RT Article
T1 Virtue and Vice Attributions in the Business Context: An Experimental Investigation
JF Journal of business ethics
VO 113
IS 4
SP 649
OP 661
A1 Robinson, Brian J. 1983-
A1 Stey, Paul
A1 Alfano, Mark
LA English
PB Springer Science + Business Media B. V
YR 2013
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/178564730X
AB Recent findings in experimental philosophy have revealed that people attribute intentionality, belief, desire, knowledge, and blame asymmetrically to side-effects depending on whether the agent who produces the side-effect violates or adheres to a norm. Although the original (and still common) test for this effect involved a chairman helping or harming the environment, hardly any of these findings have been applied to business ethics. We review what little exploration of the implications for business ethics has been done. Then, we present new experimental results that expand the attribution asymmetry to virtue and vice. We also examine whether it matters to people that an effect was produced as a primary or side-effect, as well as how consumer habits might be affected by this phenomenon. These results lead to the conclusion that it appears to be in a businessperson’s self-interest to be virtuous.
K1 Virtue
K1 Vice
K1 Side-effect effect
K1 Side-effect
K1 Knobe Effect
K1 Attributions
DO 10.1007/s10551-013-1676-4