Ultimately, it was this ethical approach to business that protected the companies themselves and ensured their long-term viability. Individual Influences on Ethical Behavior:

Usually, the attitude and business values of an individual are subcomponents of the individual's approach to ethical values in general (Halbert & Ingulli, 2008). In that regard, individuals for whom honesty, integrity, and ethical principles are important in general tend to approach professional relationships and business the same way. Conversely, many others adhere to much lower standards in both personal and professional matters. However, within organizations, individuals must ordinarily adapt to the prevailing corporate ethical culture, at least with respect to business concerns (Halbert & Ingulli, 2008).

Organizational Influences on Ethical Employee Behavior:

Corporate ethical culture has the potential to elevate or lower the ethical behavior of the individual (Wadhwa, 2009). More importantly, the prevailing organizational...

Furthermore, where performance is measured in such a way that maintaining ethical practices is counterproductive to the individual employee's career, even employees who are not naturally inclined toward unethical behavior are susceptible to following unethical direction.
References

Halbert, T., and Ingulli, E. (2008). Law & Ethics in the Business Environment.

Cincinnati: West Legal Studies.

Wadhwa, V. "Why Be an Ethical Company? They're Stronger and Last Longer" Business

Week; August 17, 2009. Retrieved August 17, 2009 from the BusinessWeek.com website at:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090816_435499.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories