Kalemci, R. ArzuOzkan, Ilayda2025-05-112025-05-1120241308-40702149-8148https://doi.org/10.12711/tjbe/m4218https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12416/9573Kalemci, R. Arzu/0000-0002-2617-2666This study aims to contribute to field studies by discussing how the sources of hypernorms in different countries with different cultural contexts affect different understanding of business ethics based on a content analysis of articles published in Turkey and the United States of America retrieved from academic databases querying 'business ethics' in their titles. Results for Turkey show that the historically- and culturally-rooted understanding of sovereign state manifests itself both in its national business system, paternalistic features and a high-power-distance society. As a result of the sovereign state ideology, the dominant local economic community in Turkey is the state which can lay down ethical norms for its members through micro-social contracts. This ultimately lays the groundwork for the emergence of a context-specific business ethics approach. By contrast, the dominant local economic community seems to be the corporations in the USA where the micro-social contract may include that establishing strong ethical principles is the responsibility of corporations as the state does not fully regulate the relationship between individuals and businesses.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessBusiness EthicsHypernormsSocial ContractTurkeyUsaArticle17210.12711/tjbe/m4218WOS:001413169100001N/AN/A