INTRODUCTION
Behaviour is a function of both the persons and the environment (Lewin, 1943). According to Vee and Skitmore (2003), Ethics generally comprise system of moral principles- by which human actions and proposals may be judged good or bad, or being right or wrong-, the rules of conduct recognized in respect of a particular class of human actions, and Moral principles as of an individual. Behavior that is right in one culture may be considered wrong in another. Even within the same culture the interpretations may be ambiguous and even contradictory. Contributing to this vagueness is the fact that individuals often make their own interpretations of proper moral and ethical behavior (Hinze, 1993).
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that investigates morality and the ways of thinking that guide human behavior (London, 2006). Unethical behaviour by employees can affect individuals, work teams, and even the organization (Andrews, 1989). Ethically questionable behaviour in Nigerian organizational setting is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the first established formal organisation in Nigeria. Employees’ unethical behaviour in Nigerian is rooted in the activities of the colonialists whom Nigerian employees modelled after. For instance, in the pre-colonial era of Nigeria, many ethnic groups were organized into separate and autonomous/political societies coterminous with the village (Geschiere, 1999). But when the colonialists penetrated, in what is today referred to as the sovereign state of Nigeria, they settled in designated areas for trade and administrative conveniences and established formal organizations. The native Nigerians were recruited into these organisations and were paid in piece-rate.
The work-and-pay system introduced by the colonialists became attractive to Nigerians from diverse ethnic groups. Consequently, people from diverse ethnic groups moved in droves to the settlement areas in search of employment in the newly established firms. In order to realize the goals of the organization that were hinged on profit maximization (Toure, 2003), the colonialists formulated prescribed rules of the organisation. These rules were designed to pigeonhole employee behaviour towards realising the organizational goals.
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