Should I? How Moral Ambiguity Shapes Entrepreneurial Action

This paper advances a model of moral ambiguity in entrepreneurial action. Our model specifies the mechanisms surrounding moral responsibility, moral motivation, and the moral threshold through which perceived moral ambiguity shapes action. Specifically, we theorize (a) the interpretative elements that steer how the entrepreneur attributes moral responsibility and establishes moral motivation, (b) how multiple opposing interpretations can create attributional or motivational moral ambiguity, and (c) how the entrepreneur can process such ambiguity to make moral judgment. We then discuss how our model extends prior work on both ethics in entrepreneurship and moral approbation theory, and we outline research opportunities on moral ambiguity and judgment.