The Deception Spiral: Corporate Obfuscation Leads to Perceptions of Immorality and Cheating Behavior.

In four studies, we evaluated how corporate misconduct relates to language patterns, perceptions of immorality, and unethical behavior. First, we analyzed nearly 190 codes of conduct from S&P 500 manufacturing companies and observed that corporations with ethics infractions had more linguistically o...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Language & Social Psychology Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 277 - 297
Autores principales: Markowitz, David M., Kouchaki, Maryam, Hancock, Jeffrey T., Gino, Francesca
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Sage Publications Inc. Mar2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: The Deception Spiral: Corporate Obfuscation Leads to Perceptions of Immorality and Cheating Behavior.
      aug:
        au:
          Markowitz, David M.
          Kouchaki, Maryam
          Hancock, Jeffrey T.
          Gino, Francesca
        affil:
          University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
          Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
          Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
          Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
      su:
        Business ethics
        Immorality
        Deception
        Sensory perception
        Codes of ethics
      sug:
        subj:
          Business ethics
          Immorality
          Deception
          Sensory perception
          Codes of ethics
      keyword:
        corporate unethicality
        deception
        deception spiral
        obfuscation
      ab: In four studies, we evaluated how corporate misconduct relates to language patterns, perceptions of immorality, and unethical behavior. First, we analyzed nearly 190 codes of conduct from S&P 500 manufacturing companies and observed that corporations with ethics infractions had more linguistically obfuscated codes than corporations without ethics infractions. Next, we tested perceptions of a company based on values statements modified by obfuscation (Study 2). Participants perceived low-obfuscation companies as more moral, warmer, and more trustworthy than high-obfuscation companies. Finally, behavioral experiments (Studies 3a and 3b) revealed that group members cheat more after reading a high-obfuscation values statement than a low-obfuscation values statement. The results provide evidence of a potentially troublesome cycle: corporate unethicality has linguistic traces, can affect how people appraise a company, and can change ethical behavior.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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