dc.description.abstract | The institutionalisation of business ethics within corporate decisionmaking
processes is an important task for organisations if they are to
effectively counteract the increasingly frequent occurrence of blatantly
unethical and often illegal behaviour within large respectable organisations.
This project explored the understanding and application of business ethics
among corporate executives in decision-making processes within Kenya.
Three variables are emphasised: understanding, application and perception.
The study was aimed at evaluating the understanding and application
of business ethics among Kenya's corporate executives. Consequently, a
number of objectives were laid out as follows:
• To determine the level of understanding of business ethics among
corporate decision-makers.
• To assess the application of the concept of business ethics among
corporate executives.
• To highlight the importance of ethics as a dimension of modern
business practice in Kenya.
Primary data was obtained through both open-ended and closedended
questionnaires from a sample of 60 corporate executives based in
Nairobi. The data was analysed through tables, mean scores, indices,
percentages and cross-tabulations.
The results revealed that executives in large manufacturing firms
understand the concept of business ethics. Although the concept of business
ethics is understood, it was found that few companies apply ethical principles
in decision-making processes and few have formal ethical policies within their
organisations. Female managers were found to be less tolerant of unethical
behaviour than their male counterparts.
Regarding the final objective, individual managers were prone to be
more unethical when faced with an ethical dilemma of a personal nature.
Majority of the corporate executives favoured the utilitarian school of
business ethics due to ease of application and justification at the work-place.
The most critical aspect affecting unethical behaviour in business
today is corruption. Majority of respondents considered corruption as a
national moral crisis although few were able to suggest practical remedies. A
number of recommendations on how to reduce the level of corruption in large
companies are suggested in chapter five of the report. | en |