| Abstract: | This study examined the effects of four situational factors on the severity of punishment chosen by a manager following a rule infraction. Two attributes of the offender, gender and performance history, and two outcomes of the infraction, physical damage and personal injury, were combined within a scenario evaluated by 421 graduate business students in a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 ANOVA design. Results indicated strong main effects for performance history, physical damage, and personal injury but not for gender. Further analyses indicated that the gender composition of the superior/offender dyad did not have a significant effect on the severity of discipline, although some variation occurred across dyads. These results imply that superiors are likely to base disciplinary judgements on situational factors, and that situational factors affect superiors' decisions in a simple, linear fashion. |
