Etude des representations d'une decision ethique chez les gestionnaires

摘要

There are several principles and prevalent ideas in business ethics. Two main ideas are underlined in the existing literature: ethic of consequences or the goals (teleological) and ethic of duties (deontological). There are few studies which look further into individual's beliefs and the philosophical ideal on the process of ethical decision-making. Hadjistravropoulos & Malloy (1998) emphasize the existentialist perspective as a relevant tool for a better comprehension of this phenomenon.;From an existential point of view, ethical decision making implies these following concepts: the individual is a free being and is responsible for his own choices (Sartre, 1996). Consequently, it is possible that decision can be considered as ethical if it allows freedom, consciousness, responsibility and authenticity (Sartre, 1996).;The aim of this study is to clarify and understand which philosophical paradigm influences the most an ethical decision-making. The methodology of this investigation is based on the qualitative method and fifteen managers are being interviewed from the private, Para public and public sector. The results are analyzed with the software Atlas TI. The results underline that the paradigm of the existentialist ethic is what comes to mind to the majority of managers when dealing with an ethical dilemma. The variables Authenticity, Freedom, Contingency and Responsibility take part in the process of ethical decision-making. Moreover, all the philosophical perspectives (deontological and teleological) are present, but at different degrees. This research offers an empirical demonstration of the presence of sartrian ethics in the process of ethical decision-making. It also enables us to establish a new understanding of this process.;Keywords: Philosophy, Ethical decision making, Ethics, Managers, Existentialism, Sartre.