Do they practice what they preach? The presence of problematic citations in business ethics research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Serenko ◽  
John Dumay ◽  
Pei-Chi Kelly Hsiao ◽  
Chun Wei Choo

PurposeIn scholarly publications, citations play an essential epistemic role in creating and disseminating knowledge. Conversely, the use of problematic citations impedes the growth of knowledge, contaminates the knowledge base and disserves science. This study investigates the presence of problematic citations in the works of business ethics scholars.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigated two types of problematic citations: inaccurate citations and plagiarized citations. For this, 1,200 randomly selected citations from three leading business ethics journals were assessed based on: (1) referenced journal errors, (2) article title errors and (3) author name errors. Other papers that replicated the same title errors were identified.FindingsOf the citations in the examined business ethics journals, 21.42% have at least one error. Of particular concern are the citation errors in article titles, where 3.75% of examined citations have minor errors and another 3.75% display major errors – 7.5% in total. Two-thirds of minor and major title errors were repeatedly replicated in previous and ensuing publications, which confirms the presence of citation plagiarism. An average article published in a business ethics journal contains at least three plagiarized citations. Even though business ethics fares well compared to other disciplines, a situation where every fifth citation is problematic is unacceptable.Practical implicationsBusiness ethics scholars are not immune to the use of problematic citations, and it is unlikely that attempting to improve researchers' awareness of the unethicality of this behavior will bring a desirable outcome.Originality/valueIdentifying that problematic citations exist in the business ethics literature is novel because it is expected that these researchers would not condone this practice.

Author(s):  
Stephen Swailes

PurposeThis article addresses three concerns about the operationalization and possible effects of exclusive talent management; the core assumptions that underpin and shape talent practices, the problem of fair talent identification and potentially adverse employee reactions.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper that integrates empirical research on talent and talent management with ideas from business ethics.FindingsOrganizations should not simply assume that they meet the underlying assumptions of talent management. Where the assumptions can reasonably be shown to be valid, then a framework based on a set of principles is suggested to guide organizational approaches towards responsible talent management.Practical implicationsThe article provides talent practitioners with a set of principles, or at least some substantive suggestions, to be considered in the design of socially responsible talent management programmes and in programme evaluation.Social implicationsThe article provides guidance for organizations wishing to improve the care of their workforce in relation to strategies of employee differentiation based on performance and potential.Originality/valueDespite the burgeoning literature on talent management, the topic has not received much attention from an ethical and socially responsible viewpoint. This article adds to that literature and suggests further research particularly concerning the existence of real talent differences on which the entire talent management project is based.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 628-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Wood

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide reflections on business ethics in the 25-year window from 1992-2017, and to then seek to examine some of the concerns for the future of which we all need to be cognizant. Design/methodology/approach The paper represents the reflections of a now retired academic who spent the period from 1992 to 2017 researching in the area of business ethics. Findings In the world of commerce, we are still seeing the same alleged behaviours by corporations from developed economies that have dogged business for so long. Have we moved forward and how far have we moved are difficult to determine. Research limitations/implications The paper is based on the reflections on 25 years of research in the area of international business ethics. The limitation is that the paper is based on the experiences of one academic. Practical implications The paper points to considerations that are required if the field of business ethics is to move forward in a positive manner. Originality/value The paper looks at many of the pertinent issues facing the field of commerce in respect to business ethics now and into our foreseeable future.


2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 15-17

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – The paper suggests that individuals are seeking more meaning in business education as well as the workplace. Proposes that the Australian Catholic University’s MBA, with its emphasis on spirituality and ethics, can meet these needs and enthuses about the quality and receptive nature of its students Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 757-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Laid Ouakouak ◽  
Noufou Ouedraogo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of organizational commitment and trust on knowledge sharing and on knowledge utilization. Also, the study aims to examine the influence of knowledge sharing on knowledge utilization. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was conducted among 307 employees working at Canadian organizations. Findings The results reveal that both affective commitment and professional trust have positive influences on knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization, whereas personal trust and continuance commitment do not. The authors also found that business ethics moderates the relationship between knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization. Practical implications These findings extend the literature on knowledge management and demonstrate, from a practical perspective, that in order to build a knowledge-sharing culture, managers must create conditions that allow affective commitment, professional trust and business ethics to flourish. Originality/value The current study offers an initial investigation of the effects of both kinds of commitment and trust on knowledge sharing and knowledge utilization.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Sissel Lucka ◽  
Fabio Caldieraro ◽  
Marco Tulio Zanini

PurposeThis study explores the effect of gender stereotyping and issue advocacy on consumer sentiment toward advertising and brands.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from the literature, the study hypothesizes about the impact of gender stereotyping and consumer advocacy on consumer sentiment. A behavioral experiment tests the hypotheses and provides support for the main conclusions.FindingsResults indicate that issue advocacy can cancel the negative effect of traditional female stereotyping. The results also show that demographics are not necessarily the reason why a person favors or condemns stereotyping and advertising; on the contrary, any reaction is far more linked to personal disposition.Practical implicationsThe findings of this research have implications for marketing and advertising practice. While the use of issue advocacy is currently trending up, there is still a lack of understanding about its effect on consumers. Gender stereotyping is also being frequently used, but has caused huge backlashes in recent ad campaigns. Marketing and advertising managers can use insights from this research to shape advertising messages that use these two stimuli in order to enable a brand to better connect with its audience and achieve a more desirable outcome.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the academic discussion about the effectiveness of using gender stereotyping and issue advocacy to drive advertising outcomes. It challenges the idea that the combination of these two advertising approaches is either detrimental or beneficial to the brand.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1598-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Ali Köseoglu ◽  
Yasin Sehitoglu ◽  
Gary Ross ◽  
John A. Parnell

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate how business ethics research is progressing in the tourism and hospitality (T/H) industries and suggest a research agenda. Design/methodology/approach This study applies bibliometric analysis to articles related to business ethics topics in the T/H fields published between 1995 and 2014 in six, nine and five leading hospitality-, tourism- and business ethics-oriented journals, respectively. Findings This study provides a broad view on business ethics research in the T/H fields based on leading authors, institutions, themes and methods used over the past two decades. Research limitations/implications This study assesses the progress of business ethics research in the hospitality and tourism fields. Only articles published in select, prominent Social Sciences Citation Index journals were analyzed. Practical implications This analysis focuses on published articles related to business ethics in the T/H fields. As such, it facilitates researchers, academic scholars and professionals in contributing to the field more effectively and advancing scientific progress in the literature. It aids practitioners by evaluating the extent to which scholars have investigated key issues in the field. Originality/value This study is the first to utilize bibliometric analysis to assess business ethics research focusing on T/H activities published in leading tourism, hospitality and business ethics journals.


Kybernetes ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (06) ◽  
pp. 914-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zlatko Nedelko ◽  
Matjaz Mulej ◽  
Vojko Potocan

Purpose The aim of this paper is to report about a requisitely holistic examination of the business ethics, focused on internal gaps between company’s and employees’ ethics. Contribution considers reasons for emergence of business ethics’ internal gaps and their appearance forms. Design/methodology/approach The authors specify and test model drawing upon modified versions of the ethics and management theory. In all, 1,125 responses were analyzed from an on-going survey conducted biannually among employees in Slovenian companies in the past decade. Findings Results reveal that company’s real business ethics remained steady over the decade, while employees’ real business ethics have significantly improved. Significant differences exist between employees’ and company’s real business ethics and shape internal business ethics’ incompatibilities. Finally, results reveal a significant influence of employees’ real business ethics on company’s real business ethics. Research limitations/implications Research is limited to postulated hypotheses, qualitative consideration of internal gaps of business ethics and quantitative analysis of business ethics’ development in the considered Slovenian companies in the past 10 years. Practical implications The authors rethought the habit of separated consideration of managerial business ethics and employees’ ethics as well as the presumption about congruence between company’s and employees’ business ethics. The requisitely holistic understanding and consideration of internal gaps of business ethics is suggested. Originality/value Available literature does not provide a similar model for a requisitely holistic consideration of internal gaps of business ethics. The study confirms the proposed model of business ethics gaps.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-770
Author(s):  
Maria Krambia-Kapardis

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a profile of whistleblowers and to determine whether whistleblowing legislation would encourage those individuals to bring to light some illegal or unethical behaviour that otherwise would remain in the shadows. Design/methodology/approach Having identified whistleblowing correlation, a survey was carried out in Cyprus of actual whistleblowers and could-have-been whistleblowers. Findings Males between 46 and55 years of age, regardless of whether they have dependents or hold senior positions in organizations are significantly more likely to blow the whistle. However, could-have-been whistleblowers did not go ahead because they felt that the authorities would not act on their information. Research limitations/implications Because of the sensitive nature of the research topic and the fact that only whistleblowers or intended whistleblowers could participate in the study, the sample size is limited as a result. This, in turn, limits both the number of respondents in each category (actual and intended) as well as constrains the statistical analysis that could be carried out on the data. Practical implications It remains to be seen whether EU Member States shall implement the European Directive 2019/1937 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union Law, in its entirety by the due date, namely December 2021. Originality/value This study provides a literature review of whistleblowing and reports an original survey against the backdrop of the European Directive.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document