Determinants of peer reporting intentions of the cadets of the Philippine military academy
List of Authors
  • Allan P Oabel , Maria Victoria B Dariano

Keyword
  • Peer Reporting Intentions, Social Psychology, Honor Code, Philippine Military Academy, Philippines

Abstract
  • The Philippine Military Academy has its very own sets of values and standards formally expressed in its Honor Code. However, there are violations of the Code. The challenge is affirming ethical behavior and establishing an environment for the healthy exercise of peer reporting. This is captured using the PMA Cadet Toleration Questionnaire administered to 253 fourth class cadets. It consists of twelve statements in a 3x2x2 design (perceived severity of the offense – low, moderate & high; emotional closeness- high & low; and bystander intervention – presence and absence of other witnesses). Results show that the majority of the Cadets are most likely to report offenses that are perceived to be “high”; therefore, those perceived as “low severity” will be tolerated. When the offender is a friend, the violation will also be tolerated; while infractions made by a relative stranger will be reported. When the offense is witnessed by another cadet, the respondent will report the violation regardless of perceived severity and emotional closeness with the offender. Class membership and company assignment have no significant influence in dictating one’s ethical decision to report. Therefore, knowing and doing what is right might be more than the scope of the Honor Code and its supposedly progressive manner of indoctrination as one graduates to another year. These situational considerations uncovered how the cadets process and act when infractions are committed. The Academy can restructure situations/policies to encourage peer reporting and reduce the frequency of Honor violations.

Reference
  • 1. Appelbaum, S. H., Semerjian, G., & Mohan, K. (2012). Workplace Bullying: Consequences, Causes, and Controls. Industrial and Commercial Training, 44(6), 337–344. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197851211254770.

    2. Atkinson, W. (2003). Sounds of Silence. Industrial Fabric Products Review, 88(13), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.5840/ijap200216215

    3. Bano, S., & Malik, S. (2013). Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Outcome. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 7(3), 618–627.

    4. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. New York, NY: Routledge Academic.

    5. Cohen, R. J., & Swerdlik, M.E. (2005). Psychological testing and assessment: An introduction to tests and measurement (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.

    6. Curphy, G. J., Gibson, F. W., Macomber, G., Calhoun, C. J., Wilbanks, L. A., & Burger, M. J. (1998). Situational Factors Affecting Peer Reporting Intentions at the U.S. Air Force Academy: A Scenario-Based Investigation. In Military Psychology (Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp. 27–43). https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327876mp1001_3.

    7. Giacalone, R. A., Promislo, M., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2016). Ethical Impact Theory: How Unethical Behavior at Work Affects Individual Well-Being. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5.

    8. Jones, T. M. (1991). Ethical decision making by individuals in organizations: An issue-contingent model. Academy of management review, 16(2), 366-395.

    9. Kargin, V. (2009). An Investigation of Factors Proposed to Influence Police Officers’ Peer Reporting Intentions. Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

    10. Kargin, V. (2011). Peer reporting of Unethical Police Behavior, LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC.

    11. Lin, C.-P., Tang, L.-L., Chiu, Y.-B., & Hsiao, C. Y. (2005). Testing a Joint Moderator of Ego Strength And Ethical Climate: A Study Of The Process Of Peer Reporting Intentions In IT Ethics. Asia Pacific Management Review, 10(2), 145–153. http://search.proquest.com/docview/1115964240?accountid=14549%5Cnhttp://hl5yy6xn2p.search.serialssolutions.com/?genre=article&sid=ProQ:&atitle=Testing+a+Joint+Moderator+of+Ego+Strength+and+Ethical+Climate:+A+Study+of+the+Process+of+Peer+Reporting+Intentio

    12. Mengeling, M. A., Booth, B. M., Torner, J. C., & Sadler, A. G. (2014). Reporting sexual assault in the military: Who reports and why most servicewomen don’t. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(1), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.03.001

    13. Nath, R. & Pavur, R. (1985). A new statistic in the one-way multivariate analysis of variance, Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 2, 297-315.

    14. Vartia, M. A. L. (2001). Consequences of Workplace Bullying With Respect to the Well-Being of Its Targets and the Observers of Bullying. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, 27(1), 63–69. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.588

    15. Victor, B., Trevino, L. K., & Shapiro, D. L. (1993). Peer Reporting of Unethical Behavior: The Influence of Justice Evaluations and Social Context Factors. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(4), 253–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01666528.