Introduction While the rise of globalization has brought about a great deal of opportunities for corporations, with it has materialized a new complexity in business transactions. Ethics relies heavily on the norms of one’s culture. Different ethical standards can reside not only within a country, region, or community; but also in a person-by-person basis. Therefore, there is no such thing as a strict protocol that a corporation can adhere to. The ability to adapt to situations in a case-by-case scenario is vital for the success and longevity of any international businessperson.
Before conquering a strategy to respond to ethical challenges as they arise in my career I had to first and foremost determine just what ethics means to me, as well as if ethics in international business alters from the ethical decisions we make in our daily lives. This proves to be a daunting task as how to determine what is ethical and what is not varies from philosopher to philosopher. Friedman’s conclusion suggests that the social responsibility of a businessperson is to maximize profits and benefits for only those who have ownership in the company. This can be done in any and every way possible so long as it doesn’t involve deception or fraud – a common practice. Freeman suggests that businesspeople should balance the interest of stakeholders. Meaning that they consider the impact of their implications on suppliers, customers, employees, communities and shareholders interest. My moral compass
Freeman believes that business decisions cannot be fundamentally separated from ethical decisions. His argument is compelling; in his “Open Question Argument” he identifies several ways in which business decisions inherently have an ethical dimension, including “Who is harmed and/or benefitted by this decision?” (Freeman, 59). If business is only concerned with profits, they will undoubtedly harm other stakeholders along the way- most directly other businesspeople who are outcompeted! Freeman also contends that businesspeople will in fact accept responsibility for their actions outcomes. A directive from bosses to solely pursue profits regardless of outcomes will not be tolerated by employees or executives, thus in practice profit focused business cannot work if employees see the ethical implications of their actions as wrong (Freeman,
What is ethically responsible management? How can a corporation, given its economic mission, be managed with appropriate attention to ethical concerns? These are central questions in the field of business ethics. There are two approaches to answering such questions. The first one is Milton Friedman’s shareholder theory of management and the second one is Edwards Freeman’s “Stakeholder” theory of management, two different views about the purpose and aims of a business.
The author Robert Solomon argues that ethics has to an integral part with regard to business management. He does not believe that business management must include unethical or illegal methods to be able to succeed. Solomon preaches that business management is not as simple as obtaining revenue. “Businesses need to abide by fair policies and their owners have to be ethical in dealing with their customers” (Shaw p. 37). The author acknowledges that while illegal practices in business management could bring positive results at first, eventually the business is bound to fail. This is why Solomon recommended eight important policies that can help businesses in integrating ethics into their operations.
This being despite the recession of 2008, we are witnessing an increasingly cooperative and sophisticated international business working environment. While it faces scrutiny in congress currently, the agreement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty was reached in October, 2015; the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership treaty is also seemingly achievable with the revival of American economy in the near future. These new agreements will set up a worldwide business rule structure that will be fulfilled by many major economies. Within this new structure, businessmen and women will face ethical issues globally despite continuing cultural and regional factors still playing a big role within these issues and decisions being made. Learning and analyzing business ethical issues within the case competition will not only assist us to become global business leaders with a deep understanding of corporate social responsibilities but also prepare us to make better decisions for our
MNEs try to maximize profits. How could MNEs maximize profits and minimize profit volatility at the same time?
Every business develops a set of ethical principles that they abide by. The business ethical principles intentions: it construct the business certainty in the community , maintain the employees liveried in what the business attempt to have as structural conducts and aid the employees consume principles to make ethical choices that guards the business. In a culture with a diverse assessment structure and augmented judgment visibly by companies with changeable ethics and interests, there appears to be further difficulties on business individuals to make tougher ethical assessments. In our day-to-day performances, we depend on on our ethical principles to monitor us in the correct path and do the correct things. The substance of any efficacious and perpetual business is they segment a mutual ethical matter concentrating on presenting and generating value along with allocating their business values with the citizens they network with on a day-to-day basis.
As many things in life, ethics has evolved through the history of our society. As anyone who has ever has read the news can attest, there are certain behaviors and tradition typical in societies around the world that may seem unethical and, sometimes, inhuman when seen through our ethical point of view. However, we often forget that many of those behaviors and tradition were, not only accepted, but expected in our society at one time. As our society changes over time, our moral code and compass shifts changing our outlook and tolerance for certain behaviors. And, as in other aspects of our society, the way we conduct business is no different.
Business ethics and values have developed through time and crosswise over orders into a field, which is a standout amongst the most vital subjects in the field of business. For the authentic improvement of business morals, it is vital, to begin with, a meaning of business ethics and values in a worldwide setting (Savage, 2005). The study characterize business ethics and values from an administrative viewpoint as choices about what is correct or wrong (worthy or unsuitable) in the authoritative setting of arranging and actualizing business exercises in a worldwide business condition to profit (Child, 2015). The development
Ethics must be global, not local. In order to build a truly great global business the leaders need to bring forward a global standard of ethical practices.
This will be an over view of ethics as it relates to business in our society. Concepts from Philosophy will seek to describe the correlation between actions that are classified as morally right or ethical in our dealings with each other as human beings. Clear and concise examples will be given as well as ways in which to improve upon business ethics.
Ethical behavior and morality are fluid. As a community evolves to incorporate new comers and adapt to events around them, the perception of right and wrong changes and a new standard of behavior is accepted to integrate the new points of view and conduct of the community members. Some people may see this as an erosion of the core values of the community, however, often those changes strengthen the bonds that hold the community together by expanding their awareness of the wider world and increasing their understanding of the issues of the day. Over time ethical issues will arise that bring into question the actions or thought patterns of a group of people. Even within a community, people will judge those action based on their own preconceived notions of propriety and community accepted standards of behavior. As a business enter a new area, it is important “to develop ethical issue awareness; that is, to learn to identify which stakeholder issues contain an ethical component.” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2014, p. 85, paragraph 2). However, the management team most also create awareness of local common business practices and behavior that can go counter to established or legally mandated standards of behavior in the company’s home country, e. g., Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened” (Kennedy, 1963). Continuous improvements in technology capabilities have provided companies with tools to more easily conduct business on a global scale. However, when conducting business with different cultures, you risk different ethical standards. Companies should be accountable for ensuring their product or services can be received by the consumer in good conscience, void of human ethics violations, regardless of where the product or service originates; and consumers should not patronize companies that cannot ensure this trust.
International business ethics challenges the corporate world to deal with questions of what to do in situations where ethical standards come into conflict as a result of the different cultural practices in the nation. Since, there is this dilemma that has progressively troubled the large multinational corporations, international business ethics has arisen to help address these adhesive subject matters. There are several international business ethics discussions on the question of how to act in the home country as opposed to the host country is at the central point of most international corporations. The argument in question is how companies should practice their business according
Ethical dilemmas within the business environment have always garnered considerable attention and reaction from all global stakeholders. Issues such as fraud, insider trading, discrimination, bribery, and compensation are only some of the ethical problems that have disrupted the global financial system. In response to these ethical issues, stakeholders have undertaken various protective measures; for example, businesses have progressed corporate social responsibility and corporate governance while still fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders. Reactive measures guiding ethics within the business environment typically stem from two systems: law and
In the article “Doing well by doing good”, the words ‘business” and “ethics” has been pointed out that they can’t come together. Companies wondered where do ethics go and it has been widely wrath despite being taught in school. Ethics has been the custom yet uncertain. There are protesters in Washington, DC who were criticizing the immorality of a company including the IMF. Most people reacted that companies shouldn’t be in the business ethics at one’s convenience but should be concerned of their social responsibilities, morals and environment. The leader of market economics, Milton Friedman, stated that to increase the profits, the company has to use its resources and has to engage in activities.