%0 Journal Article
%T Conflicts of Interest as Corrupting the Checks and Balances in the Postpublication Oversight of Academic Business Journals
%A Richard J. Arend
%J Journal of Management Inquiry
%@ 1552-6542
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1056492617715323
%X In this case-based essay, we explore how conflicts of interest can corrupt the postpublication oversight process in academic business journals. We build on Carson¡¯s comprehensive definition of the conflict of interest construct by arguing that it is, in a practical sense, not isolated and dyadic but instead is multirelational to the point of being viral. Specifically, we argue that conflicts of interest produce further conflicts of interest; this occurs at any oversight level that is tasked with investigating and addressing any allegations of conflict of interest violations at lower levels. A real recent case illustrates that this complexity is not understood in our social sciences¡ªfive different levels of ¡°checks and balances¡± in our postpublishing oversight failed to address an obvious initial conflict of interest. A discussion covering the harms of the violations, the causes, and the possible solutions fleshes out our arguments about this core ethical construct
%K ethics
%K culture and climate
%K decision making
%K trust
%K reputation
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1056492617715323