Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.29049/rjcc.2022.30.3.477

Business ethics education, employee perceptions of corporate business ethics, and organizational performance of apparel companies  

Kim, Soo-Kyung (GMTRI)
Yoh, Eunah (Dept. of Fashion Marketing, Keimyung University)
Shin, Eonyou (Dept. of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, Virginia Tech)
Publication Information
The Research Journal of the Costume Culture / v.30, no.3, 2022 , pp. 477-493 More about this Journal
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore relationships between company's characteristics, the status of business ethics education, employee perceptions of corporate business ethics, and organizational performance. A total of 161 small- and medium-sized apparel companies participated in a survey and data was analyzed using cross-tabulation, ANOVA, and SPSS PROCESS. The results show that, larger companies involved with export are more likely to implement business ethics education, whereas no company characteristic is associated with perceptions of corporate business ethics. Furthermore, apparel companies that implemented or planned to implement business ethics education, have employees with more positive perceptions of corporate business ethics and better organizational performance than fashion companies that have no plan to implement such education. In addition, companies in the apparel sector with higher employee perceptions of corporate business ethics had greater organizational performance than apparel companies with lower employee perceptions of corporate business ethics. This study emphasizes the need to implement business ethics education to enhance employee perceptions of company business ethics, which in turn promotes organizational performance. It is expected that the results of this study will positively affect the development and expansion of business ethics education programs and contribute to the foundation of knowledge for business ethics education for fashion companies.
Keywords
business ethics; ethics education; organizational performance;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 2  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Bolle, M. J. (2014, February 12). Bangladesh apparel factory collapse: Background in brief. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/52a0/4a4f645d87d26fcf939a5b7e35576cde508e.pdf
2 Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2021). Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases (13th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
3 Arrigo, E. (2012). Corporate responsibility management in fast fashion companies: The Gap Inc. case. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 17(2), 175-189. doi:10.1108/JFMM-10-2011-0074   DOI
4 Cho, J. M., & Park, S. J. (2008). The effect of corporate governance on human resource management. Journal of Korean Economy Studies, 20, 69-105.
5 Cho, S. Y., & Choi, A. J. (2011). Examining factors influencing corporate CSR activities applying contingency theory of public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 15(2), 116-148. doi:10.15814/jpr.2011.15.2.116   DOI
6 Choi, Y. J., & Lee, Y. R. (2009). Review of research in fashion industry ethics. Fashion Information and Technology, 6(1), 63-69.
7 Chung, J. H., & Lee, B. H. (2004). Flexibility, turnover and training. Journal of Labor Research, 4(4), 21-43. doi:10.1108/01437720310475402br
8 Davidson, P., & Griffin, R. W. (2000). Management: Australia in a global context. Brisbane, Australia: Wiley.
9 Fassin, Y., Van Rossem, A., & Buelens, M. (2011). Small-business owner-managers' perceptions of business ethics and CSR-related concepts. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(3), 425-453. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0586-y   DOI
10 Ferrell, O. C., Harrison, D. E., Ferrell, L., & Hair, H. F. (2019). Business ethics, corporate social responsibility, and brand attitude: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Research, 95, 491-501. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.039   DOI
11 Floyd, L. A., Xu, F., Atkins, R., & Caldwell, C. (2013). Ethical outcomes and business ethics: Toward improving business ethics education. Journal of Business Ethics, 117(4), 753-776. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1717-z   DOI
12 Hayes, A. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford publications.
13 Hunt, S. D., Chonko, L. B., & Wilcox, J. B. (1984). Ethical problems of marketing researchers. Journal of Marketing Research, 21, 309-324. doi:10.1177/002224378402100308   DOI
14 Hur, K. S. (2006). A study on business ethics and social responsibility of top manager. Journal of Human Resource Management Research, 13(1), 199-213.
15 Macy's, Inc. (2020, May 9). 2020 sustainability report. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.macysinc.com/_assets/macysinc/files/files/Macy%27s_Inc._Sustainability_Report_2020_vF.pdf
16 Lee, M. Y., Jackson, V., Miller-Spillman, K. A., & Ferrell, E. (2015). Female consumers' intention to be involved in fair-trade product consumption in the U.S.: The role of previous experience, product features, and perceived benefits. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 23, 91-98. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2014.12.001   DOI
17 Lee, S. H., & Ha-Brookshire, J. E. (2020). In pursuit of corporate sustainability: Factors contributing to employees' workplace behavior. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 24(2), 235-249. doi:10.1108/JFMM-09-2019-0203   DOI
18 Lee, S. H., & Park, J. E. (2008). Relationship between ethics level, its antecedents and perceived performance in fashion industries. Journal of Marketing Management Research, 13(4), 109-126.
19 Jung, S. H., Jung, E. J., Yoon, B. S., & Lee, J. H. (2010). The impact of effective ethics education on educational satisfaction and ethical awareness: The case of a corp. The Korean Journal of Economic Education, 62, 293-312.
20 Jung, H. S., & Yoon, H. H. (2009). A study on the effects of the ethical management in hotel upon employees' person-organization fit, job satisfaction, turnover intent and organization performance. Korean Journal of Hospitality & Tourism, 18(1), 59-83.
21 Karpova, E., Kunz, G. I., & Garner, M. B. (2021). Going global: The textile and apparel industry (4th ed.). Lodon: Bloomsbury Publishing.
22 Kehinde, O. J. (2010). Effect of ethical behaviour on organizational performance: Evidence from three service organizations. Journal of Research in National Development, 8(1), 1-17.
23 Kim, J. Y. (2015). Applying a flipped learning based communication course and students perspectives on flipped learning. Journal of Education & Culture, 21(6), 5-38. doi:10.24159/joec.2015.21.6.5   DOI
24 Kim, M. K., & Na, I. G. (2012). The effects of education and training on firm performance: The mediating effects of transfer. Korea Journal of Business Administration, 25(4), 2047-2064.
25 Moon, Y. J., Hahn, J. H., & Ko, M. J. (2012). Individual and situational factors affecting employees' ethical behaviors: Focusing on the moderating effects of organizational trust and firm size. Journal of Business Administration, 25(6), 2787-2808.
26 Kim, Y. S. (2001). Comparisons of business ethical judgment between male and female saleperson. Unpublished master's thesis, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
27 Kim, S., & Yoh, E. (2020). Development and implementation of business ethics education program for fashion companies. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 44(5), 837-855. doi:10.5850/JKSCT.2020.44.5.837   DOI
28 Joo, Y. J., & Cho, S. Y. (2014). Structural relationship among education and training expense, job satisfaction, turnover rates, key competencies, organizational performance and sales in Korean companies. The Korean Journal of Human Resource Development, 16(2), 57-85. doi:10.18211/kjhrdq.2014.16.2.003   DOI
29 Koh, H. C., & Boo, E. H. Y. (2001). The link between organizational ethics and job satisfaction. Journal of Business Ethics, 29(4), 309-324. doi:10.1023/A:1010741519818   DOI
30 Lee, Y. M. (2010). Identifying the corporates' characteristics and human resource system impacting the investments of education and training. Journal of Corporate Education and Talent Research, 12(2), 1-14. doi:10.1177/014920630202800403   DOI
31 Sustainable Apparel Coalition. (n.d.). The sustainable apparel coalition. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from https://apparelcoalition.org/the-sac/
32 Park, H. J., & Lee, J. K. (2002). Business ethics of Korean firms 1991-2001: A review and update. Journal of Business Ethics, 4, 133-173.
33 Martin, K. D., & Cullen, J. B. (2006). Continuities and extensions of ethical climate theory: A metaanalytic review. Journal of Business Ethics, 69(2), 175-194. doi:10.1007/s10551-006-9084-7   DOI
34 Min, J. H., Kim, B., & Ha, S. (2015). The relationship between firms' environmental, social, governance factors and their financial performance: An empirical rationale for creating shared value. The Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society, 32(1), 113-131. doi:10.7737/KMSR.2015.32.1.113   DOI
35 Mohammad, J., Habib, F. Q., & Alias, M. A. (2011). Job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior: An empirical study at higher learning institutions. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 16(2), 149-165.
36 Park, J. Y., Kim, D. S., & Kim, S. W. (2009). A study on obstacles to introduction of corporate social responsibility management. Korean Management Review, 28, 401-410.
37 Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. E. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879-891. doi:10.3758/BRM.40.3.879   DOI
38 Qablan, A. M., Al-Ruz, J. A., Khasawneh, S., & Al-Omari, A. (2009). Education for sustainable development: Liberation or indoctrination? An assessment of faculty members' attitudes and classroom practices. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 4(4), 401-417.
39 University of Delaware. (2012). UD's fashion and apparel studies department joins sustainable apparel coalition. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.fashion.udel.edu/research-and-outreach/udsai/research-projects/sustainable-apparel
40 Weller, A. (2017). Professional associations as communities of practice: Exploring the boundaries of ethics and compliance and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business and Society Review, 122(4), 359-392. doi:10.1111/basr.12120   DOI
41 Wu, Y. J., Kuo, L., & Wu, W. H. (2010). Management education for sustainability: A web-based content analysis. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 9(2), 520-531. doi:10.5465/amle.9.3.zqr520   DOI
42 Yeo, E. M. (2011). A study on the relationship between business ethics and financial performance. Unpublished master's thesis, Hanbat University, Daejeon, Korea.
43 Yoo, C. K. (2015). Effects of CSR and internal service quality on internal customer satisfaction and turnover intention: Moderating effects by corporate ethical education. Journal of Tourism Management Research, 19(4), 1-20. doi:10.18604/tmro.2015.19.4.1   DOI
44 Yoo, S. H. (2009). A study on the effect of training program elements on training transfer performance: Focusing on the meditated effect of training transfer characteristics and the moderating effect of organizational situation characteristics. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Kyonggi, Suwon, Korea.
45 Kim, N. Y., & Joo, Y. J. (2010). The structural relationship among learner motivation, program, organizational support, interaction, flow and learning outcome in cyber education. Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 53-82. doi:10.17232/KSET.26.2.53   DOI
46 Yoo, T. S., & Jo, E. Y. (2014). Sustainable design applied in fashion marketing: Focus on domestic fashion market case analysis. Journal Korea Society of Visual Design Forum, 44, 183-194. doi:10.21326/ksdt.2014.44.016   DOI
47 Zhang, G. W., & Lee, S. M. (2012). Effects of business ethics on competitive advantages in Chinese industry: Focusing on moderating effects of firm size. Journal of Business & Commerce, 4(1), 57-87.