Corporate Social Responsibility and Cheating Behavior: The Mediating Effects of Organizational Identification and Perceived Supervisor Moral Decoupling

Previous corporate social responsibility (CSR) studies at the employee level have focused on the influence of CSR on employees’ positive attitudes and behavior. However, little attention has been paid to the relationship between CSR and unethical behavior and the underlying mechanism. Based on social information processing theory, this study investigates how CSR affects employee cheating via employees’ organizational identification and perceived supervisor moral decoupling. Additionally, this study discusses the moderating effect of employee bottom-line mentality on these relationships. We test this two-path model using a sample of MBA students in China. The results indicate that both organizational identification and perceived supervisor moral decoupling mediate the relationship between CSR and cheating, and employee bottom-line mentality moderates the effect of CSR on perceived supervisor moral decoupling. Specifically, for employees low in bottom-line mentality, CSR has a significantly negative impact on perceived supervisor moral decoupling, but the same relationship is insignificant for employees with a strong bottom-line mentality. Overall, our results uncover the relationship between CSR and employee cheating and extend the understanding of the influence of CSR on employees.

Greenwash, moral decoupling, and brand loyalty

Along with the prevalence of green marketing, greenwash has also grown in the past decade. We investigated whether greenwash undermines consumers' brand loyalty, and how moral decoupling moderates this effect. Data were collected from a survey of 427 consumers, and the hypotheses were tested by regression analysis. The empirical results show that greenwash had a negative effect on consumers' brand loyalty, the effect of which was stronger at lower levels of moral decoupling. Thus, we recommend that brands eliminate the detrimental greenwash practice and increase the transparency of their environmental performance, and that governments and environmental organizations enhance consumer education to prevent moral decoupling.

How Consumers Justify Their Unethical Behavior: The Role of Moral Recognition Strategies (Moral Rationalization, and Decoupling), Complemented by Culture, on the Purchase of Counterfeits in Pakistan

Moral recognition, is defined as a person’s description of a condition as ethical dilemma. However, people will not always interpret situations as ethical problems in the same way with the same force under all circumstances. The literature suggests that when two conditions of acceptance of ethics (moral rationalization and decoupling) are met, people will define the situation as a ethical problem differently. In the moral system, people use it to turn immoral acts into less immoral acts. Therefore, it allows them to violate ethical standards while maintaining a certain standard of conduct such as buying counterfeit goods because of their low prices. Here, consumers are more likely to make a profit by rearranging their actions for less ethical, which means seeking appropriate ethical reasons (including ethical justification, non-professional language, beneficial comparisons, migration of responsibilities, distribution of responsibility, distortion of results, prosecution; (Bandura et al., 1996), to coordinate adjustments and conditions, and to reach a judgment. Moral decoupling is defined as a psychological process chosen to prevent misconduct, in which one separates the judgment of performance from judgments of morality (Bhattacharjee et al., 2013). When people use this strategy, they focus on social benefits (e.g., image, use of status, etc.) as well as economic benefits (e.g., visual fashion content, physical appearance, performance, scarcity, etc. Chen et. al. (2018) linked these two strategies in an empirical assessment to explore the effect of dimensions of moral recognition (moral rationalization and moral decoupling) on counterfeit purchases mediated by moral judgment and perceived benefits respectively. We modified the Chen model with the complementary effect of materialistic culture in this relationship. We argue that moral recognition firstly affects counterfeit purchase (CP) through Moral rationalization, and then through moral judgment in a two-step mediation. Secondly, through moral decoupling and further through perceived benefits. Thirdly, directly affecting CP complemented by materialistic culture as a moderator. Empirical validity was established by conducting a survey employing a close-ended questionnaire. Data was collected from 230 consumers and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structured equation modeling. The results suggested that moral recognition seems to limit purchase intention (PI) directly. Similarly, it neutralizes to Moral Rationalization (MR), and Decoupling (MD) behaviors. Moreover, MR tends to positively affect PI both directly, and well as indirectly through moral judgment (MJ). Similarly, MD also has a direct and positive effect on PI, as well as perceived benefits (PB), however, PB and PI relationship was not substantiated. Hence, MR seems to negatively affect PI through MD, as well as through MR and MJ as a first and second-order mediator. Lastly, materialism seems to promote the counterfeit purchase, at the same time positively complement the effect of MR on PI, in a way that MR would have a more pronounced effect on PI in case of the higher materialistic consumer.

Authentically, proudly ethical

Purpose Prior research suggests that consumers can engage in moral decoupling by separating their judgments of morality from their judgments of performance. Hence, they might rationalize the benefits of unethical behavior without condoning the behavior itself. This paper aims to study how a discrete positive emotion, such as authentic pride, can mitigate moral decoupling. Design/methodology/approach Using three experimental studies, this research investigates and tests the underlying mechanism driving authentic pride, its effects and its key moderator. The results are analyzed using ANOVAs, regression-based serial mediation and moderated mediation analyses. Findings The results show that authentic pride decreases consumer acceptance of unethical behavior across different contexts, including purchase intentions for unethically manufactured products (Study 1), evaluations of the corporate social responsibility activities of a tobacco company (Study 2) and acceptance of questionable consumer behavior in daily situations (Study 3). Research limitations/implications This research explores attitudes and behavioral intentions as dependent variables. It would thus be of interest for future research to examine a behavioral measure. Practical implications Given the potential problems of moral decoupling among consumers, marketers can devise effective strategies to reduce this problem using authentic pride appeals. Originality/value This research demonstrates how authentic pride can decrease consumer acceptance of unethical behavior. More importantly, this research enriches our understanding of the underlying mechanism driving the influence of authentic pride such that it increases the belief in a just world, which in turn lowers moral decoupling (a serial mediation).

Mit zweierlei Maß gemessen? Ein Vergleich der für Politiker und Fußballer bei Steuer- und Drogendelikten geforderten Konsequenzen

Die Studie analysiert, welche Konsequenzen für Fußballer im Vergleich zu Politiker*innen bei einem Steuer- sowie einem Drogendelikt gefordert werden und ob sich dabei Unterschiede zeigen, die auf die unterschiedliche Relevanz dieser Vergehen für den jeweiligen Beruf und auf die Verwendung unterschiedlicher moralischer Begründungsstrategien zurückzuführen sind. Diese Begründungsstrategien können Menschen einsetzen, um das unmoralische Verhalten von Personen des öffentlichen Lebens, die sie schätzen, zu erklären und damit ein positives Bild dieser beizubehalten. Hierzu können sie entweder das moralische Fehlverhalten der Person herunterspielen (Moral Rationalization) oder die Leistungsbewertung der Person von der Bewertung ihrer Moral abspalten (Moral Decoupling). Mithilfe einer Online-Befragung im Experimentaldesign (2x2-Between-Subjects-Design), bei der die Probanden*innen (N = 447) einen Artikel zu einem fiktiven österreichischen Politiker oder Fußballer lasen, der entweder ein Steuer- oder ein Drogendelikt begangen hat, analysieren wir unsere Fragestellung. Das Steuerdelikt war das rollennahe, berufsrelevante Fehlverhalten des Politikers, das Drogendelikt das rollennahe Vergehen des Fußballers. Im Anschluss an den Artikel fragen wir die Probanden*innen, wie stark sie bestimmte Konsequenzen für den Politiker bzw. Fußballer fordern. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bei rollennahem moralischem Fehlverhalten sowohl für den Politiker als auch für den Fußballer im Vergleich zu rollenfernem Fehlverhalten stärkere Konsequenzen gefordert werden. Ein Teil dieses Effekts kann mithilfe des Einsatzes der Moral Decoupling Strategie erklärt werden. So führt ein rollennahes Fehlverhalten dazu, dass die Rezipient*innen die Moral Decoupling Strategie weniger intensiv einsetzen und deshalb den Konsequenzen stärker zustimmen. Für die Moral Rationalization Strategie zeigt sich dieser indirekte Effekt jedoch nicht.

Decoupling from Moral Responsibility for CSR: Employees' Visionary Procrastination at a SME

Most studies of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have focused on the organisational level, while the individual level of analysis has been treated as a ‘black box’ when researching antecedents of CSR engagement or disengagement. This article offers insights into a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) that is recognised as a pioneer in CSR. Although the extant literature suggests that the owner-manager is crucial in the implementation of CSR, this study reveals that employees drive CSR. The employees in the focal firm voluntarily joined forces based on their shared perception of moral responsibility for CSR and they developed strict targets to be achieved by 2030. Despite their strong ethical and moral perspective when enacting CSR, they disengaged from their moral responsibility for CSR in various contexts. This paper contributes to the theory of moral decoupling by uncovering a novel context of disengagement—‘visionary procrastination’. Visionary procrastination is suggested to be a particularly relevant context of disengagement when individuals perceive moral responsibility for CSR. Moreover, by delivering insights into the antecedents of employee-initiated CSR on the organisational level, this study adds to the growing body of literature on the micro-foundations of CSR.