Prior studies have examined the relationship between organizational ethical climates and an array of work-related attitudes and behaviors. However, current research is hampered by the lack of knowledge on how ethical climates relate to organizational outcomes. To advance research on this topic, we developed three unobtrusive measures of organizational ethical climates based on words used in annual letters to shareholders of Fortune 500 companies and examine how organizational ethical climates relate to corporate reputation and a readability index. Results reveal that our measures of organizational ethical climates align with well-known reputation measures as well as the overall readability of letters to shareholders. Our theory and evidence open a novel path for both researchers and practitioners to benefit from an initial validation of measures of organizational ethical climates in studying corporate reputation.

先前的研究已经检查了组织道德氛围与一系列与工作相关的态度和行为之间的关系。但是，当前的研究因缺乏关于道德气候与组织成果之间的关系的知识而受到阻碍。为了推动对此主题的研究，我们根据《财富》 500强公司年度股东信中使用的词语，开发了三种不妨碍组织道德氛围的措施，并研究了组织道德氛围与公司声誉和可读性指数之间的关系。结果表明，我们的组织道德氛围衡量标准与知名度衡量标准以及给股东的信函的整体可读性相吻合。