Business Ethics and Economic Performance During the Recession at the U.S. Workplace

Abstract; This article examined ethics and compliance in small and large companies during a recession in a for-profit business sector by analyzing employees’ perception of transparency and accountability in their companies. Ethical culture is more robust in large companies and is a critical factor that determines the maintenance of high level of business ethics during the recession for all companies large and small. The impact of a recession on the ethical behavior (business ethics) of, large companies are differing from that of small companies. During a recession, while misconduct and pressure to cut corners is lower for large companies, it is not the same for smaller companies. Together, these findings suggest that through national composite surveys indicate an overall high level the business ethics or lower misconduct during a recession, that might not be the trend considering business size.