Moral intensity and ethical decision-making: a contextual extension

Authors:
Tim Goles;Gregory B. White;Nicole Beebe;Carlos A. Dorantes;Barbara Hewitt
Affiliations:
University of Texas at San Antonio;University of Texas at San Antonio;University of Texas at San Antonio;University of Texas at San Antonio;University of Texas at San Antonio
Venue:
ACM SIGMIS Database
Year:
2006

Citing 10
Cited 0

Moral distancing and the use of information technologies: the seven temptations

ECA '94 Proceedings of the conference on Ethics in the computer age
The effect of codes of ethics and personal denial of responsibility on computer abuse judgements and intentions

MIS Quarterly
Issues and opinion on structural equation modeling

MIS Quarterly
Modeling IT ethics: a study in situational ethics

MIS Quarterly
A comparative investigation of ethical decision making: information systems professionals versus students

ACM SIGMIS Database
Invitation to a public debate on ethical computer use

ACM SIGMIS Database
The evaluation of IT ethical scenarios using a multidimensional scale

ACM SIGMIS Database
The uniqueness debate in computer ethics: What exactly is at issue, and why does it matter?

Ethics and Information Technology
A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study

Information Systems Research
To purchase or to pirate software: an empirical study

Journal of Management Information Systems

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

This paper explores the role of an individual's perception of situation-specific issues on decision-making in ethical situations. It does so by examining the influence of moral intensity on a person's perceptions of an ethical problem, and subsequent intentions. Moral intensity (Jones, 1991) is an issue-contingent model of ethical decision-making based on the supposition that situations vary in terms of the moral imperative present in that situation. An individual's decision is guided by his or her assessment of six different components that collectively comprise the moral intensity of the situation. The relationship between the components of moral intensity and the decision-making process is tested through the use of scenarios that present IS-related ethical situations. The results indicate that moral intensity plays a significant role in shaping the perceptions and intentions of individuals faced with IS-related ethical situations. The conclusion drawn from this is that, consistent with prior research, the decision-making process is influenced by an individual's perception of situation-specific issues; that is, the moral intensity of the situation.