Exploring research on the management of business ethics

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Atribution 4.0 Internacional License institutua enpresa Instituto de Economía Aplicada a la Empresa Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión journal homepage: http://www.ehu.eus/cuadernosdegestion/revista/es/ ISSN: 1131-6837 / e-ISSN: 1988-2157 Management Letters Cuadernos de Gestión Enpresa Institutua, UPV/EHU Conocimiento en Gestión/Management Knowledge Volume 23 / Number 1 (2023) • ISSN: 1131-6837 / e-ISSN: 1988-2157 http://www.ehu.eus/cuadernosdegestion/revista/es/ Exploring research on the management of business ethics Explorando la investigación sobre la gestión de la ética empresarial Ana Batlles-de la Fuente a , Emilio Abad-Segura* a Doctoranda en el Departamento de Economía y Empresa. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales. Universidad de Almería. Ctra. Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería (España)–[email protected]-https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2108-0516 * Corresponding author: Profesor del Departamento de Economía y Empresa. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales. Universidad de Almería. Ctra. Sacramento, s/n, 04120 La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería (España)–[email protected]–https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8624-103X ARTICLE INFO Received 27 February 2022, Accepted 24 July 2022 Available online 18 January 2023 DOI: 10.5295/cdg.221694ea JEL: M1, M14 ABSTRACT Society is constantly striving to promote actions that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable in the long term. The initiatives that are currently being proposed are not only global, but corporate as well, and they all contribute to a more environmentally-friendly future. In this context, the concept of business ethics arises, referring to the set of arguments that allow to improve the relations between workers and external parties directly related to the business activity. This starting point is essential to explain how achieving an ethical organizational environment may bring about improved economic, social and environmental results. For this reason, this work focuses on discussing business ethics through a literature review and a bibliometric analysis. Keywords: Business Ethics, Corporate Ethics Management, Ethical Responsibility, Global Research, Bibliometric Analysis. RESUMEN La sociedad se esfuerza constantemente en promover acciones que sean sostenibles a largo plazo, desde el punto de vista medioambiental, social y económico. Las iniciativas que se proponen en la actualidad no son sólo globales, sino también empresariales, y todas ellas contribuyen a un futuro más respetuoso con el medio ambiente. En este contexto, surge el concepto de ética empresarial, referido al conjunto de argumentos que permiten mejorar las relaciones entre los trabajadores y las partes externas directamente relacionadas con la actividad empresarial. Este punto de partida es esencial para explicar cómo la consecución de un entorno organizativo ético puede suponer una mejora de los resultados económicos, sociales y medioambientales. Por ello, este trabajo se centra en la discusión de la ética empresarial a través de una revisión bibliográfica y un análisis bibliométrico. Palabras clave: Ética empresarial, Gestión de la ética corporativa, Responsabilidad ética, Investigación mundial, Análisis bibliométrico. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 12 Ana Batlles-de la Fuente, Emilio Abad-Segura 1. INTRODUCTION Business ethics refers to the interaction between ethics and business (De George, 2009). In order to delve into this concept, it is necessary to define the terms that compose it. According to the Royal Spanish Academy (2019), and choosing that definition that best fits the meaning of the word, ethics is understood as “the set of moral rules that govern the conduct of the person in any sphere of life”. This moral philosophy pursues to identify and distinguish the patterns of right and wrong, good and bad and, therefore, the behaviors of the human being, such as rights, norms or obligations (Tajalli & Segal, 2018). Thus, these ethical statements or value judgments allow individuals themselves to determine the appropriateness of actions in order to get decision-making right (Joyner & Payne, 2002). On the other hand, if reference is made to the second term, entrepreneurial is understood as “that which pertains or pertains to businesses or entrepreneurs” (Royal Spanish Academy (2019). An enterprise is an institution or organization, which is identified within a specific industry, and which is defined by the type of buyers it has, products it sells and geographical scope it has (Houthoofd, 2009). In this context, this concept is characterized by the set of values or norms that guide towards appropriate behavior in various circumstances, among which the field of management is considered (Lewis, 1985; Vallaster etal., 2019). Ethical beliefs and behaviors performed by top management are fundamental to organizational performance (Shin etal., 2015). In the global dimension, business ethics addresses issues such as corruption, working conditions of workers or bribery (Warren, 2011). Depending on the level of ethical commitment established, different types of companies can be distinguished, including proactive and reactive companies (Schlegelmilch & Pollach, 2005). The main difference between the two is the way in which they approach situations. Proactive organizations seek to position themselves in the market through actions that are supported by corporate values, as well as being proactive in communicating ethics within the company. On the other hand, those of a reactive nature, are those companies that do not manage ethics and decide to get involved only when there are situations that may negatively affect the image of the company itself (Enciso etal., 2017). Several studies mention that when employees do not feel identified with the organization they work for, the percentage of absenteeism increases and they become emotionally exhausted (Hansen etal., 2016; Trivellas etal., 2019). Yet, when good actions are carried out, all parties involved tend to feel identified with them. Turnover will then significantly decrease which means that less money will need to be devoted to issues such as coordination and training, among others. Therefore, it is of the essence that members of all departments should recognize the importance of social values, thus defining a clear ethical position throughout the company (Joyner & Payne, 2002). This is where a business ethics program comes into play. This system consists in the implementation within the organization of a set of moral standards or rules which will promote a widespread ethical commitment both inside the organization and outside (Remišová etal., 2019). 1.1. Theoretical Background Maximizing profits regardless of the means employed to do so appears to have been the guiding mentality in business for decades. This is the main reason why, at first, it might seem contradictory to combine the terms “business” and “ethics” in a single concept. Although the interest in business ethics burst with force in 1920 (Tsalikis & Fritzsche, 1989), it was not until the 1970s that the needs of society and the growing ethical dilemmas led to a significant transformation (Guillén, 1996). In this context, beliefs such as the fact that the only motivation for workers was of a monetary nature were redefined, giving way to considering psychological or social factors as fundamental as well (Agulló, 1999). Later, in the 1990s, employers themselves were encouraged to include ethics in their strategic planning processes. In fact, it was argued that the trust of all parties involved towards the organization was necessary, since the lack of it would result in poor performance that would in turn lead to consumer dissatisfaction (Creyer & Ross, 1997). In the last decade of the 20th century, there was a clear increase in the number of countries, institutions and research centers that decided to contribute to this issue (Stark, 1993). Subsequently, and as at that time the relationship between business and ethics was not yet regarded as necessary, the dilemma of whether to continue maximizing profits or to start considering business ethics as a fundamental part of management began to be raised (Nygaard & Biong, 2010). A company cannot survive when isolated from society, or vice versa. Thus, it is clear that the growth of a company is defined by the quality of the relationship in three different contexts. The first refers to the entities that make up the organization, i.e. the internal parties. Secondly, the relationship established between the internal and the external parties. Finally, the relationship between the former and other distant parties (Sirgy, 2002). By ensuring the quality of life through respect towards the human rights of all, effectively resolving the conflicts that arise and carrying out a business activity committed to society, success is ensured (Debeljuh, 2009). Therefore, business ethics today seeks to address a wide variety of issues such as environmental and social improvement or social responsibility (Abad-Segura, Batlles-de la Fuente etal., 2020; Joyner & Payne, 2002). Undoubtedly, as well, it is currently argued that business ethics has turned into an intangible asset within the company which appeals to business partners and consumers alike (Enciso etal., 2017). Furthermore, ethics is said to be a suitable means to achieve the objectives that companies set out for themselves; this is also an opportunity to be more competitive and to heighten quality (Debeljuh, 2009). The present paper contributes to the literature in two ways. The first is through the analysis of the main bibliometric indicators that allow to analyze the state of the art and the current interest in advancing the scientific production of business ethics. Secondly, after knowing the fundamental relationship between organizations and business ethics to ensure their long-term survival in the market, the keywords that have been used since the beginning of the research are analyzed in order to ascertain the period in which research on this economic aspect began, and also to identify the gaps in the research or the new emerging topics of interest. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 Exploring research on the management of business ethics 13 2. METHODOLOGY This study aims to show a global vision of ethics management in business. With this aim in mind, a bibliometric analysis has been carried out that allows to identify, organize and analyze the main components of this line of research (Lievrouw, 1989). These bibliometric techniques, which are currently used in studies of various disciplines (Abad-Segura etal., 2019; Abad-Segura, Batlles-de la Fuente etal., 2020; Meseguer-Sánchez etal., 2020), allow to manifest the main driving forces of a certain field of study and detect the main lines of research developed from an analysis of the keywords in the records. In addition, through an analysis of co-authorship and co-citation, the links established between these agents can be represented throughout the period in which the scientific production has been developed (Li et al., 2021; Valérie & Pierre, 2010). For the elaboration of this analysis, several databases of academic and scientific works related to the subject have been consulted (Harzing & Alakangas, 2016; Mongeon & Paul-Hus, 2016). Finally, it was decided to use Elsevier’s Scopus database, since it is the one that contains the largest number of articles, journals and authors (Mongeon & Paul-Hus, 2016). In addition, there are numerous studies that use this database as a reference to carry out bibliometric analyses (Duque-Acevedo etal., 2020; Li etal., 2021). The initial review of the literature has made it possible to identify the terms of the document search: business, corporation, ethics and management, and has been limited to the time horizon between 1982 and 2021. Thus, all research to date has been analyzed, with the exception of one paper published in 1979, in order to ensure that all the periods considered had covered the same years. Thus, the final search was as follows: (TITLE-ABSKEY (“busine* ethic*” OR “corpor* ethic*” OR “compan* ethic*”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (manage*)) AND DOCTYPE (ar) AND (EXCLUDE (PUBYEAR, 1979)) AND (EXCLUDE (PUBYEAR, 2022)). However, the sample was checked to ascertain that it contained the concept of manage* as related to managerial, management or synonyms, and therefore in no case were the themes far removed from the subject under study. Finally, to avoid duplication in the information analyzed and maintain rigor due to peer review (Cossarini etal., 2014), only scientific articles have been selected, obtaining a final sample of 1,487. This sample allowed to delve into different aspects such as the number of investigations carried out, the journals in which they are published, the main thematic areas in which these are classified, the most prolific authors, countries and research institutions, as well as the main keywords. Likewise, in order to complete the information, network maps have been prepared using the VOSviewer tool (version 1.6.18, University of Leiden, Leiden, the Netherlands), which allows for the analysis of the collaboration structure among the different driving agents of this topic (van Eck & Waltman, 2010). 3. ANALYSIS OF THE SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION ON BUSINESS ETHICS MANAGEMENT 3.1. Evolution of Research Activity Table1 shows the main characteristics of research on business ethics. The study encompasses 40 years of research on this subject, that is, from 1982 and until 2021. In this way, the analysis is divided into 4 10-year periods. The total sample contained 1,487scientific articles, of which 45.86% belong to the last period (2012-2021). The variables collected in Table1 allow to reflect the growth trend experienced throughout the entire time horizon. The first period (1982-1991) has 53articles, written by 73authors; however, the last period (2012-2021), registers a total of 682articles and 1,799authors, which shows the growing global interest in this subject. The average number of authors participating in the preparation of each article increased from1.38 in the first period, to 2.20authors in the last. Likewise, the number of countries linked to management applied to corporate ethics increased proportionally over the years, from 8countries in the first period, to 87countries in 2002-2011, decreasing to84, in the last. What is more, 590journals have published articles related to the research field. The first period, with 24journals, represents 4.07%, compared to 56.95% in the last, with a total of 336journals. Lastly, the number of total citations received experienced an exponential growth, as it increased from 89citations (19821991) to 27,315 (2012-2021). Table 1 Main characteristics of scientific production (1982-2021) Period Articles Authors Countries C C/A Journals 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 Total 1,487 2,764 208 34,536 — 699 Note: C: total citations in articles; C/A: average number of citations per article. Source: Own elaboration. Figure1 shows the evolution in the publication of articles and the percentage of variation experienced. In this case, the 40 years of research are divided into 5periods of 10years each, with the aim of looking in detail at the evolution in the number of investigations on business ethics. 2009 was the year in which the most articles were published, with a total of 97. The periods 1992-2001 and 2002-2011 register the highest percentages of variation. The first period saw an increase from Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 14 Ana Batlles-de la Fuente, Emilio Abad-Segura 53publications to 196; while the period 2002-2011, went to 556. This indicates that the last decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 2000s was the period when the paradigm shift was conceived, focusing on business ethics management, as evidenced by the analysis of studies on consumers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (Maignan, 2001) or ethics in strategic communication campaigns (Botan, 1997). The last period analyzed (2012-2021) registers 682 documents. 0% 50% 100% 150% 200% 250% 300% 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 1982-1991 1992-2001 2002-2011 2012-2021 Percentage of variation in the number of articles published Number of articles published annually Number of articles Percentage of variation Figure 1 Comparison between the number of articles published and the percentage of variation (1982-2021) Source: Own elaboration. 3.2. Research analysis by thematic categories Elsevier’s Scopus database classifies scientific documents into different thematic categories, according to the publisher’s interest. The sample of 1,487articles is classified into 26 different thematic areas. It is necessary to indicate that the same scientific article may be included in more than one subject area. Among them, the first five stand out (Business, Management and Accounting; Social sciences; Economics, Econometrics and Finance; Arts and Humanities; and Medicine), since these include practically 90% of the sample (see Figure2). 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 Number of articles Business, Management and Accounting Social Sciences Economics, Econometrics and Finance Arts and Humanities Medicine Figure 2 Evolution of the main thematic areas (1982-2021) Source: Own elaboration. The discipline that heads this list is Business, Management and Accounting, including a total of 1,095articles, which represents 33.3% of scientific production. It is followed by Social Sciences, with 663 articles (20.2%); Economics, Econometrics and Finance, with 550 (16.7%); Arts and Humanities, with 467 (14.2%); and Medicine, with 165articles (5%). These results coincide with the literature reviewed, since the terms are directly linked to the management of organizations (Enciso etal., 2017; Warren, 2011). 3.3. Analysis of the journals The total sample of journals that published this line of research was590. Table2 shows the 10 most prolific journals, including a total of 520articles, that is, 34.97% of the total sample. Of these journals, 7 are included in the first quartile and 6 are published in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition, 7journals have published in the last year (2021). Table 2 Top 10 Journals (1982-2021) Journal A C C/A ha hj SJR(Q) Country First Year Last Year Journal of Business Ethics 312 13,694 43.89 63 187 2.209(Q1) Netherlands 1982 2021 Philosophy of Management 40 112 2.80 6 9 0.266(Q2) Switzerland 2003 2021 Business Ethics Quarterly 37 1,961 53 22 74 1.793(Q1) UK 1996 2021 Business Ethics 33 356 10.79 11 35 1.343(Q1) UK 1993 2020 Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies 32 6 0.19 2 5 0.197(Q3) UK 2011 2021 Business and Society Review 24 263 10.96 10 21 0.524(Q2) UK 2008 2017 Journal of Management Development 16 153 9.56 8 59 0.632(Q1) UK 1996 2019 Management Decision 15 378 25.20 9 98 0.923(Q1) UK 2000 2021 Journal of Management Education 14 162 11.57 7 47 0.786(Q1) USA 2005 2021 Sustainability 13 166 12.77 7 85 0.612(Q1) Switzerland 2017 2021 Note: A: number of articles; C: total number of citations; C/A: number of citations per article; ha: Index h (or Hirsch index) of the articles on the subject studied; hj: Index h of the journal; SJR: Scimago Journal Rank; Q: quartile; USA: United States. Source: Own elaboration. The Dutch Journal of Business Ethics considered a benchmark in the field of business ethics, heads Table2 with the publication of 312records. It stands out from the rest of the journals for its high values in all the variables considered, as well as for being the one with the longest research trajectory. The British Business Ethics Quarterly which is in the third position of Table2, has the second Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 Exploring research on the management of business ethics 15 highest number of total citations(1961), the best average number of citations per article(53), and the second highest index h in the articles on the subject(20). Also, British, Management Decision, in the eighth position, stands out for ranking second in h-index(98). Finally, the British Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies contains a significantly low number of total citations throughout the period(6), average number of citations (0.19), h-index in articles(2) and h-index in the journal(5). 3.4. Analysis of authors The total sample of authors participating in scientific production is2,655. Table3 shows the 10most prolific authors, where authors of European origin predominate (70%). The North American author, Gary R. Weaver, heads Table3 with 9 published articles, a total of 1,599citations, and an average number of citations of 177.67. This author published his first article in 1999 and has an h-index of8. The Belgian author, Yvesel Fassin, also stands out with 9published articles, and is the first author of this rank to publish (1993). The American, Linda Klebe Treviño, is the author with the highest average of citations per article(245.17) and the second highest value of citations received(1,471). Finally, the European authors, Yvesel Fassin, Muel Kaptein and Ingo Pies, are the only authors who have published in the last year (2021). Table 3 Top 10 Authors (1982-2021) Author A C C/A Research Institution Country 1A LA h-index Weaver, G.R. 9 1,599 177.67 University of Delaware USA 1999 2011 8 Fassin, Y. 9 553 61.44 Universiteit Gent Belgium 1993 2021 7 Habisch, A. 6 104 17.33 Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Germany 2010 2020 5 Treviño, L.K. 6 1,471 245.17 Penn State Smeal College of Business USA 1999 2008 6 Wood, G. 6 65 10.83 Kristiania University College Norway 2004 2018 5 Dierksmeier, C. 5 126 25.20 Universität Tübingen Germany 2009 2020 4 Harris, H. 5 20 4.00 University of South Australia Australia 2004 2018 3 Kaptein, M. 5 471 94.20 Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam Netherlands 2004 2021 4 Marens, R. 5 126 25.20 California State University USA 2007 2013 4 Pies, I. 5 193 38.60 Martin-Universität Halle-Wittenberg Germany 2010 2021 5 Note: A: number of articles; C: number of citations for all articles; C/A: total number of citations per article; 1A: first published article; LA: last article published; h-index: index h on the subject studied. Source: Own elaboration. Figure 3 Cooperation network based on the co-authorship method (1982-2021) Source: Own elaboration. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 16 Ana Batlles-de la Fuente, Emilio Abad-Segura Figure3 shows the collaboration network among authors, from the VOSviewer software (Waltman etal., 2010). Four clusters are distinguished by colors, while the nodes vary in size depending on the degree of cooperation between authors. The first cluster, in red and the most central, is noteworthy due to the high number of authors it includes, and is headed by Moore, G. and Waddock, S. The second cluster, in green, has the presence of Gary R Weaver (the author who heads the ranking of the most prolific) and Linda Klebe Treviño. The third cluster, in yellow, includes, among others, Goodpaster, K.E. and Naughton, M., whereas the fourth group, in blue, contains Harry, J.D. and Elms, H., among others. 3.5. Analysis of research institutions Table4 shows the top10institutions in the field of business ethics from 1982 to 2021. The North American, University of Virginia, is the institution that heads this ranking, since it presents the highest values in the indicators of the number of published articles(15) and h-index(11). The Belgian, Universiteit Gent, has the highest number of total citations received(613); while the Dutch, Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam has the highest average number of citations per article(62.89). Table 4 Top 10 research institutions (1982-2021) Research Institution Country Articles C C/A h-index IC (%) ICC CNCI University of Virginia USA 15 380 25.33 11 33.33 27.40 24.30 Deakin University Australia 12 178 14.83 9 50.00 9.00 20.67 Universiteit Gent Belgium 12 613 51.08 8 41.67 21.40 72.29 University of South Australia Australia 11 83 7.55 4 27.27 1.67 9.75 Copenhagen Business School Denmark 10 280 28.00 8 60.00 15.83 46.25 Darden School of Business USA 10 246 24.60 8 30.00 26.00 24.00 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong 9 213 23.67 7 44.44 29.75 18.80 Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam Netherlands 9 566 62.89 9 55.56 51.40 77.25 UNSW Sydney Australia 9 156 17.33 6 55.56 15.60 19.50 University of Jyväskylä Finland 9 153 17.00 7 33.33 9.00 21.00 Note: C: total number of citations; C/A: total number of citations per article; h-index: index h on the subject studied; IC: collaboration index in percentage; ICC: total citations in articles with international collaboration; CNCI: total citations in articles without international collaboration. Source: Own elaboration. Furthermore, the Danish Copenhagen Business School registers the highest percentage of collaboration (60%), followed by the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam and the Australian University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), both with a percentage of collaboration of 55.56%. Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam is the institution with the most citations in articles with international collaboration(51.40), while the Australian University of South Australia stands out for being the institution with the least(1.67). 3.6. Identification of the most relevant countries in scientific production The scientific production analyzed has been carried out in 130countries. In this sense, the country variable refers to the country of origin of the lead author’s institution as mentioned in recent research (Donthu etal., 2021). Table5 shows the 10most prolific countries (7.69% of the total), which have published 1,084articles (72.9% of the total). The USA heads this ranking with the highest values in number of investigations(482), total citations (16,031), h-index (55) and number of collaborating countries(53), among which the following stand out: Canada, UK, China, Australia and Germany. It is followed by the UK, with 151registrations, 30collaborating countries and a collaboration percentage of 38.41%. China is the country with the highest percentage of collaboration (51.43%), since out of 35articles published, 15have been produced by means of international collaboration. Australia is the country with the highest number of total citations received in international articles (106.98), followed by the USA (73.69). Likewise, all the countries in this ranking register a greater number of total citations in articles produced internationally, with the exception of Spain and the Netherlands. Figure 4 shows the international collaboration established among the countries that promote research on the management of corporate ethics. Eight clusters of different colors are distinguished. The first cluster, in red, is led by the UK, Germany and France. In this case, comparing the rest of the countries that make up the cluster and Table5, it is understood that Italy is part of it due to its collaboration with the UK, while Austria and Switzerland are there due to their collaboration with Germany. Meanwhile, the second cluster, in blue, is led by the USA, which collaborates with South Africa, New Zealand and Hong Kong, among other countries. The third cluster, in purple, is represented by Spain, which collaborates with Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. Additionally, the fourth cluster, in yellow, has the presence of two of the prolific countries (Australia and Canada). The orange and green clusters are led by China and India, respectively, both included in Table5 of the most productive. Finally, the light blue cluster has the collaboration of the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Slovenia. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 Exploring research on the management of business ethics 17 Figure 4 International collaboration network between countries (1982-2021) Source: Own elaboration. Table 5 Top 10 countries (1982-2021) Country A C C/A h-index NC Main collaborators IC (%) C/A IC NIC USA 482 16,031 33.26 55 53 Canada. UK. China. Australia. Germany. 18.26 73.69 24.23 UK 151 3,238 21.44 31 30 Australia. USA. Spain. Netherlands. Belgium. 38.41 27.50 17.67 Australia 104 5,926 56.98 24 22 UK. USA. Canada. Sweden. France 42.31 106.89 20.38 Canada 71 2,444 34.42 25 37 USA. Australia. France. Spain. Belgium. 43.66 41.68 28.80 Spain 70 1,483 21.19 21 37 UK. USA. Canada. Chile. France. 40.00 13.32 26.43 Gernany 52 747 14.37 16 20 USA. Italy. Belgium. Switzerland. UK. 36.54 17.11 12.79 France 44 539 12.25 12 35 Australia. UK. USA. Belgium. Canada. 47.73 15.43 9.35 India 40 189 4.73 6 11 USA. Lithuania. Spain. Bhutan. Germany. 32.50 4.77 4.70 China 35 528 15.09 11 31 USA. Hong Kong. South Korea. UK. Canada. 51.43 16.67 13.41 Netherlands 35 2,049 58.54 18 14 UK. Australia. USA. Belgium. Denmark. 45.71 44.06 70.74 Note: A: number of articles; C: total number of citations; C/A: total number of citations per article; h-index: index h on the subject studied; NC: number of collaborators; CI(%): collaboration index in percentage; CI: total citations in articles with international collaboration; NIC: total citations in articles without international collaboration. Source: Own elaboration. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 18 Ana Batlles-de la Fuente, Emilio Abad-Segura 3.7. Analysis of keywords Table6 shows the 20 most widely-used keywords in scientific production on business ethics management. The analysis of the most common terms in the research allows to know the interests that have arisen along the time horizon. In addition, as shown in Table6, the variation in the number of occurrences for each keyword provides information on the evolution of the term, and on whether interest in that field is beginning or has ceased giving way to new lines in this research field. The term “corporate social responsibility” heads Table6 with 142occurrences. This term was mentioned for the first time in the second period analyzed (1992-2001) and, since then, it has been considered in the articles of the rest of the periods. In addition, in the last study (2012-2021), it reaches the highest number of occurrences (84). The term “administration”, in second position, has a total of 91occurrences in the analyzed time horizon. The sixth term of the ranking, “corporate governance”, and the tenth term, “sustainability”, do not have occurrences in the first two decades, since they are linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), set in the year 2000 (Feeny & Clarke, 2009a, 2009b). From this ranking, it is clear that the terms “organizational culture”, “drug industry” and “morality” have been the last keywords that have been used in this field of research, mainly related to corporate processes that have negative effects on society (Abad-Segura, Morales etal., 2020). The term “ethics, institutional”, directly linked to the theme, only had one occurrence in the last period (2012-2021), which represents 0.15% of the total sample. Table 6 Top 20 keywords (1982-2021) Keyword 1982-2021 1982-1991 1992-2001 2002-2011 2012-2021 A % A % A % A % A % Corporate Social Responsibility 142 9.55 0 0.00 3 1.53 55 9.89 84 12.32 Management 91 6.12 1 1.89 13 6.63 31 5.58 46 6.74 Organization and Management 83 5.58 5 9.43 34 17.35 33 5.94 11 1.61 Social Responsibility 72 4.84 2 3.77 12 6.12 33 5.94 25 3.67 Financial Management 61 4.10 2 3.77 10 5.10 28 5.04 21 3.08 Corporate Governance 60 4.03 0 0.00 0 0.00 28 5.04 32 4.69 Medical Ethics 57 3.83 2 3.77 28 14.29 13 2.34 14 2.05 Leadership 56 3.77 2 3.77 2 1.02 29 5.22 23 3.37 Commercial Phenomena 52 3.50 5 9.43 10 5.10 18 3.24 19 2.79 Sustainability 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 Organization 48 3.23 4 7.55 13 6.63 18 3.24 13 1.91 Ethics Institutional 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 Standard 46 3.09 10 18.87 25 12.76 10 1.80 1 0.15 Stakeholder Theory 41 2.76 0 0.00 1 0.51 23 4.14 17 2.49 Commerce 35 2.35 5 9.43 10 5.10 10 1.80 10 1.47 Organizational Culture 35 2.35 0 0.00 7 3.57 20 3.60 8 1.17 Drug Industry 34 2.29 1 1.89 2 1.02 17 3.06 14 2.05 Morality 34 2.29 0 0.00 14 7.14 11 1.98 9 1.32 Note: %: Percentage of the total sample. Source: Own elaboration. In order to be able to discern the main changes and new interests that are emerging in this line of research, it is necessary to analyze the year in which they were incorporated and/or mentioned in the scientific production. In this case, Figure5 has been elaborated from the 150keywords with the highest number of occurrences. As can be seen, the keywords that have formed part of the sample since the beginning of the research refer to legal aspects of the company itself and to the medical perspective on workers’ safety and well-being. However, in recent years, the study’s preferences have been turning towards topics focused on sustainability. Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21 Exploring research on the management of business ethics 19 Figure 5 Timeline for the main keywords Source: Own elaboration. 4. DISCUSSION In companies seeking the common good, ethics management can be essential to avoid making the mistake of relativizing decisions to validate dishonest actions (Tajalli & Segal, 2018). This is why understanding the scientific evolution implies knowing in detail the main authors, countries and research institutions that publish on the subject of business ethics management. In this context, all the variables analyzed provide relevant information and make clear the current importance of ethics in business. On the one hand, scientific production has increased over the years as a result of greater awareness of this concept. Moreover, there is an increase in thematic areas that can be framed within this analyzed concept. This context is defined by the incorporation and approval of new legislation that advocates a more sustainable future. Likewise, the approval of the 2030 Agenda and the 17Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015) plays a crucial role in the development of this environmental perspective, since among the goals therein there exists it is proposed to promote more sustainable practices at a business level or to effectively manage and plan measures against climate change (Joyner & Payne, 2002). These reasons are the basis for the shift in the line of research towards these topics and, therefore, explain the emergence of new terms in research and the increase in the occurrence of other existing concepts such as “corporate social responsibility” or “sustainability”. In fact, a detailed analysis of the keywords used in research in recent years reveals a change in scientific interest. Hence, the concepts found among the most used have changed from a business perspective to a more sustainable one. Furthermore, the analysis of keywords by year of appearance allows to identify gaps in scientific production based on concepts related to environmental science or psychology, as they may broaden the degree to which business ethics positively affects sustainability or the degree to which workers favorably perceive these ethical practices on the part of the company in which they work. Regarding the main thematic areas that fall within the concept analyzed, the position occupied by the discipline of “Economics, Econometrics and Finance” is mentioned. This means that among the scientific production carried out, there is considerable interest in looking into the fundamental role of business ethics from an economic perspective, such as, for example, the profitability that this may entail (Debeljuh, 2009). This is because an increase in the knowledge of the relationship established with sustainability and the environment deepens the understanding Management Letters / Cuadernos de Gestión 23/1 (2023) 11-21