An ethics of care or an ethics of justice

A conflict within the community of those investigating business ethics is w hether decision makers are motivated by an ethics of justice or an ethics o f caring. The proposition put forward in this paper is that ethical orienta tions are strongly related to cultural backgrounds. Specifically, Hofstede' s cultural stereotyping using his masculine-feminine dimension may well mat ch a culture's reliance on justice or caring when decisions are made. A stu dy of college graduates from six countries showed that Hofstede's dimension was remarkably accurate in predicating a justice or caring orientation for decision makers from five of the six countries.