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Does Closeness with Others Influence Business Ethical Choices?

Decisions are a common occurrence in everyday life. Why some make ethical and others make unethical decisions is of interest. Wood, et. al. (2013) studied the decision-making process of managers and found that psychological distance and options influenced their ultimate choice. When proper choices are available, and reflections on courses of action are possible, better decisions result. There are pillars that help formulate how psychological distance is created in people’s minds. These pillars are mental constructs and decision filters managers use judge course of action. They are as follows: 1.) Temporal Distance : Now versus later. Future events are more abstract while current events are more concrete. 2.) Spatial Distance : Researchers have shown that faraway locations are abstract while closer locations are more concrete. 3.) Social Distance: Us versus them mentality that lowers the perception of impact on other groups while raising the perception of harm to one