Ethical Orientation and Competitiveness - Competitiveness and the Impact of Ethical Orientation

Abstract

Competitiveness drives strategic success, however recent economic crises have strengthened outcries for understanding the impact of ethics on individual behaviors, such as competitiveness. Kiasuism is an extreme form of competitiveness in which an individual tries tomaximize the outcomes from social interactions. Several studies have demonstrated a significant positive relationship between kiasuism and academic performance. This study explores factors predicting kiasu tendencies, specifically ethical orientations towards egoism and utilitarianism, and sensitivity to procedural justice. The results of this study indicate that an ethical orientation towards egoism and a sensitivity to procedural justice both have a positive impact on kiasu tendencies, while a utilitarian ethical orientation has no effect on kiasuism.