Home / Lectures / Francesca Gino, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Ethically Adrift: How Comparisons to Others’ Wealth Swing Our Moral Compass

Francesca Gino, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Description

Semester:

  • Fall 2009

Speakers:

Francesca Gino, Organizational Behavior, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lecture Time:

Fri, November 20, 2009 @ 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Lecture Location:

Room K1310, Ross School of Business

Speaker Webpage(s):

http://www.unc.edu/~ginof/index.html

Introduced By:

No introduction available.

Abstract

Ethically Adrift: How Comparisons to Others’ Wealth Swing Our Moral Compass

This talk examines the ways in which other people’s wealth influence one’s own ethical behavior. I argue that social comparison processes, however labile, can lead even ordinarily ethical people to cross ethical boundaries. Through social comparisons, individuals identify how they differ from others and whether they are in a position of advantage or disadvantage compared to them. Unethical behavior might thus result from discrepancies between self and others. I draw on research on both behavioral ethics and social psychology to identify when these social comparisons are likely to occur, why they happen, and how they can be reduced or even eliminated. I also discuss related current research that examines how others unexpectedly swing our moral compass.

Recording & Additional Notes

Introducer: Samir Nurmohamed, Management & Organizations