How Does Contemporary Business Culture Contribute to Unethical Behavior Within the Finance Industry?
Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
John Fellingham
Second Faculty Advisor
Dr. Lori Coakley
Keywords
financial ethics; decision-making; leadership; regulation; competition
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC - BY - NC - ND
Abstract
This thesis examines how contemporary business culture contributes to unethical behavior within the financial industry, specifically focusing on the role of leadership style, codes of conduct, competitive pressures, and regulatory environments in shaping ethical decision-making. A survey was administered to 60 participants, with 32 complete responses retained for analysis. The responses were used to examine trends across demographics and asses the relationship between the identified factors and unethical behavior. Multiple regression analysis evaluated how leadership style, competition, regulation, and codes of conduct impact unethical behavior scores. The results indicated that leadership style and regulatory environment were significantly associated with unethical behavior, while codes of conduct and competition had a limited to or no significant impact.
Comments
This thesis was conducted through Bryant University's Honors Program as part of an academic research study on how business culture contributes to unethical behavior in the financial industry. It focused on leadership style, codes of conduct, competitive pressures, and regulatory environments in shaping ethical decision-making.