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Identifying the Ethical Dilemmas Confronting Human Resource Managers of Iranian Project Based Companies and Exploring their Causes

Shokatian, Taha | 2013

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 44888 (44)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Management and Economics
  6. Advisor(s): Alavi, Babak
  7. Abstract:
  8. The present study was performed aiming to identify the ethical dilemmas human resource managers confront with in Iranian project-based organizations as well as to trace out the underlying causes. “Ethical dilemma” refers to a decision making situation in which ethical considerations render all the alternatives inapt, thence making the decision making process ethically complex. First of all, a theoretical framework was developed based on the preceding research; then, the study was further conducted utilizing a qualitative research method with an exploratory approach. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and analysed using the theme analysis method. The corresponding interviewees were people in charge of HRM in Iranian project-based companies operating in the construction industry sector. Moreover, the interviews, themselves, were semi-structured and were guided via a general framework based on the main theoretical framework of the study. Also, conducting of the research was divided into two phases to address each of the two questions it has raised accordingly.
    The first phase of the study was oriented around a primary identification of the ethical dilemmas, and the scope of the identification was the entire the entire domain of human resource management. Based on the results of the first phase, it was evident that the ethical dilemmas in the category of "employee dismissal" were the most significant ones. Therefore, in the second phase, this category was further investigated to identify the causes underlying those dilemmas. Finally, based on the research findings, some scientific propositions have been set forth for future research.
    The subsequent findings of the study indicate that the issue of ethical dilemmas in project-based organizations in Iran is both valid and worthy of extensive research to complement their identification, and investigating their associated causes, as well as to develop appropriate solutions for them. The causes identified herein are classified into several layers, including the individual level, human resource management, human resource management profession, the organization and its environment. Many of the causes are, in fact, defects in the organizations’ systems, such as weaknesses of the managers in different levels, and lack of formal mechanisms and procedures for doing certain things across the organization. Of course, some causes also root back in factors outside the organization such as projects’ clients and main contractors along with the cultural, economic, political and legal circumstances of the society
  9. Keywords:
  10. Human Resources Management ; Project Based Organization ; Ethics ; Ethical Dilemmas

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