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Chapter 10 deals with the moral problems posed by doing business internationally and the increasingly prominent phenomenon of globalization. When different cultures meet, different moral frameworks must interact, and it can become difficult for the businessperson to discriminate among the competing goods and values.
Anthony Kwame Appiah opens the chapter with an article questioning the notion of cultural “purity.” Different cultures may have different ethics, but most cultures have been “contaminated” by other cultures, and it is important not to ignore the element of individual choice.
Thomas Donaldson offers basic principles and techniques for operating morally, especially in business, outside of one’s own culture. He also argues for the importance of a corporate culture that will transcend national boundaries. Finally, he offers concrete guidelines for ethical leadership within and outside of one’s own culture.
John T. Noonan, Jr., explains the concept of a bribe and looks at the ways bribes have operated throughout history. For Noonan, bribes have been both pervasive and persistently corruptive in human history.
Florian Wettstein considers the problems of doing business in a country where there are human rights violations. Under what conditions is a company complicit in those violations, even if only through its silence?
Denis G. Arnold and Norman E. Bowie describe various ways multi-national enterprises fail to treat their employees in certain countries with the respect and dignity all human beings are entitled to.
Finally, Daryl Koehn explores the influence of Confucianism on business in China, which can lead to some surprising culture clashes on subjects like trust, contracts, and the ethics of doing business with family members.
By the close of Chapter 10, you should:
- Understand the moral problems posed by globalization
- Understand the difficulties posed by cultural and moral relativism
- Understand how the concepts of “universal human rights” and “respect for persons” should inform international business practices and the treatment of workers in other countries
- Understand the moral concept of compassion
- Understand arguments for and against the toleration of sweatshops
- Understand the moral pressures faced by persons and companies involved in international business
Suggested Readings
Denis G. Arnold and Norman E. Bowie. “Sweatshops and Respect for Persons.” Business Ethics Quarterly 13, no. 1 (April 2003).
Richard de George. Competing with Integrity in International Business. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Cecil Heftel. End Legalized Bribery. New York: Seven Locks Press, 1998.
A fascinating and still-timely essay by an ex-congressman on conflicts of interest in the American political system.
“Inside the Empire of Exxon the Unloved.” Economist, March 15, 1994.
Stephen Lovell, Alena Ledeneva, and Andrei Rogachevskii, eds. Bribery and Blat in Russia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001.
A close look at the importance of “under the table” transactions throughout the history of Russian business (including business conducted during the Communist era).
Chris Meyers. “Wrongful Beneficence.” Journal of Social Philosophy 35, no. 3 (2004).
“A Survey of Globalization.” Economist, September 29, 2001.
“A Survey of the World Economy.” Economist, September 24, 2005.
World Bank. World Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Websites
Check out the Corporate Responsibility tab at http://www.novartisfoundation.org
Visit the Mises Institute to learn about a liberalist defense of bribery at www.mises.org/story/1884
Read a resource guide for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, released by the U.S. government on November 14, 2012 at http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/515229-a-resource-guide-to-the-u-s-foreign-corrupt.html or read the New York Times coverage of this document at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/15/business/justice-dept-issues-guidance-on-foreign-bribes.html?_r=0
See the U.S. State Department’s resources for doing business in international markets at http://www.state.gov/e/eb/cba/index.htm
Listen to an interview with Anthony Kwame Appiah about cosmopolitanism, ethics, and cultural diversity in a podcast called Philosophy Bites at http://philosophybites.com/2008/03/anthony-appiah.html
Watch Ken Saro-Wiwa’s last interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-rLX1UYBE
Read a New York Times front page article about Foxconn and other Apple suppliers at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html
See a December 2012 follow-up that indicates there are some signs of improvement at Foxconn at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/12/27/business/Improving-Working-Conditions-at-Foxconn.html
Read about supplier responsibility at Apple’s website, http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/