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Journal of Service Research
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Managing the Ethical Climate of Customer-Contact Service Employees

Charles H. Schwepker, Jr.

Central Missouri State University, schwepker{at}cmsu1.cmsu.edu

Michael D. Hartline

Florida State University

Marketing control theory serves as the framework for the development and testing of a model that examines factors (code enforcement, ethical discussions, and punishment for ethical violations) involved in the internalization of ethical codes by customer-contact service employees. The authors argue that code internalization and perceived ethical climate serve as social and cultural control mechanisms that enhance the attitudinal responses (role stress, job satisfaction, and commitment to service quality) of service employees. The findings suggest that enforcing ethical codes and discussing ethical issues on the job enhance code internalization, which in turn enhances perceptions of the ethical climate, reduces role conflict, and increases commitment to service quality. Ethical climate increases job satisfaction and indirectly affects commitment to service quality by reducing role conflict. Implications for controlling code internalization and managing the firm’s ethical climate are provided, along with suggested avenues for future research.

Key Words: ethical control • internalization of codes of ethics • ethical climate • customer-contact employees • service quality • role ambiguity • role conflict • job satisfaction

Journal of Service Research, Vol. 7, No. 4, 377-397 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1094670504273966
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