Social Desirability Response Bias, Gender and Factors Influencing Organizational Commitment: An International Study

Posted: 17 Feb 2008

See all articles by Richard A. Bernardi

Richard A. Bernardi

Roger Williams University - Gabelli School of Business; Roger Williams University

Steven T. Guptill

Roger Williams University - Gabelli School of Business

Abstract

This research is an extension of Walker Information's (Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, pp. 235-255, 1999) study on employees' job attitudes that was conducted exclusively in the United States. Walker Information found that the reputation of the organization, fairness at work, care, and concern for employees, trust in employees, and resources available at work were important factors in an employee's decision to remain with his or her company. Our sample includes 713 students from seven countries: Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Ireland, South Africa, and the United States. When analyzing the entire sample, our data indicate that both social desirability response bias and gender were significant; however, this was not the case when the data are analyzed by country. On an individual country basis, our data suggest that the generally accepted premise that women are more ethically conscious than men was only true for the samples from the United States and Canada. The data also indicate that, while social desirability response bias was significant for the four factors suggesting ethical components for the sample from the United States, this finding was not universal.

Suggested Citation

Bernardi, Richard A. and Guptill, Steven T., Social Desirability Response Bias, Gender and Factors Influencing Organizational Commitment: An International Study. Journal of Business Ethics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1094357

Richard A. Bernardi (Contact Author)

Roger Williams University - Gabelli School of Business ( email )

Bristol, RI 02809
United States

Roger Williams University ( email )

Bristol, RI 02809
United States

Steven T. Guptill

Roger Williams University - Gabelli School of Business ( email )

Bristol, RI 02809
United States

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