Welcome to issue 41.2. of International Journal of Ethics and Systems! In this issue we present articles by authors from many different countries, including India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia, Ghana, Brazil and Indonesia. This documents how the interest in ethics and economic systems is global and international. The topics of this issue include negative dimensions of unethical behavior such as unethical pro-organizational behavior, pro-self-unethical behavior, corporate social irresponsibility, discrimination malaise on the one hand and positive ethical behavior including responsible citizenship, integrity and ethical leadership on the other hand. And we also include articles on different dimensions of Islamic social finance, ethics and the role of interests in Islamic Law.
An article from India investigates the development of research in unethical pro-organizational behavior. The article provides literature review and bibliometric analysis of existing research and provides insights for future research agendas. Methodology of systematic literature review based on PRISMA guidelines was used to develop the research. Researchers found that leaders play a large role in unethical pro-organizational behavior which is also determined by employee morality. Unethical pro-organizational behavior is often rewarded in organizations but may on the long run have significant costs in relation to specific stakeholders of involved organizations.
A contribution from Pakistan investigates the situational factors that has an impact on leaders’ bottom-line mentality in relation to employee pro-self-unethical behavior. This is analyzed in relation to rewards and punishment. Researchers investigate employees in the USA and look at the relation between leaders’ bottom-line mentality and pro-self-unethical behavior. The result of the research is an emphasis on the need to incorporate morality into work performance in order avoid unethical behavior. Rewards and punishment systems are also important for fostering more morality in organizations.
A contribution from Malaysia and Pakistan investigates the importance of responsible leadership and organizational citizenship in relation to the environment. The article focusses on environmental corporate social responsibility. Based on quantitative analysis the article looks at the case of the manufacturing sector. The findings demonstrate the importances of corporate citizenship for environmental social responsibility. Leaders are required to have the environment in mind when developing responsible leadership in organizations.
Another contribution from Malaysia and Pakistan looks at internal and external corporate social irresponsibility with focus on organizational workplace deviant behaviors and with a view of moral disengagement in organizations. The theoretical framework is cognitive social theory. The focus of study is the textile industry in Pakistan. It turns out that there is a significant relation between corporate social irresponsibility and moral disengagement. Leaders and managers can learn from this research to ensure moral behavior by individuals in organizations.
An article from Australia investigates the role of corporate social responsibility commitment in relation to consumer situational skepticism toward luxury brands. With a comparative study of consumer panels, the research demonstrates that lower consumer situational skepticism is based on values-driven motives, whereas egoistic-driven motives include more skepticism. Consumer situational skepticism is concluded to shape consumer perceptions and conceptions of brands. This article contributes to understand the role of consumer involvement and skepticism in developing corporate social responsibility.
Researchers from Ghana investigate the role of safety climate in relation to ethical leadership and employee health and safety in the oil and gas industry in Ghana. Based on quantitative research of employees in the industry, the researchers demonstrate that ethical practices of leaders are extremely important for health and safety. Ethical leaders help to create better work climates. The article emphasizes the importance of ethical commitment to safety and health to make organizations work better.
Research from Malaysia focuses on ethical integrity in the context of sustainability of decent work and economic growth. The study looks at ethical integrity of local enforcement officers seen from the perspectives of themselves and their colleagues. The research is based on survey at a training center. The findings demonstrate that training is important for ethical integrity of local enforcement officers. Ethics and law relate to each other and law enforcement ethics contribute to shaping organizational culture and behavior.
An article from Brazil looks at discrimination and malaise from the perspective of a transcendent knowledge concept. The paper proposes a transcendent ontology as the basis for knowledge of discrimination. The argument is that people who discriminate or have prejudice may later in their lives be impacted by the same feelings that they impact on others through discrimination. Thus, discrimination has a spiritually damaging effect on those who discriminate. Therefore, a spiritual approach to stereotyping and discrimination may propose a more nuanced focus on analysis.
A study from India gives us a bibliometric analysis of Islamic social finance looking at existing research and publications trends pointing toward future research. Covering data from 1914 to 2022 from Scopus, the research demonstrates contemporary research developments of governance and accountability, poverty alleviation and financial inclusion, sustainable development goals, zakat through fintech, waqf endowments and charities. The article identifies themes for future research including fintech, sustainable development, economic recovery efforts and social entrepreneurship.
A study from Malaysia provides an analysis of Islamic financial transactions in Libyan commercial banks. This article provides an institutional approach looking at the cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions of the organizational field of decision-making of financial transactions. Based on a questionnaire distributed in Libyan commercial banks, researchers develop a hypothesis that demonstrate how institutional constraints determine the financial transactions of the bank. This study provides an important application of institutional analysis to understand cultural-cognitive, normative and regulative dimensions of adopting Islamic financial transactions.
Researchers from Indonesia examine the experiences of Muslim COVID-19 survivors and health workers in relation to halal and ethics in hospitals during COVID-19 treatment. The method of semi-structured online interviews was applied to study patients and health workers. The focus of the study was Sharia law in hospitals and ethical conduct of hospital staff regarding quality of health care service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, religious questions became important for patients. On this basis researchers propose that hospitals need to be more aware of Islamic ethics to give good service for Muslim patients.
A contribution from Pakistan provides an analysis of the role of the concept of Riba or interest in Islamic law. In Arabic, Riba means to “increase” or “exceed”, and Riba is unjust exploration and is therefore illegal. Based on historical analysis of original sources of different schools of Islam the article argues that Riba in loan transactions must be considered as Riba following the tradition Islamic Sunni fiqh schools of learning. The article suggests that this challenge of Riba is respected in contemporary financial transactions and legal schools of economic law.
It is a pleasure to present such interesting articles with such a variety of perspectives and insights in corporate unethical pro-organizational behavior and pro-self-behavior to responsible leadership, integrity and ethics of social finance. We wish the reader of IJOES a wonderful reading experience.
