Social Desirability Response Bias, Gender, and Factors Influencing Organizational Commitment: An International Study

Abstract

This research is an extension of Walker Information’s (Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, pp. 235–255, 1999) study on employees’ job attitudes that was conducted exclusively in the United States. Walker Information found that the reputation of the organization, fairness at work, care, and concern for employees, trust in employees, and resources available at work were important factors in an employee’s decision to remain with his or her company. Our sample includes 713 students from seven countries: Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Ireland, South Africa, and the United States. When analyzing the entire sample, our data indicate that both social desirability response bias and gender were significant; however, this was not the case when the data are analyzed by country. On an individual country basis, our data suggest that the generally accepted premise that women are more ethically conscious than men was only true for the samples from the United States and Canada. The data also indicate that, while social desirability response bias was significant for the four factors suggesting ethical components for the sample from the United States, this finding was not universal.

Appendices

Appendix A: Ethics questionnaire

Using the scale below as a guide, write a number beside each statement to indicate how important the following considerations would be to you in a job interview:

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Not Important			Somewhat Important			Very Important

— 1.	Resources available to you at work.
— 2.	Fairness at work (includes fair pay).
— 3.	Management’s care and concern for the employees of the company.
— 4.	Positive indications that management trusts their employees.
— 5.	The reputation of the company in the community.

Appendix B: Image management subscale

Using the scale below as a guide, write a number beside each statement to indicate how much you agree with it.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Not True			Somewhat true			Very true

— 1.	Sometimes I tell lies if I have to.
— 2.	I never cover up my mistakes.
— 3.	There have been occasions when I have taken advantage of someone.
— 4.	I never swear.
— 5.	I sometimes try to get even rather that forgive and forget.
— 6.	I always obey laws, even if I’m unlikely to get caught.
— 7.	I have said something bad about a friend behind his/her back.
— 8.	When I hear people talking privately, I avoid listening.
— 9.	I have received too much change from a salesperson without telling him or her.
— 10.	I always declare everything at customs.
— 11.	When I was young, I sometimes stole things.
— 12.	I have never dropped litter on the street.
— 13.	I sometimes drive faster than the speed limit.
— 14.	I never read sexy books or magazines.
— 15.	I have done things that I don’t tell other people about.
— 16.	I never take things that don’t belong to me.
— 17.	I have taken sick leave from work or school even though I wasn’t really sick.
— 18.	I have never damaged a library book or store merchandise without reporting it.
— 19.	I have some pretty awful habits.
— 20.	I don’t gossip about other people’s business.