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Generational Differences: Something Old, Something New

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Work and Quality of Life

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

Ethical dilemmas arise when individuals have to make decisions in the context of competing values and beliefs. Some of these dilemmas will occur on the dimensions of what an individual believes to be fundamentally right or wrong, while others will be more nuanced depending on, for example, the relative strength and salience to the individual of the competing values and beliefs involved, the perceived costs to the individual of acting on or expressing their ethical concerns, and the degree of acceptance in the organization of conflict legitimacy and the expression of dissenting views. The workforce is getting older and, by all accounts, the work ethic and expectations across the generations are quite different. Such perceived differences provide a potentially fertile ground for ethical differences and conflicts arising from these.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Massey University, 102 904, North Shore Mail Centre, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand

    Dianne Gardner Ph.D.

  2. Faculty of Business and Law, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Keith Macky Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Dianne Gardner Ph.D.
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  2. Keith Macky Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Dianne Gardner Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Psychology, Radford University, Radford, 24142, Virgin Islands, USA

    Nora P. Reilly

  2. Pamlin College of Business, Dept. Marketing, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Pamplin Hall 2025, Blacksburg, 24061-0236, Virginia, USA

    M. Joseph Sirgy

  3. , Psychology, Radford University, Russell Hall 444, Radford, 24142, Virginia, USA

    C. Allen Gorman

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Gardner, D., Macky, K. (2012). Generational Differences: Something Old, Something New. In: Reilly, N., Sirgy, M., Gorman, C. (eds) Work and Quality of Life. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4059-4_22

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