A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda: on Unethical Practices in Organizations

Abstract

Unethical practices continue as a negative issue across various sectors, undermining public interest, organizational integrity, and green sustainability. Its impact is felt as a toxic workplace behaviour. Moreover, due to the rise in corporate fraud and scandals has made scholarly literature on the concept remain vague, thereby setting the pace for further inquiry and critical appraisal. Consequently, the current study examined the concept of unethical practices, antecedents, consequences, theories, methodology, contingent variables, and prevention methods to stall their spread. The study used a systematic literature review with the aid of a PRISMA flowchart to arrive at a logical paradigm through a structured approach for academic development. The study identified 20 articles from high-quality journals indexed in Google Scholar, Scopus, EBSCO, Springer, Emerald, and Web of Science. The study journals were analyzed using content analysis, ADO, and TCM. The study findings showed that a toxic workplace environment predicts unethical practices, which prior research failed to expose. The study also found that antecedence relates to the consequences of unethical practices. The study's originality is based on using a distinctive approach in unravelling unethical practices. The study's implication addresses unethical practices, fraud, and scandal, and fosters as a positive prevention measure to caution organizations on how such practices affect lives, careers and families.