An Ethical Climate Is a Duty of Care
Abstract
The current emergence, once again, of corporate collapses due in no small way to unethical behaviour raises questions about the duties and responsibilities of boards of major organisations for building an ethical organisation. This paper argues that the legal duty of care to employees extends to creating an ethical work environment. It describes different types of ethical climates, how they are recognised and the consequences of their impact on the behaviours of their members. It illustrates this with some of the findings from our research into measuring ethics and ethical decision making. In conclusion, it identifies the key factors that boards should address to promote a desirable ethical climate.
Published
2008-10-01
How to Cite
Armstrong A., & Francis R. D. (2008). An Ethical Climate Is a Duty of Care. Journal of Law and Governance, 3(3), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.15209/jbsge.v3i3.138
Section
Articles
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
