Tourism and Hospitality Employees' Ethical Perceptions in the Moral Resistance and Whistleblowing Contexts

Abstract

This study compares the contexts of moral resistance (MR) and whistleblowing (WB) by examining how young adult female employees perceive moral rebels and obedient individuals according to their role as compliant actors, internal observers, or external observers. Experimental data were analyzed using factor and multivariate analysis. The results indicate that young employees were more aware of wrongdoing in the WB context than in the MR context. This heightened awareness contributed to diminishing extreme herd behavior by reducing perceptual differences among compliant actors, internal observers, or external observers in their views of the moral rebel. These findings suggest that fostering stronger ethical standards is essential for cultivating a sustainable service community, particularly as democratic values continue to evolve.