Ronald Sims - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ronald Sims

Research paper thumbnail of The institutionalization of organizational ethics

Journal of Business Ethics, 1991

The institutionalization of ethics is an important task for today's organizations if they are to ... more The institutionalization of ethics is an important task for today's organizations if they are to effectively counteract the increasingly frequent occurrences of blatantly unethical and often illegal behavior within large and often highly respected organizations. This article discusses the importance of institutionalizing organizational ethics and emphasizes the importance of several variables (psychological contract, organizational commitment, and an ethically-oriented culture) to the institutionalization of ethics within any organization. ... institutionalizing ethics may sound ponderous, but its meaning is straightforward. It means getting ethics formally and explicitly into daily business life. It means getting ethics into company policy formation at the board and top management levels and through a formal code, getting ethics into all daily decision making and work practices down the line, at all levels of employment. It means grafting a new branch on the corporate decision tree — a branch that reads “right/wrong” (Purcell and Weber, 1979, p. 6).

Research paper thumbnail of Linking groupthink to unethical behavior in organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 1992

This paper is designed to do four things. First, the paper discusses the importance of groupthink... more This paper is designed to do four things. First, the paper discusses the importance of groupthink in contributing to unethical behavior. Second, the paper discribes how groupthink contributed to unethical behavior in three organizations (Beech-Nut, E. F. Hutton, and Salomon Brothers). Third, symptoms of groupthink (such as arrogance, overcommitment, and excessive loyalty to the group) will be presented along with two methods for programming conflict (devil's advocate and dialectic) into an organization and group's decisions. Finally, the paper introduces some prescriptions for reducing the probability of groupthink.

Research paper thumbnail of The challenge of ethical behavior in organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 1992

This paper is designed to do three things while discussing the challenge of ethical behavior in o... more This paper is designed to do three things while discussing the challenge of ethical behavior in organization. First, it discusses some reasons why unethical behavior occurs in organization. Secondly, the paper highlights the importance of organizational culture in establishing an ethical climate within an organization. Finally, the paper presents some suggestions for creating and maintaining an ethically-oriented culture.

Research paper thumbnail of To Purchase or to Pirate Software: An Empirical Study

... A consumer'sfinal decision depends on three variables: the cost of pirating the soft... more ... A consumer'sfinal decision depends on three variables: the cost of pirating the software, the price of the software, and his or her reservation price. For ... reservation price and cost of software piracy when asked to specify their reasons of purchase. Reasons to Pirate Software ...

Research paper thumbnail of Toward a profile of student software piraters

Journal of Business Ethics, 1996

Efforts to counter software piracy are an increasing focus of software publishers. This study att... more Efforts to counter software piracy are an increasing focus of software publishers. This study attempts to develop a profile of those who illegally copy software by looking at undergraduate and graduate students and the extent to which they pirate software. The data indicate factors that can be used to profile the software pirater. In particular, males were found to pirate software more frequently than females and older students more than younger students, based on self-reporting.

Research paper thumbnail of The institutionalization of organizational ethics

Journal of Business Ethics, 1991

The institutionalization of ethics is an important task for today's organizations if they are to ... more The institutionalization of ethics is an important task for today's organizations if they are to effectively counteract the increasingly frequent occurrences of blatantly unethical and often illegal behavior within large and often highly respected organizations. This article discusses the importance of institutionalizing organizational ethics and emphasizes the importance of several variables (psychological contract, organizational commitment, and an ethically-oriented culture) to the institutionalization of ethics within any organization. ... institutionalizing ethics may sound ponderous, but its meaning is straightforward. It means getting ethics formally and explicitly into daily business life. It means getting ethics into company policy formation at the board and top management levels and through a formal code, getting ethics into all daily decision making and work practices down the line, at all levels of employment. It means grafting a new branch on the corporate decision tree — a branch that reads “right/wrong” (Purcell and Weber, 1979, p. 6).

Research paper thumbnail of Linking groupthink to unethical behavior in organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 1992

This paper is designed to do four things. First, the paper discusses the importance of groupthink... more This paper is designed to do four things. First, the paper discusses the importance of groupthink in contributing to unethical behavior. Second, the paper discribes how groupthink contributed to unethical behavior in three organizations (Beech-Nut, E. F. Hutton, and Salomon Brothers). Third, symptoms of groupthink (such as arrogance, overcommitment, and excessive loyalty to the group) will be presented along with two methods for programming conflict (devil's advocate and dialectic) into an organization and group's decisions. Finally, the paper introduces some prescriptions for reducing the probability of groupthink.

Research paper thumbnail of The challenge of ethical behavior in organizations

Journal of Business Ethics, 1992

This paper is designed to do three things while discussing the challenge of ethical behavior in o... more This paper is designed to do three things while discussing the challenge of ethical behavior in organization. First, it discusses some reasons why unethical behavior occurs in organization. Secondly, the paper highlights the importance of organizational culture in establishing an ethical climate within an organization. Finally, the paper presents some suggestions for creating and maintaining an ethically-oriented culture.

Research paper thumbnail of To Purchase or to Pirate Software: An Empirical Study

... A consumer'sfinal decision depends on three variables: the cost of pirating the soft... more ... A consumer'sfinal decision depends on three variables: the cost of pirating the software, the price of the software, and his or her reservation price. For ... reservation price and cost of software piracy when asked to specify their reasons of purchase. Reasons to Pirate Software ...

Research paper thumbnail of Toward a profile of student software piraters

Journal of Business Ethics, 1996

Efforts to counter software piracy are an increasing focus of software publishers. This study att... more Efforts to counter software piracy are an increasing focus of software publishers. This study attempts to develop a profile of those who illegally copy software by looking at undergraduate and graduate students and the extent to which they pirate software. The data indicate factors that can be used to profile the software pirater. In particular, males were found to pirate software more frequently than females and older students more than younger students, based on self-reporting.