Announcement

Condoning Corrupt Behavior at Work:

What Roles Do Machiavellianism,

On-the-Job Experience, and Neutralization Play?

Abstract

Corruption continues to be a considerable challenge for internationally active companies. In this article, we examine personal and socioenvironmental antecedents of corrupt behavior in organizations. In particular, we aim to illuminate the links between Machiavellianism, on-the-job experience with corrupt behavior at work, neutralization, and the attitude of business professionals toward corruption. The empirical analysis is based on the responses of 169 professionals. At first, a positive relationship between both Machiavellianism and on-the-job experience and the acceptance of corruption appears in the model. However, an in-depth mediation analysis shows that neutralization is the keystone linking both Machiavellianism and on-the-job experience to the likelihood to condone corruption. Based on these results, we offer avenues for further research and implications for practitioners.

Short Bio

Aram Simonyan is Associate Professor of Economics at the International Scientific Educational Centre of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, where he works as a Department Chair of the Economics Department. His main research focuses on anti-corruption strategies in European countries from a socio-economic perspective.

Advanced in eight languages he held visiting positions at multiple European universities. He was a Weiser Professional Fellow at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy and a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.