title: Chinese insurance agents in "bad barrels": a multilevel analysis of the relationship between ethical leadership, ethical climate and business ethical sensitivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The moral hazards and poor public image of the insurance industry, arising from insurance agents' unethical behavior, affect both the normal operation of an insurance company and decrease applicants' confidence in the company. Contrarily, these scandals may demonstrate that the organizations were "bad barrels" in which insurance agents' unethical decisions were supported or encouraged by the organization's leadership or climate.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study brings two organization-level factors (ethical leadership and ethical climate) together and explores the role of ethical climate on the relationship between the ethical leadership and business ethical sensitivity of Chinese insurance agents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Through the multilevel analysis of 502 insurance agents from 56 organizations, it is found that organizational ethical leadership is positively related to the organizational ethical climate; organizational ethical climate is positively related to business ethical sensitivity, and organizational ethical climate fully mediates the relationship between organizational ethical leadership and business ethical sensitivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Organizational ethical climate plays a completely mediating role in the relationship between organizational ethical leadership and business ethical sensitivity. The integrated model of ethical leadership, ethical climate and business ethical sensitivity makes several contributions to ethics theory, research and management.
authors.affiliation: School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, No. 37 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191 China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Donlinks School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, No. 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100083 China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Business ethical sensitivity; Ethical climate; Ethical leadership