The Influence of Personality and Demographic Variables on Ethical Decisions Related to Insider Trading

Abstract

We investigated the influence of the following variables on individuals' ethical decisions related to insider trading: interpersonal competitiveness, locus of control, need for achievement, self-esteem, religious beliefs, frequency of attendance at religious services, social class, parents' annual income, year in college, college major, college GPA, exposure to an ethics course, age, and gender. Upper division business students (N = 201) were asked to read eight vignettes that depicted ethical dilemmas involving insider trading and to indicate what they would do in each case. The findings indicated that interpersonal competitiveness, locus of control, religious beliefs, age, and gender may be important influences on individuals' levels of ethicality.