Question

Of the six factors relating to an issue's moral intensity, which refers to the length of time between an act and the onset of consequences?

Answer 1

There are six factors that contribute to moral intensity, in particular moral issue (Jones 1991). The factors are:

Magnitude of the consequences derived from the behaviors or decisions

Social consensus regarding the issue

Probability of occurrence of the expected consequence

Closeness of time between the behavior or decision and the expected consequences

Closeness of the moral issue and the particular agents and

Concentration of the expected effect of particular behaviors or decisions

Butterfield et al (2000:987)viewed that the early stage of moral awareness is influenced by two factors known as issue -related factors. The issue – related factors comprise magnitude of consequences and issue framing. Issue framing is related to how the issue was presented such as the nature of decision or the word /sentence used to deliberate the issue. In addition Butterfield et al (2000:987)mentioned the perceived social context has a pivotal role to explain individual moral awareness. The perceived social context that stems from the external environment may influence moral awareness by providing cues regarding how the issues should be interpreted. The perceived social cue is similar to the social consensus mentioned by jones (1991). Therefore it justifies the use of newspaper reports on few national contro – versial issues in the country.

Examined the role of moral intensity in the ethical decision making process in an IS context. It contributes to the body of knowledge by extending existing theory to a new context and by employing a confirmatory analytical approach. The result support the basic concept underlying moral intensity , the decision making process is influenced by the individual’s perception of situation specific issues.

Judgement on ethical issues can provide guidance to organizations seeking to foster an ethical corporate climate. Nevertheless , it would be prudent to extend this study to include IS professionals. If moral intensity is indeed a key component in ethical decision making as suggested by this study , then a significant implication is that both students and professionals may benefit from a better understanding of moral intensity’s individual components. Educating individuals on potential consequences and implications of ethical problems could sharpen their perception and decision making skills when they encounter ethically sensitive situations. This may be accomplished through a mix of instruction at the university level and on going education and training at the professional level. Discussion of various scenarios such as the one’s used in the paper can serve as a vehicle to aid individuals in evaluating their ethical reasoning and comparing it to others. This can be supplemented with establishing guidelines for individual accountability , publishing and enforcing codes of ethics and implementing detective , preventive, and deterrence measures. In short , the findings from this study furnish insight into the ethical decision making process. Initiatives based on these insights offer an opportunity to increase the comfort level and decision making capability of individuals when confronted by ethically complex situations.