A question of honour: How codes of ethical conduct and moral dilemmas impact behaviour

The recent turbulences that led to a global financial crisis have partially been triggered by immoral and egoistic behaviour. In the wake of the disaster many have asked, and keep asking, how a sustainable and socially fair economy can be build. Ethics is one of the cornerstones of human interaction in general and in economic interaction. This study has been inspired by the question: How can unethical behaviour be avoided? This book deals with the question of how ethics in general can be improved. In today's business world Business Ethical Codes of Conduct (BECC), or more commonly called honour codes, have reached some prominence. Utilizing questionnaires and moral dilemmas this study attempts to answer the question: How efficient are codes of conduct? The study arrives at surprising insights into the impact of priming-effects on morale and shows that the mere exposure to ethical questions influences how we behave.

Dr. David Kitz Krämer grew up in the rural Eifel area in Germany, and lived and worked in Ireland, Sweden and Spain. He has always been passionate about natural sciences, social sciences and economics, and he began writing his own texts as a teenager alre