Triggers of Acute Changes in Ethical Attitude

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Abstract
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Theory
• Methodology
• Data Analysis
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• References
• Appendix

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This master's thesis aims to investigate the influence of Business Ethical Codes of Conduct (BECC) on ethical attitude, particularly focusing on whether exposure to BECC triggers acute changes in moral thinking through psychological priming. The research explores the potential impact of BECC on individuals' ethical decision-making and examines the relationship between age, socioeconomic status, and gender on ethical values.

• The effect of Business Ethical Codes of Conduct (BECC) on ethical attitude
• The role of psychological priming in ethical decision-making
• The influence of age, socioeconomic status, and gender on ethical values
• The "mere-exposure effect" in relation to ethical attitudes
• The complexity of influencing and controlling ethical behaviour

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The thesis begins with an introduction outlining the research problem and the importance of understanding ethical behaviour in the context of global financial crises. The theory section delves into the concepts of ethical attitude, psychological priming, and the impact of BECC on ethical decision-making. The methodology chapter describes the research design, data collection methods, and the specific ethical dilemmas presented to participants. Data analysis focuses on analyzing the results of the ethical questionnaires and investigating the correlations between various demographic factors and ethical attitudes. The results section presents the findings of the study, including the effect of BECC exposure on ethical attitudes and the influence of age, socioeconomic status, and gender. The discussion chapter interprets the results, considering their implications for ethical decision-making and ethical leadership in business. Finally, the conclusions summarize the key findings of the thesis and offer recommendations for future research.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study focuses on the key concepts of ethical attitude, psychological priming, Business Ethical Codes of Conduct (BECC), moral decision-making, age, socioeconomic status, gender, "mere-exposure effect", and ethical leadership in the business context. It explores the relationship between these concepts and investigates the potential for influencing ethical behaviour through the use of BECC and other factors.