The role of personal characteristics in the perception of business ethics: An application on managers in digital marketing companies

Compliance with business ethics standards depends on the ethical understanding of individuals. Managers have a critical role to play in adopting and implementing business ethics standards in the organization because of their key role in the decision-making process. Managers with different personality traits may exhibit different behaviors and attitudes toward business ethics. This is due to differences in their perceptions of business ethics. This master's thesis examines the effect of managers' personality traits on their perceptions of business ethics. The research covers managers working in digital marketing companies in Istanbul and Izmir provinces, and a questionnaire was used as the data collection method. According to the research, managers' personality traits and demographic factors are important in shaping their perceptions of business ethics. In particular, factors such as gender, marital status, and tenure significantly impact perceptions of business ethics. In line with these findings, it is recommended that companies should consider the personality traits and demographic differences of managers to strengthen business ethics norms. The study aims to contribute to the literature on the relationship between business ethics and personality traits and to guide future research in this area.