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ISSN: 1131-6837 / e-ISSN: 1988-2157
Managemen Le e s
Cuade nos de Ges ión
Enp esa Ins i u ua, UPV/EHU
Conocimien o en Ges ión/Managemen Knowledge
Volume 23 / Numbe 1 (2023) • ISSN: 1131-6837 / e-ISSN: 1988-2157
h p://www.ehu.eus/cuade nosdeges ion/ e is a/es/
Explo ing esea ch on he managemen o business e hics
Explo ando la in es igación sob e la ges ión de la é ica emp esa ial
Ana Ba lles-de la Fuen e
a
, Emilio Abad-Segu a*
a Doc o anda en el Depa amen o de Economía y Emp esa. Facul ad de Ciencias Económicas y Emp esa iales. Uni e sidad de Alme ía. C a. Sac amen o, s/n, 04120 La
Cañada de San U bano, Alme ía (España)–anaba [email protected]-h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-2108-0516
* Co esponding au ho : P o eso del Depa amen o de Economía y Emp esa. Facul ad de Ciencias Económicas y Emp esa iales. Uni e sidad de Alme ía. C a. Sac a-
men o, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San U bano, Alme ía (España)–[email protected]–h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-8624-103X
ARTICLE INFO
Recei ed 27 Feb ua y 2022,
Accep ed 24 July 2022
A ailable online 18 Janua y 2023
DOI: 10.5295/cdg.221694ea
JEL: M1, M14
ABSTRACT
Socie y is cons an ly s i ing o p omo e ac ions ha a e en i onmen ally, socially and economically sus-
ainable in he long e m. The ini ia i es ha a e cu en ly being p oposed a e no only global, bu co po a e
as well, and hey all con ibu e o a mo e en i onmen ally- iendly u u e. In his con ex , he concep o
business e hics a ises, e e ing o he se o a gumen s ha allow o imp o e he ela ions be ween wo ke s
and ex e nal pa ies di ec ly ela ed o he business ac i i y. This s a ing poin is essen ial o explain how
achie ing an e hical o ganiza ional en i onmen may b ing abou imp o ed economic, social and en i on-
men al esul s. Fo his eason, his wo k ocuses on discussing business e hics h ough a li e a u e e iew
and a bibliome ic analysis.
Keywo ds: Business E hics, Co po a e E hics Managemen , E hical Responsibili y, Global Resea ch, Bibliome ic
Analysis.
RESUMEN
La sociedad se es ue za cons an emen e en p omo e acciones que sean sos enibles a la go plazo, desde el
pun o de is a medioambien al, social y económico. Las inicia i as que se p oponen en la ac ualidad no son
sólo globales, sino ambién emp esa iales, y odas ellas con ibuyen a un u u o más espe uoso con el medio
ambien e. En es e con ex o, su ge el concep o de é ica emp esa ial, e e ido al conjun o de a gumen os que
pe mi en mejo a las elaciones en e los abajado es y las pa es ex e nas di ec amen e elacionadas con la
ac i idad emp esa ial. Es e pun o de pa ida es esencial pa a explica cómo la consecución de un en o no o -
ganiza i o é ico puede supone una mejo a de los esul ados económicos, sociales y medioambien ales. Po ello,
es e abajo se cen a en la discusión de la é ica emp esa ial a a és de una e isión bibliog á ica y un análisis
bibliomé ico.
Palab as cla e: É ica emp esa ial, Ges ión de la é ica co po a i a, Responsabilidad é ica, In es igación mundial,
Análisis bibliomé ico.
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
12 Ana Ba lles-de la Fuen e, Emilio Abad-Segu a
1. INTRODUCTION
Business e hics e e s o he in e ac ion be ween e hics and
business (De Geo ge, 2009). In o de o del e in o his concep ,
i is necessa y o de ine he e ms ha compose i . Acco ding
o he Royal Spanish Academy (2019), and choosing ha de i-
ni ion ha bes i s he meaning o he wo d, e hics is unde -
s ood as “ he se o mo al ules ha go e n he conduc o he
pe son in any sphe e o li e”. This mo al philosophy pu sues o
iden i y and dis inguish he pa e ns o igh and w ong, good
and bad and, he e o e, he beha io s o he human being,
such as igh s, no ms o obliga ions (Tajalli & Segal, 2018).
Thus, hese e hical s a emen s o alue judgmen s allow indi-
iduals hemsel es o de e mine he app op ia eness o ac ions
in o de o ge decision-making igh (Joyne & Payne, 2002).
On he o he hand, i e e ence is made o he second e m,
en ep eneu ial is unde s ood as “ ha which pe ains o pe -
ains o businesses o en ep eneu s” (Royal Spanish Academy
(2019). An en e p ise is an ins i u ion o o ganiza ion, which
is iden i ied wi hin a speci ic indus y, and which is de ined
by he ype o buye s i has, p oduc s i sells and geog aphical
scope i has (Hou hoo d, 2009). In his con ex , his concep is
cha ac e ized by he se o alues o no ms ha guide owa ds
app op ia e beha io in a ious ci cums ances, among which
he ield o managemen is conside ed (Lewis, 1985; Vallas e
e al., 2019). E hical belie s and beha io s pe o med by op
managemen a e undamen al o o ganiza ional pe o mance
(Shin e al., 2015). In he global dimension, business e hics
add esses issues such as co up ion, wo king condi ions o
wo ke s o b ibe y (Wa en, 2011).
Depending on he le el o e hical commi men es ablished,
di e en ypes o companies can be dis inguished, includ-
ing p oac i e and eac i e companies (Schlegelmilch & Pol-
lach, 2005). The main di e ence be ween he wo is he way
in which hey app oach si ua ions. P oac i e o ganiza ions
seek o posi ion hemsel es in he ma ke h ough ac ions ha
a e suppo ed by co po a e alues, as well as being p oac i e
in communica ing e hics wi hin he company. On he o he
hand, hose o a eac i e na u e, a e hose companies ha
do no manage e hics and decide o ge in ol ed only when
he e a e si ua ions ha may nega i ely a ec he image o he
company i sel (Enciso e al., 2017). Se e al s udies men ion
ha when employees do no eel iden i ied wi h he o gani-
za ion hey wo k o , he pe cen age o absen eeism inc eases
and hey become emo ionally exhaus ed (Hansen e al., 2016;
T i ellas e al., 2019). Ye , when good ac ions a e ca ied ou ,
all pa ies in ol ed end o eel iden i ied wi h hem. Tu n-
o e will hen signi ican ly dec ease which means ha less
money will need o be de o ed o issues such as coo dina ion
and aining, among o he s. The e o e, i is o he essence
ha membe s o all depa men s should ecognize he im-
po ance o social alues, hus de ining a clea e hical posi-
ion h oughou he company (Joyne & Payne, 2002). This is
whe e a business e hics p og am comes in o play. This sys em
consis s in he implemen a ion wi hin he o ganiza ion o a se
o mo al s anda ds o ules which will p omo e a widesp ead
e hical commi men bo h inside he o ganiza ion and ou side
(Remišo á e al., 2019).
1.1. Theo e ical Backg ound
Maximizing p o i s ega dless o he means employed o
do so appea s o ha e been he guiding men ali y in business
o decades. This is he main eason why, a i s , i migh seem
con adic o y o combine he e ms “business” and “e hics” in
a single concep . Al hough he in e es in business e hics bu s
wi h o ce in 1920 (Tsalikis & F i zsche, 1989), i was no un il
he 1970s ha he needs o socie y and he g owing e hical di-
lemmas led o a signi ican ans o ma ion (Guillén, 1996). In
his con ex , belie s such as he ac ha he only mo i a ion o
wo ke s was o a mone a y na u e we e ede ined, gi ing way
o conside ing psychological o social ac o s as undamen al as
well (Agulló, 1999). La e , in he 1990s, employe s hemsel es
we e encou aged o include e hics in hei s a egic planning
p ocesses. In ac , i was a gued ha he us o all pa ies in-
ol ed owa ds he o ganiza ion was necessa y, since he lack o
i would esul in poo pe o mance ha would in u n lead o
consume dissa is ac ion (C eye & Ross, 1997). In he las dec-
ade o he 20 h cen u y, he e was a clea inc ease in he numbe
o coun ies, ins i u ions and esea ch cen e s ha decided o
con ibu e o his issue (S a k, 1993). Subsequen ly, and as a
ha ime he ela ionship be ween business and e hics was no
ye ega ded as necessa y, he dilemma o whe he o con inue
maximizing p o i s o o s a conside ing business e hics as a
undamen al pa o managemen began o be aised (Nygaa d
& Biong, 2010).
A company canno su i e when isola ed om socie y, o ice
e sa. Thus, i is clea ha he g ow h o a company is de ined by
he quali y o he ela ionship in h ee di e en con ex s. The i s
e e s o he en i ies ha make up he o ganiza ion, i.e. he in-
e nal pa ies. Secondly, he ela ionship es ablished be ween he
in e nal and he ex e nal pa ies. Finally, he ela ionship be ween
he o me and o he dis an pa ies (Si gy, 2002). By ensu ing
he quali y o li e h ough espec owa ds he human igh s o
all, e ec i ely esol ing he con lic s ha a ise and ca ying ou
a business ac i i y commi ed o socie y, success is ensu ed (De-
beljuh, 2009). The e o e, business e hics oday seeks o add ess a
wide a ie y o issues such as en i onmen al and social imp o e-
men o social esponsibili y (Abad-Segu a, Ba lles-de la Fuen e
e al., 2020; Joyne & Payne, 2002). Undoub edly, as well, i is cu -
en ly a gued ha business e hics has u ned in o an in angible
asse wi hin he company which appeals o business pa ne s and
consume s alike (Enciso e al., 2017). Fu he mo e, e hics is said
o be a sui able means o achie e he objec i es ha companies se
ou o hemsel es; his is also an oppo uni y o be mo e compe -
i i e and o heigh en quali y (Debeljuh, 2009).
The p esen pape con ibu es o he li e a u e in wo ways.
The i s is h ough he analysis o he main bibliome ic indi-
ca o s ha allow o analyze he s a e o he a and he cu en
in e es in ad ancing he scien i ic p oduc ion o business e hics.
Secondly, a e knowing he undamen al ela ionship be ween
o ganiza ions and business e hics o ensu e hei long- e m su -
i al in he ma ke , he keywo ds ha ha e been used since he
beginning o he esea ch a e analyzed in o de o asce ain he
pe iod in which esea ch on his economic aspec began, and
also o iden i y he gaps in he esea ch o he new eme ging op-
ics o in e es .
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
Explo ing esea ch on he managemen o business e hics 13
2. METHODOLOGY
This s udy aims o show a global ision o e hics managemen
in business. Wi h his aim in mind, a bibliome ic analysis has been
ca ied ou ha allows o iden i y, o ganize and analyze he main
componen s o his line o esea ch (Lie ouw, 1989). These bibli-
ome ic echniques, which a e cu en ly used in s udies o a ious
disciplines (Abad-Segu a e al., 2019; Abad-Segu a, Ba lles-de la
Fuen e e al., 2020; Mesegue -Sánchez e al., 2020), allow o mani-
es he main d i ing o ces o a ce ain ield o s udy and de ec he
main lines o esea ch de eloped om an analysis o he keywo ds
in he eco ds. In addi ion, h ough an analysis o co-au ho ship
and co-ci a ion, he links es ablished be ween hese agen s can be
ep esen ed h oughou he pe iod in which he scien i ic p oduc-
ion has been de eloped (Li e al., 2021; Valé ie & Pie e, 2010).
Fo he elabo a ion o his analysis, se e al da abases o aca-
demic and scien i ic wo ks ela ed o he subjec ha e been con-
sul ed (Ha zing & Alakangas, 2016; Mongeon & Paul-Hus, 2016).
Finally, i was decided o use Else ie ’s Scopus da abase, since i is
he one ha con ains he la ges numbe o a icles, jou nals and
au ho s (Mongeon & Paul-Hus, 2016). In addi ion, he e a e nu-
me ous s udies ha use his da abase as a e e ence o ca y ou
bibliome ic analyses (Duque-Ace edo e al., 2020; Li e al., 2021).
The ini ial e iew o he li e a u e has made i possible o
iden i y he e ms o he documen sea ch: business, co po a ion,
e hics and managemen , and has been limi ed o he ime ho i-
zon be ween 1982 and 2021. Thus, all esea ch o da e has been
analyzed, wi h he excep ion o one pape published in 1979, in
o de o ensu e ha all he pe iods conside ed had co e ed he
same yea s. Thus, he inal sea ch was as ollows: (TITLE-ABS-
KEY (“busine* e hic*” OR “co po * e hic*” OR “compan* e h-
ic*”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (manage*)) AND DOCTYPE (a )
AND (EXCLUDE (PUBYEAR, 1979)) AND (EXCLUDE (PU-
BYEAR, 2022)). Howe e , he sample was checked o asce ain
ha i con ained he concep o manage* as ela ed o manage-
ial, managemen o synonyms, and he e o e in no case we e
he hemes a emo ed om he subjec unde s udy. Finally,
o a oid duplica ion in he in o ma ion analyzed and main ain
igo due o pee e iew (Cossa ini e al., 2014), only scien i ic
a icles ha e been selec ed, ob aining a inal sample o 1,487.
This sample allowed o del e in o di e en aspec s such as
he numbe o in es iga ions ca ied ou , he jou nals in which
hey a e published, he main hema ic a eas in which hese a e
classi ied, he mos p oli ic au ho s, coun ies and esea ch in-
s i u ions, as well as he main keywo ds. Likewise, in o de o
comple e he in o ma ion, ne wo k maps ha e been p epa ed
using he VOS iewe ool ( e sion 1.6.18, Uni e si y o Leiden,
Leiden, he Ne he lands), which allows o he analysis o he
collabo a ion s uc u e among he di e en d i ing agen s o
his opic ( an Eck & Wal man, 2010).
3. ANALYSIS OF THE SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION
ON BUSINESS ETHICS MANAGEMENT
3.1. E olu ion o Resea ch Ac i i y
Table1 shows he main cha ac e is ics o esea ch on busi-
ness e hics. The s udy encompasses 40 yea s o esea ch on his
subjec , ha is, om 1982 and un il 2021. In his way, he analy-
sis is di ided in o 4 10-yea pe iods. The o al sample con ained
1,487scien i ic a icles, o which 45.86% belong o he las pe iod
(2012-2021). The a iables collec ed in Table1 allow o e lec he
g ow h end expe ienced h oughou he en i e ime ho izon.
The i s pe iod (1982-1991) has 53a icles, w i en by 73au-
ho s; howe e , he las pe iod (2012-2021), egis e s a o al o
682a icles and 1,799au ho s, which shows he g owing global
in e es in his subjec . The a e age numbe o au ho s pa ici-
pa ing in he p epa a ion o each a icle inc eased om1.38 in
he i s pe iod, o 2.20au ho s in he las .
Likewise, he numbe o coun ies linked o managemen ap-
plied o co po a e e hics inc eased p opo ionally o e he yea s,
om 8coun ies in he i s pe iod, o 87coun ies in 2002-2011,
dec easing o84, in he las .
Wha is mo e, 590jou nals ha e published a icles ela ed o
he esea ch ield. The i s pe iod, wi h 24jou nals, ep esen s
4.07%, compa ed o 56.95% in he las , wi h a o al o 336jou -
nals. Las ly, he numbe o o al ci a ions ecei ed expe ienced
an exponen ial g ow h, as i inc eased om 89ci a ions (1982-
1991) o 27,315 (2012-2021).
Table 1
Main cha ac e is ics o scien i ic p oduc ion (1982-2021)
Pe iod A icles Au ho s Coun ies C C/A Jou nals
1982-1991 53 73 8 89 1.68 24
1992-2001 196 268 29 967 4.93 98
2002-2011 556 924 87 6,165 11.09 241
2012-2021 682 1,499 84 27,315 40.05 336
To al 1,487 2,764 208 34,536 — 699
No e: C: o al ci a ions in a icles; C/A: a e age numbe o ci a ions pe a icle.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Figu e1 shows he e olu ion in he publica ion o a icles
and he pe cen age o a ia ion expe ienced. In his case, he 40
yea s o esea ch a e di ided in o 5pe iods o 10yea s each, wi h
he aim o looking in de ail a he e olu ion in he numbe o
in es iga ions on business e hics. 2009 was he yea in which he
mos a icles we e published, wi h a o al o 97.
The pe iods 1992-2001 and 2002-2011 egis e he highes
pe cen ages o a ia ion. The i s pe iod saw an inc ease om
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
14 Ana Ba lles-de la Fuen e, Emilio Abad-Segu a
53publica ions o 196; while he pe iod 2002-2011, wen o 556.
This indica es ha he las decade o he 20 h cen u y and he
beginning o he 2000s was he pe iod when he pa adigm shi
was concei ed, ocusing on business e hics managemen , as e -
idenced by he analysis o s udies on consume s’ pe cep ions o
co po a e social esponsibili y (Maignan, 2001) o e hics in s a-
egic communica ion campaigns (Bo an, 1997). The las pe iod
analyzed (2012-2021) egis e s 682 documen s.
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
250%
300%
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
1982-1991 1992-2001 2002-2011 2012-2021
Pe cen age o a ia ion in he numbe o
a icles published
Numbe o a icles published annually
Numbe o a icles Pe cen age o a ia ion
Figu e 1
Compa ison be ween he numbe o a icles published
and he pe cen age o a ia ion (1982-2021)
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
3.2. Resea ch analysis by hema ic ca ego ies
Else ie ’s Scopus da abase classi ies scien i ic documen s
in o di e en hema ic ca ego ies, acco ding o he publishe ’s
in e es . The sample o 1,487a icles is classi ied in o 26 di e en
hema ic a eas. I is necessa y o indica e ha he same scien i ic
a icle may be included in mo e han one subjec a ea. Among
hem, he i s i e s and ou (Business, Managemen and Ac-
coun ing; Social sciences; Economics, Econome ics and Fi-
nance; A s and Humani ies; and Medicine), since hese include
p ac ically 90% o he sample (see Figu e2).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
Numbe o a icles
Business, Managemen and Accoun ing
Social Sciences
Economics, Econome ics and Finance
A s and Humani ies
Medicine
Figu e 2
E olu ion o he main hema ic a eas (1982-2021)
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
The discipline ha heads his lis is Business, Managemen
and Accoun ing, including a o al o 1,095a icles, which ep-
esen s 33.3% o scien i ic p oduc ion. I is ollowed by Social
Sciences, wi h 663 a icles (20.2%); Economics, Econome ics
and Finance, wi h 550 (16.7%); A s and Humani ies, wi h 467
(14.2%); and Medicine, wi h 165a icles (5%). These esul s co-
incide wi h he li e a u e e iewed, since he e ms a e di ec ly
linked o he managemen o o ganiza ions (Enciso e al., 2017;
Wa en, 2011).
3.3. Analysis o he jou nals
The o al sample o jou nals ha published his line o e-
sea ch was590. Table2 shows he 10 mos p oli ic jou nals, in-
cluding a o al o 520a icles, ha is, 34.97% o he o al sample.
O hese jou nals, 7 a e included in he i s qua ile and 6 a e
published in he Uni ed Kingdom (UK). In addi ion, 7jou nals
ha e published in he las yea (2021).
Table 2
Top 10 Jou nals (1982-2021)
Jou nal A C C/A ha hj SJR(Q) Coun y Fi s Yea Las Yea
Jou nal o Business E hics 312 13,694 43.89 63 187 2.209(Q1) Ne he lands 1982 2021
Philosophy o Managemen 40 112 2.80 6 9 0.266(Q2) Swi ze land 2003 2021
Business E hics Qua e ly 37 1,961 53 22 74 1.793(Q1) UK 1996 2021
Business E hics 33 356 10.79 11 35 1.343(Q1) UK 1993 2020
Eme ald Eme ging Ma ke s Case S udies 32 6 0.19 2 5 0.197(Q3) UK 2011 2021
Business and Socie y Re iew 24 263 10.96 10 21 0.524(Q2) UK 2008 2017
Jou nal o Managemen De elopmen 16 153 9.56 8 59 0.632(Q1) UK 1996 2019
Managemen Decision 15 378 25.20 9 98 0.923(Q1) UK 2000 2021
Jou nal o Managemen Educa ion 14 162 11.57 7 47 0.786(Q1) USA 2005 2021
Sus ainabili y 13 166 12.77 7 85 0.612(Q1) Swi ze land 2017 2021
No e: A: numbe o a icles; C: o al numbe o ci a ions; C/A: numbe o ci a ions pe a icle; ha: Index h (o Hi sch index) o he a icles on he
subjec s udied; hj: Index h o he jou nal; SJR: Scimago Jou nal Rank; Q: qua ile; USA: Uni ed S a es.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
The Du ch Jou nal o Business E hics conside ed a benchma k
in he ield o business e hics, heads Table2 wi h he publica ion o
312 eco ds. I s ands ou om he es o he jou nals o i s high
alues in all he a iables conside ed, as well as o being he one
wi h he longes esea ch ajec o y. The B i ish Business E hics
Qua e ly which is in he hi d posi ion o Table2, has he second
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
Explo ing esea ch on he managemen o business e hics 15
highes numbe o o al ci a ions(1961), he bes a e age numbe
o ci a ions pe a icle(53), and he second highes index h in he
a icles on he subjec (20). Also, B i ish, Managemen Decision, in
he eigh h posi ion, s ands ou o anking second in h-index(98).
Finally, he B i ish Eme ald Eme ging Ma ke s Case S udies con-
ains a signi ican ly low numbe o o al ci a ions h oughou he
pe iod(6), a e age numbe o ci a ions (0.19), h-index in a i-
cles(2) and h-index in he jou nal(5).
3.4. Analysis o au ho s
The o al sample o au ho s pa icipa ing in scien i ic p o-
duc ion is2,655. Table3 shows he 10mos p oli ic au ho s,
whe e au ho s o Eu opean o igin p edomina e (70%).
The No h Ame ican au ho , Ga y R. Wea e , heads Table3
wi h 9 published a icles, a o al o 1,599ci a ions, and an a -
e age numbe o ci a ions o 177.67. This au ho published his
i s a icle in 1999 and has an h-index o 8. The Belgian au ho ,
Y esel Fassin, also s ands ou wi h 9published a icles, and is
he i s au ho o his ank o publish (1993). The Ame ican,
Linda Klebe T e iño, is he au ho wi h he highes a e age o
ci a ions pe a icle(245.17) and he second highes alue o ci a-
ions ecei ed(1,471). Finally, he Eu opean au ho s, Y esel Fas-
sin, Muel Kap ein and Ingo Pies, a e he only au ho s who ha e
published in he las yea (2021).
Table 3
Top 10 Au ho s (1982-2021)
Au ho A C C/A Resea ch Ins i u ion Coun y 1A LA h-index
Wea e , G.R. 9 1,599 177.67 Uni e si y o Delawa e USA 1999 2011 8
Fassin, Y. 9 553 61.44 Uni e si ei Gen Belgium 1993 2021 7
Habisch, A. 6 104 17.33 Ka holische Uni e si ä Eichs ä -Ingols ad Ge many 2010 2020 5
T e iño, L.K. 6 1,471 245.17 Penn S a e Smeal College o Business USA 1999 2008 6
Wood, G. 6 65 10.83 K is iania Uni e si y College No way 2004 2018 5
Die ksmeie , C. 5 126 25.20 Uni e si ä Tübingen Ge many 2009 2020 4
Ha is, H. 5 20 4.00 Uni e si y o Sou h Aus alia Aus alia 2004 2018 3
Kap ein, M. 5 471 94.20 E asmus Uni e si ei Ro e dam Ne he lands 2004 2021 4
Ma ens, R. 5 126 25.20 Cali o nia S a e Uni e si y USA 2007 2013 4
Pies, I. 5 193 38.60 Ma in-Uni e si ä Halle-Wi enbe g Ge many 2010 2021 5
No e: A: numbe o a icles; C: numbe o ci a ions o all a icles; C/A: o al numbe o ci a ions pe a icle; 1A: i s published a icle; LA: las
a icle published; h-index: index h on he subjec s udied.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Figu e 3
Coope a ion ne wo k based on he co-au ho ship me hod (1982-2021)
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
16 Ana Ba lles-de la Fuen e, Emilio Abad-Segu a
Figu e3 shows he collabo a ion ne wo k among au ho s,
om he VOS iewe so wa e (Wal man e al., 2010). Fou clus-
e s a e dis inguished by colo s, while he nodes a y in size de-
pending on he deg ee o coope a ion be ween au ho s.
The i s clus e , in ed and he mos cen al, is no ewo hy
due o he high numbe o au ho s i includes, and is headed by
Moo e, G. and Waddock, S. The second clus e , in g een, has he
p esence o Ga y R Wea e ( he au ho who heads he anking o
he mos p oli ic) and Linda Klebe T e iño. The hi d clus e , in
yellow, includes, among o he s, Goodpas e , K.E. and Naugh on,
M., whe eas he ou h g oup, in blue, con ains Ha y, J.D. and
Elms, H., among o he s.
3.5. Analysis o esea ch ins i u ions
Table4 shows he op10ins i u ions in he ield o busi-
ness e hics om 1982 o 2021. The No h Ame ican, Uni-
e si y o Vi ginia, is he ins i u ion ha heads his anking,
since i p esen s he highes alues in he indica o s o he
numbe o published a icles(15) and h-index(11). The Bel-
gian, Uni e si ei Gen , has he highes numbe o o al ci a-
ions ecei ed(613); while he Du ch, E asmus Uni e si ei
Ro e dam has he highes a e age numbe o ci a ions pe
a icle(62.89).
Table 4
Top 10 esea ch ins i u ions (1982-2021)
Resea ch Ins i u ion Coun y A icles C C/A h-index IC (%) ICC CNCI
Uni e si y o Vi ginia USA 15 380 25.33 11 33.33 27.40 24.30
Deakin Uni e si y Aus alia 12 178 14.83 9 50.00 9.00 20.67
Uni e si ei Gen Belgium 12 613 51.08 8 41.67 21.40 72.29
Uni e si y o Sou h Aus alia Aus alia 11 83 7.55 4 27.27 1.67 9.75
Copenhagen Business School Denma k 10 280 28.00 8 60.00 15.83 46.25
Da den School o Business USA 10 246 24.60 8 30.00 26.00 24.00
Hong Kong Poly echnic Uni e si y Hong Kong 9 213 23.67 7 44.44 29.75 18.80
E asmus Uni e si ei Ro e dam Ne he lands 9 566 62.89 9 55.56 51.40 77.25
UNSW Sydney Aus alia 9 156 17.33 6 55.56 15.60 19.50
Uni e si y o Jy äskylä Finland 9 153 17.00 7 33.33 9.00 21.00
No e: C: o al numbe o ci a ions; C/A: o al numbe o ci a ions pe a icle; h-index: index h on he subjec s udied; IC: collabo a ion index in
pe cen age; ICC: o al ci a ions in a icles wi h in e na ional collabo a ion; CNCI: o al ci a ions in a icles wi hou in e na ional collabo a ion.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Fu he mo e, he Danish Copenhagen Business School eg-
is e s he highes pe cen age o collabo a ion (60%), ollowed by
he E asmus Uni e si ei Ro e dam and he Aus alian Uni e -
si y o New Sou h Wales (UNSW Sydney), bo h wi h a pe cen -
age o collabo a ion o 55.56%. E asmus Uni e si ei Ro e dam
is he ins i u ion wi h he mos ci a ions in a icles wi h in e -
na ional collabo a ion(51.40), while he Aus alian Uni e si y
o Sou h Aus alia s ands ou o being he ins i u ion wi h he
leas (1.67).
3.6. Iden i ica ion o he mos ele an coun ies in scien i ic
p oduc ion
The scien i ic p oduc ion analyzed has been ca ied ou in
130coun ies. In his sense, he coun y a iable e e s o he
coun y o o igin o he lead au ho ’s ins i u ion as men ioned in
ecen esea ch (Don hu e al., 2021). Table5 shows he 10mos
p oli ic coun ies (7.69% o he o al), which ha e published
1,084a icles (72.9% o he o al). The USA heads his anking
wi h he highes alues in numbe o in es iga ions(482), o al
ci a ions (16,031), h-index (55) and numbe o collabo a ing
coun ies(53), among which he ollowing s and ou : Canada,
UK, China, Aus alia and Ge many. I is ollowed by he UK,
wi h 151 egis a ions, 30collabo a ing coun ies and a collabo-
a ion pe cen age o 38.41%.
China is he coun y wi h he highes pe cen age o collab-
o a ion (51.43%), since ou o 35a icles published, 15ha e
been p oduced by means o in e na ional collabo a ion. Aus-
alia is he coun y wi h he highes numbe o o al ci a ions
ecei ed in in e na ional a icles (106.98), ollowed by he
USA (73.69). Likewise, all he coun ies in his anking eg-
is e a g ea e numbe o o al ci a ions in a icles p oduced
in e na ionally, wi h he excep ion o Spain and he Ne he -
lands.
Figu e 4 shows he in e na ional collabo a ion es ablished
among he coun ies ha p omo e esea ch on he managemen
o co po a e e hics. Eigh clus e s o di e en colo s a e dis in-
guished.
The i s clus e , in ed, is led by he UK, Ge many and
F ance. In his case, compa ing he es o he coun ies ha
make up he clus e and Table5, i is unde s ood ha I aly is
pa o i due o i s collabo a ion wi h he UK, while Aus ia and
Swi ze land a e he e due o hei collabo a ion wi h Ge many.
Meanwhile, he second clus e , in blue, is led by he USA, which
collabo a es wi h Sou h A ica, New Zealand and Hong Kong,
among o he coun ies.
The hi d clus e , in pu ple, is ep esen ed by Spain, which
collabo a es wi h Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. Addi ional-
ly, he ou h clus e , in yellow, has he p esence o wo o he
p oli ic coun ies (Aus alia and Canada). The o ange and g een
clus e s a e led by China and India, espec i ely, bo h included
in Table5 o he mos p oduc i e. Finally, he ligh blue clus e
has he collabo a ion o he Ne he lands, Finland, Denma k and
Slo enia.
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
Explo ing esea ch on he managemen o business e hics 17
Figu e 4
In e na ional collabo a ion ne wo k be ween coun ies (1982-2021)
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Table 5
Top 10 coun ies (1982-2021)
Coun y A C C/A h-index NC Main collabo a o s IC (%)
C/A
IC NIC
USA 482 16,031 33.26 55 53 Canada. UK. China. Aus alia. Ge many. 18.26 73.69 24.23
UK 151 3,238 21.44 31 30 Aus alia. USA. Spain. Ne he lands. Belgium. 38.41 27.50 17.67
Aus alia 104 5,926 56.98 24 22 UK. USA. Canada. Sweden. F ance 42.31 106.89 20.38
Canada 71 2,444 34.42 25 37 USA. Aus alia. F ance. Spain. Belgium. 43.66 41.68 28.80
Spain 70 1,483 21.19 21 37 UK. USA. Canada. Chile. F ance. 40.00 13.32 26.43
Ge nany 52 747 14.37 16 20 USA. I aly. Belgium. Swi ze land. UK. 36.54 17.11 12.79
F ance 44 539 12.25 12 35 Aus alia. UK. USA. Belgium. Canada. 47.73 15.43 9.35
India 40 189 4.73 6 11 USA. Li huania. Spain. Bhu an. Ge many. 32.50 4.77 4.70
China 35 528 15.09 11 31 USA. Hong Kong. Sou h Ko ea. UK. Canada. 51.43 16.67 13.41
Ne he lands 35 2,049 58.54 18 14 UK. Aus alia. USA. Belgium. Denma k. 45.71 44.06 70.74
No e: A: numbe o a icles; C: o al numbe o ci a ions; C/A: o al numbe o ci a ions pe a icle; h-index: index h on he subjec s udied; NC:
numbe o collabo a o s; CI(%): collabo a ion index in pe cen age; CI: o al ci a ions in a icles wi h in e na ional collabo a ion; NIC: o al
ci a ions in a icles wi hou in e na ional collabo a ion.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
18 Ana Ba lles-de la Fuen e, Emilio Abad-Segu a
3.7. Analysis o keywo ds
Table6 shows he 20 mos widely-used keywo ds in scien i ic
p oduc ion on business e hics managemen . The analysis o he
mos common e ms in he esea ch allows o know he in e es s
ha ha e a isen along he ime ho izon. In addi ion, as shown
in Table6, he a ia ion in he numbe o occu ences o each
keywo d p o ides in o ma ion on he e olu ion o he e m, and
on whe he in e es in ha ield is beginning o has ceased gi ing
way o new lines in his esea ch ield.
The e m “co po a e social esponsibili y” heads Table6 wi h
142occu ences. This e m was men ioned o he i s ime in
he second pe iod analyzed (1992-2001) and, since hen, i has
been conside ed in he a icles o he es o he pe iods. In addi-
ion, in he las s udy (2012-2021), i eaches he highes numbe
o occu ences (84). The e m “adminis a ion”, in second posi-
ion, has a o al o 91occu ences in he analyzed ime ho izon.
The six h e m o he anking, “co po a e go e nance”, and
he en h e m, “sus ainabili y”, do no ha e occu ences in he
i s wo decades, since hey a e linked o he Millennium De-
elopmen Goals (MDGs), se in he yea 2000 (Feeny & Cla ke,
2009a, 2009b).
F om his anking, i is clea ha he e ms “o ganiza ional
cul u e”, “d ug indus y” and “mo ali y” ha e been he las key-
wo ds ha ha e been used in his ield o esea ch, mainly ela -
ed o co po a e p ocesses ha ha e nega i e e ec s on socie y
(Abad-Segu a, Mo ales e al., 2020). The e m “e hics, ins i u-
ional”, di ec ly linked o he heme, only had one occu ence in
he las pe iod (2012-2021), which ep esen s 0.15% o he o al
sample.
Table 6
Top 20 keywo ds (1982-2021)
Keywo d
1982-2021 1982-1991 1992-2001 2002-2011 2012-2021
A % A % A % A % A %
Co po a e Social Responsibili y 142 9.55 0 0.00 3 1.53 55 9.89 84 12.32
Managemen 91 6.12 1 1.89 13 6.63 31 5.58 46 6.74
O ganiza ion and Managemen 83 5.58 5 9.43 34 17.35 33 5.94 11 1.61
Social Responsibili y 72 4.84 2 3.77 12 6.12 33 5.94 25 3.67
Financial Managemen 61 4.10 2 3.77 10 5.10 28 5.04 21 3.08
Co po a e Go e nance 60 4.03 0 0.00 0 0.00 28 5.04 32 4.69
Medical E hics 57 3.83 2 3.77 28 14.29 13 2.34 14 2.05
Leade ship 56 3.77 2 3.77 2 1.02 29 5.22 23 3.37
Comme cial Phenomena 52 3.50 5 9.43 10 5.10 18 3.24 19 2.79
Sus ainabili y 52 3.50 0 0.00 0 0.00 8 1.44 44 6.45
Decision Making 51 3.43 1 1.89 2 1.02 26 4.68 22 3.23
O ganiza ion 48 3.23 4 7.55 13 6.63 18 3.24 13 1.91
E hics Ins i u ional 47 3.16 10 18.87 29 14.80 7 1.26 1 0.15
Economics 46 3.09 2 3.77 15 7.65 17 3.06 12 1.76
S anda d 46 3.09 10 18.87 25 12.76 10 1.80 1 0.15
S akeholde Theo y 41 2.76 0 0.00 1 0.51 23 4.14 17 2.49
Comme ce 35 2.35 5 9.43 10 5.10 10 1.80 10 1.47
O ganiza ional Cul u e 35 2.35 0 0.00 7 3.57 20 3.60 8 1.17
D ug Indus y 34 2.29 1 1.89 2 1.02 17 3.06 14 2.05
Mo ali y 34 2.29 0 0.00 14 7.14 11 1.98 9 1.32
No e: %: Pe cen age o he o al sample.
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
In o de o be able o disce n he main changes and new
in e es s ha a e eme ging in his line o esea ch, i is neces-
sa y o analyze he yea in which hey we e inco po a ed and/o
men ioned in he scien i ic p oduc ion. In his case, Figu e5 has
been elabo a ed om he 150keywo ds wi h he highes numbe
o occu ences. As can be seen, he keywo ds ha ha e o med
pa o he sample since he beginning o he esea ch e e o
legal aspec s o he company i sel and o he medical pe spec i e
on wo ke s’ sa e y and well-being. Howe e , in ecen yea s, he
s udy’s p e e ences ha e been u ning owa ds opics ocused on
sus ainabili y.
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
Explo ing esea ch on he managemen o business e hics 19
Figu e 5
Timeline o he main keywo ds
Sou ce: Own elabo a ion.
4. DISCUSSION
In companies seeking he common good, e hics managemen
can be essen ial o a oid making he mis ake o ela i izing deci-
sions o alida e dishones ac ions (Tajalli & Segal, 2018). This is
why unde s anding he scien i ic e olu ion implies knowing in
de ail he main au ho s, coun ies and esea ch ins i u ions ha
publish on he subjec o business e hics managemen . In his
con ex , all he a iables analyzed p o ide ele an in o ma ion
and make clea he cu en impo ance o e hics in business.
On he one hand, scien i ic p oduc ion has inc eased o e he
yea s as a esul o g ea e awa eness o his concep . Mo eo e ,
he e is an inc ease in hema ic a eas ha can be amed wi hin
his analyzed concep . This con ex is de ined by he inco po a-
ion and app o al o new legisla ion ha ad oca es a mo e sus-
ainable u u e. Likewise, he app o al o he 2030 Agenda and he
17Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (Uni ed Na ions, 2015) plays
a c ucial ole in he de elopmen o his en i onmen al pe spec-
i e, since among he goals he ein he e exis s i is p oposed o
p omo e mo e sus ainable p ac ices a a business le el o o e ec-
i ely manage and plan measu es agains clima e change (Joyne
& Payne, 2002). These easons a e he basis o he shi in he line
o esea ch owa ds hese opics and, he e o e, explain he eme -
gence o new e ms in esea ch and he inc ease in he occu ence
o o he exis ing concep s such as “co po a e social esponsibili y”
o “sus ainabili y”. In ac , a de ailed analysis o he keywo ds used
in esea ch in ecen yea s e eals a change in scien i ic in e es .
Hence, he concep s ound among he mos used ha e changed
om a business pe spec i e o a mo e sus ainable one. Fu he -
mo e, he analysis o keywo ds by yea o appea ance allows o
iden i y gaps in scien i ic p oduc ion based on concep s ela ed o
en i onmen al science o psychology, as hey may b oaden he de-
g ee o which business e hics posi i ely a ec s sus ainabili y o he
deg ee o which wo ke s a o ably pe cei e hese e hical p ac ices
on he pa o he company in which hey wo k.
Rega ding he main hema ic a eas ha all wi hin he con-
cep analyzed, he posi ion occupied by he discipline o “Eco-
nomics, Econome ics and Finance” is men ioned. This means
ha among he scien i ic p oduc ion ca ied ou , he e is consid-
e able in e es in looking in o he undamen al ole o business
e hics om an economic pe spec i e, such as, o example, he
p o i abili y ha his may en ail (Debeljuh, 2009). This is because
an inc ease in he knowledge o he ela ionship es ablished wi h
sus ainabili y and he en i onmen deepens he unde s anding
Managemen Le e s / Cuade nos de Ges ión 23/1 (2023) 11-21
