Little previous research has examined why dismissed workers view their discharge as unjust and how they respond to third-party dispute resolution interventions. This exploratory field study relied upon a justice framework to understand complainant motivations for filing unjust dismissal disputes and their reactions to a voluntary conciliation program. Analysis of archival and interview data suggested that procedural justice principles dominated both motivations for filing claims and reactions to third-party intervention. These findings were consistent with previous justice and labor relations research. Implications for future research, management practice, and third-party dispute resolution are discussed.KEY WORDS: unjust dismissal; dispute resolution; employment-at-will; justice; labor relations. INTRODUCTIONCurrently, the United States does not provide a uniform means to resolve unjust dismissal disputes. Under employment-at-will (EAW), employment relationships of indefinite duration can be unilaterally terminated by either party without notice, for any reason, or even for no reason at all (Ewing, 1983;Hawkins, 1988;Summers, 1980;Youngblood & Tidwell, 1981).Some American employees are protected from unjust dismissal by statute (e.g., the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, the 1964 Civil Rights Act, or the 1935 National Labor Relations Act as amended by the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act), by the constitution (e.g., federal employees), or by collective bargaining contracts that provide for the arbitration of dismissal disputes. Recently, state and federal courts have recognized exceptions to the EAW doctrine for workers otherwise unprotected.Judicial exceptions to the EAW doctrine fall into three broad categories: statutorily created public policy, implied contract, and malice and bad faith excep- tions. The public policy exceptions are most frequently pursued and have protected workers: who refuse to violate a criminal statute (e.g., refusing to perjure oneself during a hearing or participate in an illegal price-fixing scheme); who exercise a statutory fight (e.g., filing a worker's compensation claim); or who comply with a statutory duty (e.g., responding to a jury summons). Cases involving implied contract rights often involve promises of job security that employers make at the time of hire or through the company handbook. Cases involving malice and bad faith occur where an implied in-law or in-fact covenant of good faith and fair dealing is identified (e.g., discharging a salesperson to avoid payment of a large sales commission).The EAW doctrine has come under increasing criticism in recent years. A variety of labor relations scholars estimate that nearly two-thirds of the American work force remains without any broad-scale protection from unjust dismissal (Lorber, Kirk, Kirschner, & Handorf, 1984;Shepard & Moran, 1982). As many as 50,000 workers are dismissed annually without any recourse to an appeals or dispute resolution process (Coulson, 1983;Peck, 1979;Stieber & Murray, 1983). In addition, the United States ...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes toward business ethics of Vietnamese business students based on gender and the experience of having taken a business ethics course. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative self-administered survey was conducted with a convenience sample of Vietnamese business students at a banking university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This study used the 30-item Attitudes Toward Business Ethics Questionnaire (ATBEQ) constructed by Neumann and Reichel (1987) based on the work of Stevens (1979). The Vietnamese version questionnaire was distributed, and 282 surveys were used for analysis. An item-by-item analysis was conducted based on gender and the experience of having taken a business ethics course. Findings – Significant differences were found on seven items based on gender and four items based on the experience of having taken a business ethics course. However, respondents appeared to have similar attitudes on the majority of the items. Research limitations/implications – Perhaps the greatest limitation of this study is the relatively uneven distribution of the respondents in the sample. The sample is skewed slightly toward women who are a bit older, fourth year or post-graduate and those who have not taken a business ethics course. In addition convenience sampling technique reduced its generalizability. This study is important because it supports the idea of ethics education to improve ethical decision-making of future business leaders and that education has an effect in Vietnam. Practical implications – As business students are the main subjects of this research, it can be useful for those involved in development of management and business education in Vietnam to have an overview on how gender impacts business students’ ethics perception. For the executives of multinational corporations, this study provides important information and adds support to a decision to do business in Vietnam. Social implications – Although there may be a perception of a less than ethical climate in Vietnam based on its Corruption Perception Index scores, it appears that Vietnamese business students in general express an ethical viewpoint. This study emphasizes the importance of ethics education that is culture-specific to build a strong ethical business environment that can help Vietnam prevent bribery and corruption and achieve sustainable growth and prosperity. Originality/value – This study contributes to the attitudes toward business ethics research and sheds light on the impact of gender and education (business ethics course) on Vietnamese business students’ ethical attitudes. There has been little research on business ethics in Vietnam. Academicians, managers, practitioners, policymakers, government leaders and the like can benefit from the findings of this paper.

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