The role of ethics in businesses and organizations has long been focused among researchers. Previous researches had proved that ethical climate could influence the employees’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment. However, a lacking gap is a more comprehensive understanding of how specific ethical climates types relate to job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
　In this study, we examine the relationship among three dimensions of ethical climate, different facets of job satisfaction and different organizational commitment types. Three hypotheses were developed to test these relationships. A 44-item survey questionnaire was developed to conduct a survey from the managers of Taiwan companies and organizations. Total of 133 usable questionnaires were collected. Through a series of questionnaire survey, the results of this study and implications are presented and discussed.
　The results of the research show that organizational leaders can favorably influence organizational outcomes by engaging in, supporting and rewarding ethical behaviors. Among the three dimensions of ethical climate, benevolent climate and principled climate had most significant influence on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Although benevolent climate is the most favorable climate, it had the least presence in Taiwan companies and organizations.

Allen, N. J., and Meyer, J. P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continence and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 63, 1-18.
Bennett, J. (2002). Multinational corporations, social responsibility and conflict. Journal of International Affairs, 55(2), 393-410.
Bateman, S. T. and Strasser, S. (1984). A longitudinal analysis of the antecedents of organizational commitment. Academy of Management Journal, 27 (1), 95-112.
Brickley, J. A., Clifford, W. S. Jr and Zimmerman, J. L. (2002). Business ethics and organizational architecture. Journal of Banking and Finance, 26(9). 1821-1835.
Brockner, J, and Adsit, L. (1986). The moderating impact of sex on the equitysatisfaction relationship: A field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(4), 585-590.
Carasco, E. F. and Singh, J. B. (2003). The content and focus of the codes of ethics of the world's largest transnational corporations. Business and Society Review, 108(3), 71-94.
Cohen, D. (1998). Moral climate in business firms: a conceptual framework for analysis and change. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(11), 1211-1226.
Cellucci, A. J., and DeVries, D. L. (1978). Measuring managerial satisfaction: A manual for the MJSQ, technical report II, Greenboros, NC: Center for Creative Leadership.
Cullen, J. B., Parboteeah, K. P., and Victor, B. (2003). The effects of ethical climates on organizational commitment: A two-study analysis. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(2), 127.
Dailey, R. C., and Kirk, D. J., (1992). Distributive and procedural justice as antecedents of job satisfaction and intent to turnover. Human Relations, 45(3), 305–317.
Davis, E.., and Ward, E. (1995). Health benefit satisfaction in the public and private sectors: the role of distributive and procedural justice. Public Personnel Management, 24 (3), .255-270.
Deshpande, S. P. (1996). The impact of ethical climate types on facets of job satisfaction: an empirical investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 15(6), 655-660.
Erondu, E. A., Sharland, A., & Okpara, J. O. (2004). Corporate ethics in Nigeria: A test of the concept of an ethical climate. Journal of Business Ethics, 51(4), 349-359.
Farkas, A., and Tetrick, L. (1989). A three-wave longitudinal analysis of the causal ordering of satisfaction and commitment in turnover decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 855-868.
Ferrell, O. C. and Fraedrich, J. (1997). Business Ethics, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. Ferrell, O. C., and Gresham, L. G., (1985). A contingency framework for understanding ethical decision making. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), 87–96.
Folger, R., and Konovsky, M.A. (1989). Effects of procedural and distributive justice on reactions to pay raise decisions. Academy of Management Journal, 32(1), 115-130.
Festinger, L. (1942). A theoretical interpretation of shifts in level of aspiration. Psychological Review, 49, 235-250.
Friedlander, F., and Margulies, N. (1969). Multiple impacts of organizational climate and individual value systems upon job satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 22, 171-183.
Hagedoorn, M., Van Yperen, N. W., Van de Vliert, E. and Buunk, B. P. (1999). Employees' reactions to problematic events: a circumplex structure of five categories of responses, and the role of job satisfaction. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 309-21.
Hartman, S. J., Yrle, A. C., and Galle, Jr, W. P. (1999). Procedural and distributive justice: examining Equity in a university setting. Journal of Business Ethics 20(15), 337–351.
Hemdon, Jr., N. C., Fraedrich, J. P., and yeh, Q. J. (2001). An investigation of moral values and the ethical content of the corporate culture: Taiwanese versus U.S. sales people. Journal of Business Ethics, 30(1), 73-86.
Hegarty, H. W., and Sims, H. P. (1979). Organizational philosophy, policies, and objectives related to unethical decision behavior: a laboratory experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology. 64(3), 331– 339.
Hunt, S. D., Wood, V. R., and Chonko, L. B. (1989). Corporate ethical values and organizational commitment in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 53(3), 79– 90.
Iverson, R. D., and Roy, P. (1994). A causal model of behavioral commitment: Evidence from a study of Australian blue-collar employees. Journal of Management, 20(1), 15-41.
Joyner, B. E. and Payne, D. (2002). Evolution and implementation: a study of values, business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), 297-311.
Kaczka, E., and Kirk, R. V. (1968). Managerial climate, work groups, and organizational performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 12, 252–71.
Kelley, S. W., and Dorsch, M. J. (1991). Ethical climate, organizational commitment, and indebtedness among purchasing executives. The Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 11(4), 55–66.
Koh, H. C, and Boo, E. H. Y. (2001). The link between organizational ethics and job satisfaction: A study of managers in Singapore. Journal of Business Ethics, 29(4), 309-325.
Kohlberg, L. (1981). The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice, San Francisco: Harper and Row.
Kolade, C. (1999). Working for Business Integrity in Nigeria: The Role of the Professional, Nigeria: Management in Nigeria.
Lance, C. E. (1991). Evaluation of a structural model relating job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and precursors to voluntary turnover. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 26, 137-162.
Lee, K., Allen, N. J., Meyer, J. P., and Rhee, K. Y. (2001). The Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment: An Application to South Korea. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50(4), 596-615.
Lincoln, J. R., and Kalleberg, A. L. (1990). Culture, control and commitment: A study of work organization and work orientations in the United States and Japan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lind, E. A., Tyler, T. R., and Huo, Y. J. (1997). Procedural context and culture: Variation in the antecedents of procedural justice judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(4), 767-780.
Lin, C. P., and Ding, C. G. (2003). Modeling Information Ethics: The Joint Moderating Role of Locus of Control and Job Insecurity. Journal of Business Ethics, 48(4), 335.
Locke, E. A. (1969). What is job satisfaction? Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 4(11), 309–36.
Lok, P., and Crawford, J. (2001). Antecedents of organizational commitment and the mediating role of job satisfaction. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16(7), 594-614.
Lok, P., and Crawford, J. (2004). The effect of organisational culture and leadership style on job satisfaction and organisational commitment: A cross-national comparison. The Journal of Management Development, 23(3), 321-338
Martin, C. L., and Bennett, N. (1996). The Role of Justice Judgments in explaining the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Group & Organization Management, 21(1), 84-104.
Mathieu, J. E. and Zajac, D. M. (1990). A review and meta-analysis of the antecedents, correlates, and consequences of organizational commitment, Psychological Bulletin, 108(2), 171-194.
Morris, M. H., Schindehutte, M., Walton, J., and Allen, J. (2002). The ethical context of entrepreneurship: Proposing and testing a developmental framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 40(4), 331-362.
Morris, J. H. and Sherman, D. J. (1981). Generalizability of organizational commitment model. Academy of Management Journal, 24(3), 512-526.
Mowday, R. T., and McDade, T. W. (1979). Linking behavior and attitudinal commitment: a longitudinal analysis of job choice and job attitudes. Academy of Management Proceedings, 84– 88.
Mowday, R. T., and Porter, L. W., Steers, R. M. (1982). Employee–organizational linkages. New York, NY: Academic Press.
Mowday, R. T., Steers, R.M., and Porter, L.W. (1979). The measure of organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14, 224–47.
Nunnaly, J. C. (1987). Psychometric Theory. New York: Academic Press Ola, V. (1998). Ethics, Market Forces and Political Economy, Lagos. A Paper delivered at the Harvard University Business School Association of Nigeria, May.
O'Reilly, C. O., & Caldwell, D. (1980). Job choice: The impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on subsequent satisfaction and commitment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 65(5), 559-565.
Park, H., Gowan, M., and Hwang, S. D. (2002). Impact of national origin and entry Mode on trust and organizational commitment. Multinational Business Review, 26(2), 52-61.
Ployhart, R. E. and Ryan, A. M., (1997). Toward an explanation of applicant reactions: An examination of organizational justice and attribution frameworks. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 72, 308–335.
Podsakoff, P. M. (1982). Determinants of a supervisor’s use of rewards and punishments: a literature review and suggestions for further research. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 29(2):58–83.
Porter, L. W., R. M. Steers, R. M., Mowday, R. T., and Boulian, P. V. (1974). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59(5), 265-288.
Posner, B. Z., and Schmidt, W. (1993). Value congruence and differences between the interplay of personal and organizational value systems. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(5), 341–7.
Randall, D. M. (1987). Commitment and the organization: the organization man revisited. The Academy of Management Review, 12(3), 460–71.
Randall, D. M., and Fernandes, M. F. (1991). The social desirability response bias in ethics research. Journal of Business Ethics, 10(11), 805–17.
Reichers, A. E., and Schneider, B. (1990). Climate and culture: An evolution of constructs. In B. Schneider (ed.), Organizational Climate and Culture (pp. 5-39), CA: Jossey-Bass San-Francisco.
Robin, D. P., and Reidenbach, E. R. (1987). Social responsibility, ethics, and marketing strategy. Journal of Marketing, 39(1), 20-7.
Schneider, B. (1975). Organizational climate: an essay. Personnel Psychology, 28 (4), 447-479.
Schneider, B., and Rentsch, J. (1988). Managing climates and cultures: a future perspective, in futures of organizations. In J. Hage (Ed), Futures of Organisations: Innovating to adapt strategy and human resources to rapid technological change, (pp. 181-200). MA: Lexington Books.
Schneider, B., and Snyder, R. A. (1975). Some relationships between job satisfaction and organizational climate. Journal of Applied Psychology. 60(4), 318-28.
Schwepker, Jr., C. H. (1998). Ethical climate’s relationship to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in the salesforce. Journal of Business Research, 54(1), 39-52.
Schwepker, C. H., and Ferrell, O. C., and Ingram, T. N. (1997). The influence of ethical climate and ethical conflict on role stress in the sales force. Academy of Marketing Science Journal, 25(2), 99-108.
Sims, R. I., and Kroeck, G. K. (1994). The influence of ethical fit on employee satisfaction, commitment and turnover. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(12), 939-947.
Steers, R. M., and Porter, L. W. (1983). Motivation and work behavior, (3rd ed). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Stevenson, W., and McGrath, E. W. (2004). Differences between on-site and off-site teams: manager perceptions. Team Performance Management, 10(5), 127-132.
Sweeney, P. D., and McFarlin, D. B. (1993). Workers’ evaluations of the “ends” and the “means”: An examination of four models of distributive and procedural justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 55, 23-40.
Thibaut, J., and Walker, L. (1975). Procedural justice: A psychological analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Touche Ross (1988). Ethics in American business: An opinion survey. New York: Touche Ross and Co.
Trevino, L. K., Butterfield, K. D., and McCabe, D. L. (1998). The ethical context in organizations: influence on employee attitudes and behaviors. Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(3), 447-476.
Valentine, S., Godkin, L., and Lucero, M. (2003). Ethical context, organizational commitment, and person-organization fit. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), 349-361.
Vardi, Y. (2001). The effects of organizational and ethical climates on misconduct at work. Journal of Business Ethics, 29(4), 325-338.
Verbeke, W., Ouwerkerk, C., and Peelen, E. (1996). Exploring the contextual and individual factors on ethical decision making of salespeople. Journal of Business Ethics,15 (11), 1175– 87.
Victor, B., and Cullen, J. B. (1988). The organizational bases of ethical work climates. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1), 101-125.
Viswesvaran, C., Deshpande, S.P., and Joseph, J. (1998). Job satisfaction as a function of top management support for ethical behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 17(4), 365-371.
Vitell, S. J., and Davis, D. L. (1990). The relationship between ethics and job satisfaction: an empirical investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(6), 489-94.
Vinciguerra, B., and Allen, M. O. (2004). An examination of factors influencing managers' and auditors' assessments of the appropriateness of an accounting treatment and earnings management intentions. American Business Review, 22(1), 78-87.
Walker, O. C, Churchill, G. A, and Ford, N. M. (1977). Motivation and performance in industrial selling: present knowledge and needed research. Journal of Marketing Research, 14(2), 156-68.
Weber, J., and Seger, J. E. (2002). Influences upon organizational ethical subclimates: A replication study of a single firm at two points in time. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(1), 69-85.
Wech, B. A., Mossholder, K. W., Steel, R. P., and Bennett, N. (1998). Does work group cohesiveness affect individuals' performance and organizational commitment? A cross-level examination. Small Group Research, 29, 472-494.
Weeks, W., and Nantel, J. (1992). Corporate codes of ethics and sales force behavior: a case study. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(10), 753-60.
Weiner, N. (1980). Determinants and behavioral consequences of pay satisfaction: A comparison of two models, Personnel Psychology, 33(4), 741-758.
West, M. and Patterson, M. (1998). Profitable personnel. People Management, 4, 28-31.
Whitehead, M. (1998). Employee happiness levels impact on the bottom line. People Management, 4(3), 14-21.
Williams, M. C. (1995). Antecedents of employee benefit level satisfaction : A test of a model. Journal of Management, 21(6), 097-1128.
Williams, L. J., and Hazer, J. T. (1986). Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction and Commitment in Turnover Models: A Reanalysis Using Latent Variable Structural Equation Methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(2), 219-232.
Williams, L. J., and Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviors. Journal of Management, 17(3), 601-617.
Wimbush, J. C., and Shepard, J. M. (1994). Toward an understanding of ethical climate: Its relationship to ethical behavior and supervisory influence. Journal of business Ethics, 13(8), 637-648.
Wimbush, J. C., and Shepard, J. M. (1994). Toward understanding of ethical climate: its relationship to ethical behavior and supervisory influence. Journal of Business Ethics, 13(8), 637– 47.
Wole, A. (1998). Ethics in Financial Services Business, Nigeria, Lagos: Chartered Institute of Bankers.