Study goals
Considering the theories and concepts of moral dilemmas and their effects on moral judgment and the set of moral principles, this research aims to identify the theoretical connections between moral judgment and biological determinants in the formation of organizational ethical behavior. To achieve the general objective of this research, three specific objectives are proposed: 1- Through the literature review, identify the state of the art of biological determinants that may influence human behavior; 2- Propose hypotheses related to the connections between moral judgment and biological determinants in determining organizational ethical behavior; 3- Evaluate, through quantitative analysis, the moral judgment, through the use of a validated questionnaire of moral dilemmas.
Relevance / originality
The relevance of this work is given by the analysis of the theoretical connections of moral judgment and the biological determinants of behavior, since it is an emerging theme and the CG will need to develop its own instruments. As will be pointed out below, these connections are not yet fully understood - which constitutes a gap in scientific knowledge in the area. Both in academia and in organizations, the literature and codes of conduct do not take into account possible evidence related to biological factors in aspects of human behavior. Both the IBGC and other regulations do not address the biological issues of behavior that may affect moral behavior, which in turn can influence ethical organizational behavior. The CG starts from the premise that everyone is equal and does not advocate different treatment for different people. Thus, it is an important reflection focused on future perspectives, from a managerial and academic point of view. In this context, it is considered that CG must be present in neuroscientific developments that deal with behavioral sciences and cognitive psychology. This chain of events brings as important results, scientific and empirical knowledge that will enable the effective management of human behavior, based on biological determinants, in the business world. At this point, CG will need to develop its own monitoring and validation tools, and this will be a challenge for the future.
Methodology / approach
This research was submitted to the ethics committee of the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo - PUCSP, and is approved under the number: CAAE 19048719 4 0000 5482. The methodological procedure used was a descriptive study of an exploratory nature, using the mixed approach - qualitative and quantitative. In this sense, with respect to technical procedures, a literature review was carried out with respect to the four main underlying concepts: corporate governance, ethics, moral dilemmas and biological determinants of behavior. The literature review of moral dilemmas is justified in view of the argument by Fernandes et al (2018), who considers that moral dilemmas have become an efficient tool for research, analysis and understanding of the individual's moral judgment. In the experimental part, the research used a questionnaire validated and translated into the European Portuguese language by Fernandes et al (2018), addressing the moral dilemmas, replicated in the Brazilian context.
Main results
In view of the results, it can be verified through the findings in the literature that the individual's moral judgment is influenced by genetic, socio-environmental and biosocial factors, thus emerging, that the biological determinants that influence behavior are related in the decision-making process through judgment moral. The field data show that it is inconclusive the analysis that professionals in the commercial area have a trend more oriented towards utilitarian moral judgment when compared to other professional areas. Although also inconclusive, it showed evidence that the female gender has a more Deontological tendency compared to the male sample, and that with increasing age, the Deontological trend also increases. Based on this evidence, new hypotheses were formulated, which are relevant to the development of theories in this area of knowledge, as well as the need for Corporate Governance to create their own validation methods and appropriate policies.
Theoretical / methodological contributions
The main contribution of this research is to have looked at the area of neuroscience and to have brought the subject of moral judgment into the area of corporate governance. It is hoped that these results will open up new opportunities for future research, since if the subject is not yet fully understood on the neuroscientific side, on the corporate governance side the theme is even more incipient.
Social / management contributions
The scientifically based foundations naturally have a convincing force, and if these aspects are not properly validated, it follows that the improper application of aspects of human behavior will not allow the understanding of the processes of moral judgment - such as segregationist behavior and preconceived behavior.