VIRTUOUSNESS AND UN/ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR: THE MODERATING ROLE OF POWER DISTANCE CULTURE IN SELECT INDIAN PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERTAKINGS

The objective of this study is twofold. The first part of the study examines the forms of ethical behaviours exhibited by  managers working in select Indian public sector undertakings, while  the second part captures the relationship between the managers’ virtuousness and forms of un/ethical behaviours while moderating the impact of power distance culture. The study was undertaken  in two public sector undertakings in India. These organisations are among the influential organisations in terms of policy making in the oil and gas sector of India. The data was collected using cross-sectional design survey and SPSS (version 22) is used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has been used to achieve the first objective and the findings indicate two major forms of un/ethical behavior namely, behaviour of being fair and responsible, and manipulative behavior. Multiple regression analysis and moderated hierarchical regression were deployed to assess the relationship between managers’ virtuousness and both forms of un/ethical behaviors and to examine moderating role of power distance culture prevailing in the organisations. The result of regression analysis confirm positive effect of virtuousness on behaviour of being fair and responsible whereas manipulative behaviour is negatively associated with virtuousness. As one of the major findings, perception towards power distance culture seems to significantly moderate the relationship between virtuousness and both forms of ethical behaviours. The findings of the study would be instrumental in policy formulation around workplace ethics and will contribute substantially to the existing literature on the subject of personal values and ethics. The limitations of the study and direction of future research are also highlighted.