issues, Challenges and The Way Forward

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Bernard Oladosu Omisore ◽  
Oyende Adeleke A.
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Work Ethics ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Oriented ◽  
Training Motivation ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Performance

Performance of the Nigerian public service has been a major concern to policy makers and researchers alike. This is because despite all measures put in place to arrest the ugly trend, it seems, it has defied all approaches towards tackling the problem of inefficiency and capacity collapse. Work ethics, attitudes and values can be influenced by the organization, through interventions like training, motivation and coaching, etc. However, they cannot be changed forcibly because they are intrinsic. It is, therefore, of fundamental importance that public functionaries act justly and fairly to all, not only paying lip service to ethical conduct but also ensuring that these are manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done. This paper discusses the challenges of work ethics, values, attitudes and performance in the Nigerian public service. The major causes of unethical conduct in the public service were identified and the institutional mechanisms established by the government to curb these unethical behaviours were examined. This paper adopted content analysis as a method of data gathering and analysis. It suggested viable options for effective and efficient service-oriented public service. 

Violation of ethical principles in institutional care for older people

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radka Bužgová ◽  
Kateřina Ivanová
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Institutional Care ◽  
Ethical Principles ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Inadequate Knowledge ◽  
Employees Satisfaction ◽  
Mental Problems

This study focuses on issues of elder abuse in residential settings. Violation of ethical principles is shown in the results of this quantitative study aimed at defining the extent, nature and causes of such abuse by employees’ unethical conduct towards clients in senior homes (i.e. residential nursing homes) in the Moravian-Silesian region of the Czech Republic. The research sample comprised 454 employees and 488 clients from 12 residential homes for older people. The data were collected from interviews with clients, who also received a questionnaire concerning their satisfaction with the institution. Two questionnaires were administered to the employees, one based on a pilot qualitative study and a second to investigate burnout. Outcomes were assessed according to the extent and form of elder abuse, the causes of elder abuse and the violation of basic ethical principles. The responses, in particular those of employees, revealed both psychological and physical abuse of older clients, and thus violation of two basic principles: respect for the person and non-maleficence. The group at risk of elder abuse comprised aggressive and dissatisfied clients, as well as those with mental problems and dementia. The employees most at risk of being abusers were those who had been employed in institutional care for more than five years, had inadequate knowledge about social services and suffered from burnout. The prevention of elder abuse is recommended to be through education focused on ethical principles, increasing employees’ satisfaction by promoting a friendly and safe organizational culture, and providing adequate working conditions.

scholarly journals Ethics in construction industry : project managers’ case study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Thobeka Kahlela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Project Manager ◽  
South African Council ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Unethical Practices

Business ethics and corporate governance have taken centre stage globally in the last decade due to the increasing unethical practices by private and public institutions. These unethical practices adversely affect the image of professionals and organisations with a resultant negative impact on the competitive advantage of the organisation. This study aims to assess factors contributing to unethical behaviours of project managers. The study was conducted in five provinces of South Africa including KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Cape Town, Limpopo and Gauteng. The sample frame consists of construction project managers registered with South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) and Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Random sampling technique was employed in the selection of samples. A total number of thirty six questionnaires were analysed for the study. Descriptive statistics were employed for the analysis of data. Findings include personal value, organisational culture and education are very influential factors on ethical decisions of a project manager. Furthermore, corporate value and individual values are the factors which most influence the ethical judgment of a project manager. Improving ethical practice for the professionals could improve ethical performance in construction projects and production efficiency in the construction industry in SA. Based on the findings of the study, ways to mitigate unethical conduct would be; practicing ethical conduct at all times will improve production, the levels of risk on projects will decrease and also an improvement in communication and transparency will minimize the levels of unethical conduct of the project managers in South Africa.

scholarly journals Guest Editorial Governance and ethics: an indispensable relationship

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anona Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Guest Editorial ◽  
Securities Market ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
The World ◽  
Financial Scandals ◽  
Regulations And Guidelines

One of the fascinating questions of our time is why, when so much effort has gone into implementing corporate governance guidelines and raising the awareness of business ethics, stories of unethical conduct and poor governance continue to emerge on the front pages in our newspapers. Around the world financial scandals continue to occur and each time seekers of an antidote to the latest disaster call for more governance. This was evident after the 1987 securities market collapses when the Cadbury Committee and the OECD (Cadbury 1992; OECD 1999) were among many organisations which were to introduce governance regulations and guidelines over the next decade, and it is again prominent today.

scholarly journals Ethical Issues in Global Supply Chains

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodo B. Schlegelmilch ◽  
Magdalena Öberseder
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Global Supply Chains ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Production Methods ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Consumer Demands

Despite all technological advances, global supply chains are always based on the interaction of people. And wherever people interact, a kaleidoscope of ethical issues emerges. While consumer demands and concerns have undoubtedly led to an increased awareness of unethical conduct in the supply chain, contravening forces, such as the relentless pressures for low cost products and the ease by which consumers are purchasing non-deceptive counterfeits, should also not be ignored. Many retailers are now embracing ethical issues by emphasising, for example, that they take care of the production methods and working conditions pertaining to the goods they offer.

scholarly journals Epistemic Vices in Organizations: Knowledge, Truth, and Unethical Conduct

2018 ◽  
Vol 160 (1) ◽  
pp. 263-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Baird ◽  
Thomas S. Calvard
Keyword(s):  
Unethical Conduct

Who cares about ethical practices at workplace? A taxonomy of employees’ unethical conduct from top management perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jatinder Kumar Jha ◽  
Manjari Singh
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Unethical Behaviour ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Unethical Practices

Purpose The purpose of the study is to explore the various kind of prevailing unethical practices at workplace along with identification of factors triggering such unethical practices. Growing incidences of indulgence of employees in unethical acts in various organisation and negative consequences associated with it for the organisation such as erosion of reputation because of advance digital media coverage, shareholder value and others made compulsive to study the root cause of unethical behaviour at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach This study extracts meaning from the experiences of top managers working in nine Indian organisations to understand the challenges faced by individuals at the workplace using the Gioia methodology. A total of 33 top management team (TMT) members were interviewed in detail to capture their experience in regard to various challenges that impose a threat to ethical conduct in the organisation. Findings The authors identified four categories of unethical behaviour, namely, pro-self, lack of autonomy, pro-organisation, systemic and negligence. Further, the authors have developed a taxonomy suggesting strategies to control unethical conduct at the workplace. Besides, the current study unravels the triggers behind different categories of unethical conduct, such as bottom-line mentality, rent-seeking behaviour of government officials, fluid ethical study culture and others. Originality/value Various types of unethical behaviour have been identified and frameworks to address such unethical practices are suggested in the paper. TMTs views have been captured to understand the root cause of unethical practices and strategies for addressing them have been discussed in the paper.

Walking the talk

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 654-677
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Scheetz ◽  
Timothy J. Fogarty
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Psychological Contracts ◽  
Detection Mechanism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unethical Conduct ◽  
Psychological Contract Violation ◽  
Psychological Contract Violations ◽  
Reporting Intentions ◽  
Contract Violation

Purpose Based on exchange theory and the generalized norm of reciprocity, psychological contracts perceived by employees are believed to have dysfunctional consequences for organizations if breached. This paper aims to study the willingness of employees to report fraud, as such is an important aspect of internal control for organizations. Design/methodology/approach A 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment was conducted in which 99 participants with diverse accounting backgrounds were first asked questions about their preconceived beliefs (psychological contract) regarding how reports of unethical conduct would be managed, and their reaction if these beliefs were broken (psychological contract violation). Participants were given a hypothetical situation of fraud and then asked to indicate their likelihood of reporting fraud to a supervisor. Findings The main hypotheses are that employees will be less likely to report fraud when the organization fails to signal the presence of a positive ethical environment or when management reacts weakly to previous reports of unethical activity. The data and findings support these hypotheses. Additional testing also reveals that a psychological contract violation mediates the relationship between the outcome of previous reports and the intention to report fraud. Research limitations/implications As with any experimental study, this study’s results come with limitations. Reading an overly simplistic scenario that omits real world details and providing intention to report is very different from actually reporting fraud in one’s own place of employment. Therefore, reporting intentions may vary from actual reporting behavior. Further, reporting motivation (self-defense, altruism, etc.) and concern over retaliation are not measured. Practical implications Employees have expectations surrounding ethical corporate environments. Psychological contract violations occur as a result of broken expectations and are common in the workforce. In this study, a breakdown in the internal control environment because of a poor ethical culture, caused an even greater breakdown in internal controls because of employees’ decreased reporting intentions. Social implications Psychological contract violations impact employees’ intention to report fraud. These violations need to be understood so that additional measures and safeguards can be instituted when employees are not acting as a fraud defense or detection mechanism. During such times when there is a breakdown in this type of internal control (that is, when employees might be hesitant to report fraud), extra safeguards against fraud, additional procedures to detect fraud, and enhanced employee training encouraging reporting of suspected unethical conduct, become even more important. Originality/value Strong experimental methods provide a rigorous way to evaluate a problem of our day: job insecurity caused by rampant organizational turbulence. The hidden cost is expressed in terms of how less can be expected of employees as a first line of defense against fraud.

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