ASSESSING THE APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE MORAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY TO BUSINESS ETHICS

Cognitive moral development (CMD) theory has been accepted as a constr uct to help explain business ethics, social responsibility and other o rganizational phenomena. This article critically assesses CMD as a con struct in business ethics by presenting the history and criticisms of CMD. The value of CMD is evaluated and problems with using CMD as one predictor of ethical decisions are addressed. Researchers are made awa re of the major criticisms of CMD theory including disguised value jud gments, invariance of stages, and gender bias in the initial scale dev elopment. Implications for business ethics research are discussed and opportunities for future research delineated.