The effect of cognitive moral development on ethical attitudes, in the presence of reward consequences, under conditions of moral ambiguity

Abstract

The objective of the study was to examine the effect of cognitive moral development on ethical attitudes, in the presence of reward consequences, under conditions of moral ambiguity. The study is based on business stakeholders under conditions of strategic business competition. The intention of the study is to explore and understand the predictors of ethical behaviour. The participants of the experimental study were 2012/13 GIBS MBA business students with real managerial experience. They were randomly assigned to different stakeholder roles in a controlled business simulation game called the Execugame, with varying treatments of reward consequences and a strategic competitor bluff. The study sought to determine whether Reward Consequences (RC) will be a stronger predictor of Attitude towards the Ethicality of Competitor Bluffing (ATECB) amongst Stakeholder Role Players (SRPs) than their Level Cognitive Moral Development as a predictor of Attitude towards the Ethicality of Competitor Bluffing (ATECB). Overall the results didn’t find evidence to support the research hypotheses. Hence the research failed to prove a relationship and did not find evidence to support a relationship.