The perceived importance of an ethical issue as an influence on the ethical decision-making of ad managers

We explored the impact of a proposed new construct ''perceived importance of an ethical issue'' (PIE) on the ethical decision-making process. This construct parallels similar constructs in involvement literature popular in consumer behavior. The PIE construct was found to exhibit reasonable characteristics for preliminary judgments about validity, and it produced a significant and substantial impact on both ethical judgment and behavioral intention. This investigation also offered two research propositions, each of which focuses on how this perceived importance construct influences the ethical decision-making process. In addition the article suggests several potentially useful implications for marketing managers.