Social Psychological Approaches to the Perception of Ethical Dilemmas

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Abstract
Moral psychology and social psychology theories are examined to illustrate their usefulness for evolving research on topics of business and organizational ethics. The authors believe that social psychological concepts such as attribution, cognitive distortion, and impression management can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of processes of moral perception and judgment. The organizational stakeholder concept and stakeholder mapping methods found in the strategic planning literature may also be particularly valuable for business ethics research. Using an organizational stakeholder model and considering the effects of cognitive and self-presentational biases of these stakeholders should allow researchers to better explain social controls and actions undertaken in cases of managerial misconduct in work organizations.