Behavioral Business Ethics

"Bringing together contributions from leading experts in the area of ethical decision making, Behavioral Business Ethics investigates a relatively new movement in business ethics. Editors De Cremer (Erasmus Univ., the Netherlands) and Tenbrunsel (Univ. of Notre Dame) make a compelling argument for the inclusion of viewpoints from psychology and sociology in business ethics conversations. Through a series of research essays, they present a solid rationale for investigating the behavioral aspects of ethical lapses rather than just the business aspects. Following an introductory chapter by the editors, chapters tackle a range of issues related to how ethical decision making can be influenced by the context and situation; the role of fairness and morality in the ethical behavior of organizational members; and how ethical behavior is impacted by bounded ethicality, or the awareness of the ethical implications of a decision. This volume is timely and represents a new, exciting direction for business ethics research and application. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and researchers." - B. B. Vitali, Christian Brothers University, CHOICE

"There is much to praise about this important book edited by two leaders in the blossoming behavioral ethics field. Its consistently high quality chapters bring together "old hands" and "new lights" to cover a wide variety of relevant topics, some of them quite intriguing. Students of behavioral ethics will find this to be an up-to-date book that cites a wide variety of relevant research and inspires us to push the boundaries of our knowledge about why people behave ethically and unethically in organizations."- Linda K. Treviño, Smeal College of Business, The Pennsylvania State University

"In bringing together the world’s leading researchers on ethical judgment and behavior, De Cremer and Tenbrunsel’s Behavioral Business Ethics presents a brilliant and compelling argument for why we need a fresh behavioral approach to the understanding of lapses in ethical conduct. Their timely and exciting volume will set the standard for not only where the field is going, but equally important, where it should go. This is a must read for organizational leaders, business school students, and academics who want to not only better understand this problem, but know what they can do about it." - Roderick M. Kramer, William R. Kimball Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford University

"Behavioral ethics takes us out of the idealized and stuffy world of philosophy and teaches us how people really act and why and when they deviate from their stated ethical norms. This book brings together a series of compelling chapters that illuminate three core aspects of behavioral ethics: a) the contexts the lead people towards the lure of immorality b) the mental gymnastics that people engage in to justify their morally questionable behaviors and c) behavioral interventions that keep people aligned with their moral compass."- Adam D. Galinsky, Morris and Alice Kaplan Professor of Ethics in Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

"This book is tremendously timely: it announces and marks the beginning of a promising new movement in ethics research. Behavioral business ethics has a single, central question - why people behave unethically. Social psychology provides a means and a set of theories that offer an opportunity for important new insights, and this first volume shows why. If you care about ethics, this book is a clarion call that you should immediately follow." - J. Keith Murnighan, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

"This is a very well thought out book. The topic is very popular and the contributors are among the most important people in the field. The whole topic is new and unique. Instead of focusing on the philosophical approaches to ethics, the editors focus on ethical behavior, which is very important. De Cremer and Tenbrunsel are absolutely top notch as scholars and editors."– Jerald Greenberg, Rand Corporation

"The book helps define the field of behavioral business ethics and understand how individual decision makers address ethical dilemmas. Scholars are asked to apply psychological theories of decision making to understand how individuals make ethical decisions. This book will stimulate discussion and suggest fruitful research in this fledgling but vitally important area of business leadership and management." -Manuel London, College of Business, State University of New York, Stonybrook