Ethical intentions among frontline employees working in the US-based fast food chains in Pakistan: The moderating role of love of money

Abstract

Purpose: Following the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between ethical decision-making attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and past behavior; to examine ethical intentions of frontline employees with their love of money as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: The authors collected data from 310 frontline employees (FLEs) in five US-based fast food chains (McDonald’s, Subway, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Hardees) across three cities of Pakistan, using self-administered questionnaires. The authors adopt the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique to test the theoretical model. Findings: The authors demonstrate that LOM is a significant moderator. The relationships between two dimensions of TPB – the ethical attitude and subjective norms – and ethical intentions are much stronger for FLEs with a lower LOM orientation. Originality/value: The inclusion of LOM to enrich TPB framework, investigation of ethical intentions of frontliners employed in US-based fast food chains and a developing country context are unique products of this study.