Ethical behavior of Indian purchasing managers

As the global marketplace continues its relentless growth, ethical purchasing behavior assumes greater significance for both domestic and international firms. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the ethics of purchasing management professionals in India. A questionnaire, based on prior research, was developed by the authors for obtaining the information. An analysis of data from 69 respondents indicated that the Indian purchasing managers reacted less ethically to questionable situations than has been reported in previous studies conducted in the United States. The disparity in the results can be attributed to the difference in the perception of ethical and unethical behavior between Indian and US purchasing managers. Implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are also discussed.