Consumer Ethical Decision Making: Linking Moral Intensity, Self-Consciousness and Neutralization Techniques

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of moral intensity on self-conscious emotions and neutralization techniques in the context of ethical decision making among consumers. A sample of 388 shopping mall retail consumers was recruited through self-administered survey technique. Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, correlation was carried out in SPSS whereas the measurement model and structural relationships were estimated using AMOS. Results indicate that moral intensity positively influences consumer’s self-consciousness, neutralization techniques and behavioural intention. Self-consciousness negatively influence consumer’s defence mechanism i.e. neutralization techniques. Neither self-consciousness nor neutralization techniques is found to have an impact on consumers’ behavioural intention. Only self-consciousness is found to complementary mediate the relationship of moral intensity and neutralization. The limitations associated with field survey and cross-sectional research design are inevitable. The study offers some relevant practical implications for government, marketing professionals and academia. The study is among the pioneer studies that theoretically links and empirically examines Issue Contingent Model, theory of neutralization and self-consciousness. The study develops and tested an Urdu language version of the questionnaire for retail consumers

National park visitors’ car-use intention: A norm-neutralization model.

Reducing private car use is an efficient way to promote the sustainable development of national parks. However, many visitors persist in using their cars, even when they are aware of the environmental damage it causes. This study proposed a norm-neutralization model to investigate why national park visitors persist in car-based trips by partially integrating the theory of planned behavior, the norm-activation model, and neutralization theory. The results indicated that neutralization techniques can effectively reduce the effects of social norms and attitudes on car-based trip intention in a conflicting-norm context. The strongest predictors of behavior intention were attitudes toward the behavior while neutralization techniques were the second strongest. The effect of pro-driving norms showed a significant reduction when neutralization techniques were added, but pro-environmental norms did not have a significant effect on behavior intention. Practical and theoretical implications, as well as directions for future research, are discussed

Code Book: In defense of leader misconduct: The use of neutralization techniques by ingroup members

Code Book for In defense of leader misconduct: The use of neutralization techniques by ingroup member

Simulation of Self-Neutralization Techniques for Charged Particle Thrusters

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90716/1/AIAA-2011-5814-993.pd

Pyramid Schemes: an exploratory study into an emerging form of white-collar crime

This project was conducted to explain why people engage in white-collar crime with specific attention given to the rationales and motivations by individual participants in a pyramid scheme. This exploratory case study utilized existing files from a law enforcement investigation as well as newspaper articles that covered the investigation. Qualitative data in the form of content analysis of these secondary data sources was used to capture themes related to the rationales and motivations behind a person becoming involved in a pyramid scheme. These investigative files and newspaper articles represented statements made by persons who became involved in this emerging form of white-collar crime. The information gathered served to further ground sociological theory. Specifically, Robert Merton\u27s (1957) strain theory, Gresham Sykes and David Matza\u27s (1957) drift theory and neutralization techniques, Kenneth Tunnell\u27s (1992) neutralization techniques, and Ronald Clarke and Derek Comish\u27s (2000) rational choice perspective on offending were further supported by the themes discovered in the content of the investigative files and newspaper articles. Particularly significant were the presence of neutralization techniques that an offender utilized to alleviate guilt after the offense was committed as well as neutralization techniques that an offender utilized during the decision process before and during the commission of the act. Evidence of an additional neutralization technique was discovered at work with the participants of the pyramid scheme examined in this case study. The high status of existing participants served to significantly reduce anxieties and fears that accompanied a person handing over $2,000 in a program with questionable legality. Included in the definition of a high status person were law enforcement officers, attorneys, church leaders, business owners, medical professionals, and others. Further research in this area is needed to further validate the significance of neutralization techniques present during the decision phase of a person choosing whether or not to become involved in the various programs and business opportunities that abound today that are in fact illegal pyramid schemes. With the increased incidents of these pyramid schemes appearing throughout the country and accompanying loss of large amounts of money by a multitude of individuals, this area of white-collar crime deserves additional scientific inquiry

Effects of Neutralization Techniques and Rational Choice Theory on Internet Abuse in the Workplace

This research aims to identify the antecedents that drive an employee to commit Internet abuses at the workplace. Drawing on literatures in criminology, this present study developed a theoretical model based on neutralization techniques and rational choice theory. The model was validated using survey data from 428 employees. Our results indicate that neutralization techniques significantly influence employees’ Internet abuse intentions except denial of responsibility. The cost-benefits analysis of perceived security risks and perceived benefits are also found to play an important role in affecting Internet abuse intentions while the risks of perceived formal sanctions have no significant effect. We then discuss key implications of our findings for research and practice

A Model of Neutralization Techniques

Neutralizations are important explanations for the rise and persistence of deviant behavior. We can find many different and overlapping techniques of neutralizations in the literature, which may be a reason for inconsistent research findings on the use and influence of neutralization techniques. Therefore, by following both a deductive and an inductive approach, this article develops a model that covers these techniques in a logical way. This is a novel approach in studying neutralization techniques. We distinguish four categories of neutralizations: distorting the facts, negating the norm, blaming the circumstances, and hiding behind oneself. Based on a broad inventory of neutralizations that are identified in the literature–something that has not been done before–we operationalized each of the four categories into three techniques, each of which consists of five subtechniques. The resulting model aims to reduce the risk of arbitrariness in the selection of techniques for empirical research and thereby facilitates more consistent future research findings. The model also aims to help better understand how neutralizations work

Why Don’t Parents Walk Their Talk? Exploring Parental Deviant Food Socialization Behaviors Within the Family

This study, drawing on neutralization theory, explores how parents neutralize their feelings of guilt when performing deviant food socialization practices (e.g. offering unhealthy food to their children). The findings highlight how neutralization techniques help lessen parents’ self-blame through performing negative displays of parenthood

Interaction Effect of Gender and Neutralization Techniques on Information Security Policy Compliance: An Ethical Perspective

The study examines the following research question - does gender impact the efficacy of moral beliefs, and security policy understandability on security policy compliance intentions differently for various neutralization techniques? The empirical analysis conducted with data gathered from students using hypothetical scenarios suggest that gender does play a role in security policy noncompliance, however its significance is dependent upon the underlying neutralization technique. The paper provides several novel and important contributions. First, the study is among the first to extend the ethical decision making theory by suggesting that moral intensity is a function of neutralization, and individual factors such as perceived weight, value and one’s gender. Second, and more importantly the study is among the first to emphasize on the interplay between the ethics, gender, and neutralization techniques, as different ethical perspectives appeal differently to females than to males. The study has several important managerial implications as well

Neutralization techniques as a moderating mechanism: ethically questionable behavior in the Romanian consumer context

YesBased on an empirical investigation in the context of Romania, this paper identifies a moderating role of neutralization techniques within ethically questionable consumer behavior. The quantitative study is based upon a synthesized model of Theory of Planned Behavior incorporating the factor of perceived unfairness and neutralization techniques. Significantly, neutralization techniques are shown to have a negative, but definite impact on the action to behave unethically. This leads to their consideration as a process of thinking, rather than as static judgement. As such, neutralization techniques are conceptually distinctive to the other factors. The paper analyses the results specific to the Romanian context, but noting implications for an understanding of the morality of markets with similar historical, political and economic conditions. Overall, the findings offer a more nuanced reading of consumer behavior. The paper places moral flexibility in terms of a specific cultural context, but also reveals how neutralization techniques can moderate ethically questionable behaviors beyond matters of self-interest, which in turn has implications for how companies can consider their responsibilities in relation to their customers