Working with or against the system: Ethical dilemmas for entrepreneurship in Ghana

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to address entrepreneurship and ethics from the perspective of the Ghanaian entrepreneur in small and medium-size enterprises to extend our understanding of issues influencing entrepreneurial behavior in developing economies such as Ghana. Our study specifically addresses three typical situations in which business ethics are challenged: (1) When applying for business information and permits, (2) When competing for business contracts and financing and (3) When dealing with tax authorities. Relying on in-depth case-study data from 22 entrepreneurs, the paper conceptualizes entrepreneurial behavior related to business ethics and identifies several important challenges to overcome to enable economies to build a more effective market economy. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.