Review of Journal Article by John A. Pearce II on Moral Analysis
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Review of Journal Article by John A. Pearce II (2013)
Managers’ emphasis on legal and ethical values in judging business issues can be predicted using social identity theory as the title of the article suggests, Pearce (2013). The work in the article was conceived due to the need to fill the gaps in ethics within a business context. The paper worked to distinguish between ethical and legal concepts to incorporate into theory building. Managers’ emphasis on ethics and legal judgment of business issues are also explored, and a unifying theory of the concepts presented. The paper tries to combine social identity theory to the empirical findings of business research establishing influences of the managers on ethical and legal values of business judgment, Pearce (2013).
In the course of the study, data on individual factors of 252 managers were collected and analyzed, and managers’ critical factors in judging business issues highlighted. The article blended social identity theory with issue contingent principles to understand managers’ judgment. It also provided evidence on the link between the perceived importance of questions and managers role in judging such issues. The findings of the article are capable of informing the employers on tailoring management training on ethical and legal decision making on business issues, Pearce (2013). By the study exploring the unique sets of personal attributes of the managers, the employers and training institutions can identify gaps and training needs of managers about judging business issues.
The need for consistent decisions relating to business has been an issue for several decades, and value-driven judgment by managers has often been a source of conflict. The article identifies creative accounting, earnings, management, facilitation payments, sex in adverts, spam, viral marketing workplace surveillance and obsolescence as business issues of contention, Pearce (2013).The research addresses possible ways of handling such disputes and filling gaps, as well as informing the executives on the way forward on the matter of legal and ethical judgment. As declarations of values of societies, laws specify rights and responsibilities of individuals and morality find its ways in ethics and law in a free society, Pearce (2013). The article presents an argument that ethical and legal validities are distinct and separate issues in assessing business judgments.
The material strength is that it presents the importance of value congruence in guiding behavior where it presents a feeling of the need to cultivate desired values in an organization, Pearce (2013). On the other hand, it examines the use of social identity theory in predicting the influence of judgments on businesses, Pearce (2013). Identity theory is all about a group and its processes and an individual’s ability to develop unique character. The research developed the issue contingent model of judgment to build on the underlying issues of social identity. Personal, organizational and moral intensity influences factors are said to control values of a person within an organization.
The work is presented clearly highlighting the continual existence of gap due to lack of parity among the scholar community and those practicing. It gives distinction between legality and ethics where issues of one are not confused for another. The article provides insight on how judgments in business can be legal while at the same time becoming ethical consistently in an organization. It identifies the need to strengthen capacity to support ethical and legal values in offering judgment on business issues. The article tries to elevate the understanding of moral and legal decisions managers provide and the factors and values that influence such judgments. I would recommend this article to my peers since it presents new insights expansively on managers roles given business issues with clarity.