Moral attentiveness across cultures: A comparative study of the United States and Taiwan

Moral attentiveness is a useful concept to investigate ethical decision-making and explain individual differences in the amount of attention paid to moral aspects of life. Although cultural influences on ethics have been documented, little is known about the affect of culture on moral attentiveness. Using a theoretical framework based on Hofstede’s typology and social cognition theory and a research sample from Taiwan and the United States, this study examines the impact of culture on moral attentiveness. The results demonstrate that moral attentiveness may differ across cultures and thus influence how businesspeople respond to ethical dilemmas in a globalized business world.