Situational ethics

About: Situational ethics is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4023 publications have been published within this topic receiving 145379 citations.

Coping style and situational appraisals as predictors of coping strategies following stressful events in sport as a function of gender and skill level

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine links between coping style, situational appraisals and the subsequent use of coping strategies in response to acute stress among competitive Australian basketball players (N = 190, 93 men and 97 women, ranging in age from 18 to 44 years). Regression analyses indicated that participants' approach and avoidance coping responses varied across four sport-related stressful situations. In addition, both personal and situational factors accounted for significant variation in players' approach coping responses, with situational factors better predictors of approach coping than personal dispositions. For avoidance coping, situational appraisals (i.e. perceived stress and controllability) were again better predictors than personal dispositions. The results lend credence to the interactional (contextual) model of coping in which participants' use of coping strategies is at least a partial function of situational demands.

An exploratory examination of voice behavior from an impression management perspective.

Abstract: In order to cope with dynamic and competitive environments, organizations are pushing their employees to work harder and to seek out opportunities for constructive change. In fact, initiative is seen by many as a major source of competitive advantage and organizational success (Crant, 2000; Parker, 2000). Voice behavior is the form of proactive behavior that has received the most empirical attention. Van Dyne and LePine define voice behavior as a form of organizational citizenship behavior that involves "constructive change-oriented communication intended to improve the situation" (1998: 326). Voice entails challenging the status quo with constructive suggestions, even when others disagree (Van Dyne and LePine, 1998). Research concerning voice behavior is important for several reasons. First, making constructive suggestions is the essential "first step" in the innovation process (LePine and Van Dyne, 1998; Scott and Bruce, 1994). By drawing attention to opportunities for improvement, voice behavior serves as the "seed corn" for continuous improvement and organizational adaptation (Ashford et al., 1998; Van Dyne and LePine, 1998). Second, unlike organizational exit or neglect (Hirschman, 1970), voice behavior makes it possible for an organization to channel employees' dissatisfaction with the status quo toward correcting mistakes, improving processes, and formulating novel solutions to organizational problems (Zhou and George, 2001). Further, as illustrated by the Challenger incident and Enron's demise, a lack of voice behavior can lead to serious organizational problems. Finally, voice behavior can also result in benefits for the individual worker such as the appearance of competence (Stamper and Van Dyne, 2001) or higher performance evaluations (Thompson, 2003). Thus, research examining the antecedents and consequences of employee voice is extremely relevant to both researchers and practitioners. Unfortunately, LePine and Van Dyne (1998) note that researchers have not been very successful in predicting voice behavior. There are at least three possible explanations for this. First, most studies focus exclusively upon main effects, rather than analyzing interactional models, despite the likelihood that employee voice may be highest when individual differences lead some individuals to respond to favorable situational factors (LePine and Van Dyne, 1998). Second, voice behavior promotes change and challenges the status quo. This makes it a potentially risky behavior for employees. If voice is perceived as complaining or personal criticism, it can upset interpersonal relationships or create negative impressions (LePine and Van Dyne, 1998; Stamper and Van Dyne, 2001). Finally, researchers have not explicitly taken a functional approach to voice behavior (cf. Snyder, 1993). Functional analysis is pervasive in areas of psychology that emphasize purposeful action to obtain desired ends and concerns the "reasons and purposes, the needs and goals, the plans and motives that underlie and generate psychological phenomena" (Snyder, 1993: 253). In the current context, a functional approach focuses upon identifying the purpose served by engaging in or not engaging in voice behavior. Our research is designed to address each of the issues raised in the preceding paragraph. We attempt to gain a greater understanding of voice behavior by exploring the extent to which worker personality (i.e., self-monitoring) interacts with a contextual feature of the workplace (past performance) to predict when some people engage in voice behavior. Our model is based upon a functional approach that suggests that voice may, in some situations, serve impression management purposes. Our model also takes into account the potential risk involved in voice behavior. In addition, we engage in an exploratory examination of how these factors interact to influence worker promotability. VOICE BEHAVIOR AND IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT Impression management is defined as "the process whereby people seek to control or influence the impressions that others form" (Rosenfeld et al. …

Situational Influences on the Selection of Strategies to Resist Compliance-Gaining Attempts.

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of situational variables on the likelihood of use of four types of strategies to resist compliance-gaining attempts: identity managing, negotiation, justifying, and non-negotiation. Subjects rated strategies on the probability that they would actually use them to resist complying in each of eight situations, which varied systematically in the level of agent-target intimacy, the consequences to the target-agent relationship of noncompliance, and the rights of the target to resist. Significant second-order interactions of the situational factors were obtained for the likelihood of use of each of the four types of strategies. Resistance message selection was concluded to be based upon an assessment of the relative risk associated with the implementation of a given strategy in conjunction with a particular combination of situational constraints.

Personal and Situational Factors Associated with Dropping out versus Maintaining Participation in Competitive Sport

Abstract: The relationship between the decision of young athletes (N = 98) classified as starters, survivors, and dropouts to either maintain involvement with a competitive sport team or drop out and a number of motivational (personal) and situational factors was examined. The personal and situational factors employed fell into six categories: trait measures (competitive trait anxiety [A-trait], achievement motivation; intrinsic [self] motivation; self-esteem; and causal attributions), general attitudes toward competitive sport, sportsmanship and communication factors, socialization factors (parental and peer group involvement), coaching (leadership) considerations, and cohesion or group climate factors. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the continuum of actual participation which exists (starters-survivors-dropouts) is also directly related to systematic differences in personal factors within the groups as well as in their perception of specific situational factors. Variables discriminating among the gr...