John Kohls

The challenge of global ethics

The authors argue that the time is ripe for national and corporate leaders to move consciously towards the development of global ethics. This papers presents a model of global ethics, a rationale for the development of global ethics, and the implications of the model for research and practice.

Ethical decision making in times of organizational crisis: A framework for analysis

The article describes a framework that identifies event, organizational, and individual factors that threaten ethical decision making in organizations facing discrete crises or in an ongoing crisis environment. Nine propositions are stated that predict threats to ethical decision making during crisis. A comparison between predictions from our model and from Joness (1991) model is made. Suggestions for research to test and refine the framework are proposed.

Resolving cross-cultural ethical conflict: Exploring alternative strategies

In this article, seven strategies for dealing with cross-cultural ethical conflict are described. Conflict situations are classified on the basis of centrality and consensus on the values involved, influence of the decision maker, and urgency. A contingency model suggests appropriate strategies for different situations. The model is applied to representative cases of cross-cultural ethical conflict.

A causal model of burnout among self-managed work team members.

Abstract The findings on burnout that are almost universally from research in service settings are applied to an industrial setting with self-managed work teams. Researchers formulated several hypotheses on the basis of this literature. These hypotheses were then used to develop a structural (causal) model that was tested and refined using LISREL 8. Data were collected from 320 employees concerning perceptions of several job and organization conditions, as well as the three components of burnout. Results indicated that role conflict contributed to emotional exhaustion, and participation in work teams diminished it. Job ambiguity, low co-worker support, and low job ability contributed to feelings of low personal accomplishment. These results were consistent with previous findings. When insufficient time to complete a job was removed from the workload measures, workload actually diminished burnout, a finding opposite from previous research. Other organization factors had no significant impact on burnout in this setting.

A Model for Addressing Cross - Cultural Ethical Conflicts

As transnational interactions increase, cross-cultural conflict concerning ethical issues is inevitable. This article presents a model for assisting decision makers in selecting appropriate strategies for addressing cross-cultural ethical conflict. A theoretical framework for the model is developed based on the literature on international business ethics and on conflict resolution. The model is illustrated through several case examples. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Student Experiences with Service Learning in a Business Ethics Course

Service learning provides many challenges and opportunities for the instructor who wishes to test its potential. This paper looks at some of the promise for service learning in the undergraduate Business Ethics course and describes one experience with this project. Quotations from student journals and reflective papers are utilized to present the students perspective on the project. Some suggestions are offered for insuring effective service learning in courses like Business Ethics.

The business responsibility for wealth distribution in a globalized political-economy: Merging moral economics and catholic social teaching

If it is accepted that the real marketplace does not necessarily distribute wealth in the manner that the ideal market would have done, and that societal institutions have an obligation to bring the real and ideal market distributions into accord, then it can be argued that economic actors have a responsibility to consider the effects of their activities on the distribution of wealth in society. This paper asserts that businesses have a responsibility to consider the wealth distribution effects of their wealth-creating decisions. We use arguments from moral economics and Catholic social teaching to support this assertion, deriving decision principles that we apply to the Starbucks fair trade coffee case.

Resolving cross-cultural ethical conflict : An empirical test of a decision tree model in an educational setting

The authors have previously developed and described a decision tree model for addressing cross-cultural ethical conflicts. The model is intended to provide an ethically sound yet pragmatic tool for decision makers facing such situations. This paper presents the results of an empirical test of the model in an educational setting with a sample of business students. Students trained to use the model demonstrated significantly more flexibility and appropriateness in their decisions on case scenarios than those who were not trained. The implications for use of the model in educational settings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

White-collar work values and attitudes: A cross-cultural comparison of the U.S. and the Philippines

This paper examines the work values of white-collar workers in the United States and the Philippines. It compares the extrinsic and intrinsic motivating factors and describes the core work motivators. Despite divergence in culture, economic environment, and level of industrialization, the results indicate that intrinsic factors are similarly effective for both groups while the effectiveness of extrinsic factors are more culturally determined.