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Is the Confucian tradition a sound basis for business ethics in contemporary China
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I believe that standard business ethics cannot be possible internationally. Culture varies from society to society. The change in culture varies due to various reasons it depends on economic and legal factors. Political and legal factors play a vital role and that differentiate from one culture to another that is why I believe that business ethics can never be universal. Considering the example of China where government put a check on online information. Google has a big concern over the Chinese market because many web pages were blocked within that region. Culture also have great influence in emerging economies as it can be observed that in many countries offering expensive gifts in corporate world is consider as bribe especially in United States or Canada while in few countries it is ethically acceptable. Here, sharing expensive gifts even to politician in power is illegal but companies provide them as a bribe otherwise they will not receive any favors from the government. To run smooth business it is important to not to have any barriers for that company avail this option of gifting bribe to high officials even the foreign corporation does not hesitate to follow this same practice. Chinese is suppose to be as the big market, which helps in generating revenues because of this reason Google had to change their ethical rules for China, and has to follow their rules and Chinese government also did not them to lose. The role of cooperation is to establish a relation of profit that creates a support to their investors. The rules and laws of the corporation follows the sets, which are made by National Government of the country where they are operating however, they do not mainly play a role in changing the ethics of the c... ... middle of paper ... ...ucious%20connection%20120505%20science%20direct.pdf). Cox, T., and Blake, C. (1991). Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications for Organizational Competitiveness. Academy of Management Executive vol. 5 (3). Retrieved from (http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/4165021?uid=3738832&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21101348728463). Hitt, M., Lee, H., and Yumel, E. (2002). The Importance of Social Capital to the Management of Multinational Enterprises: Relational Networks among Asian and Western Firms. Asia Pacific Journal of Management vol. 19 (2). Retrieved from (http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1016247920461?LI=true). Welbourne, P., Harrison, G., and Ford, D. (207). Social Work in UK and the Global Market Recruitment, Practice and Ethical Considerations. International Social Work vol. 5 (1). Retrieved from (http://isw.sagepub.com/content/50/1/27.short).
In today’s global society, a Code of Ethics policy is used to label established, acceptable behaviors among that industry’s business associates, potential investors, and the corporation’s executive officers and employees, and most important, the consumer (Ethics Resource Center, 2003). In an attempt to promote an increased efficiency and productivity potential level, among employees and prospective clients, a corporation’s standard Code of Ethics should guide its members toward a more in-depth examination of their personal moral activity, and how these actions affect the people or acquaintances they encounter. A company should utilize this strategy as a model for the professional behaviors and responsibilities of its constituents, and proves the occupational advancement of that business. Ethics are important in every level of a corporation, but specifically in the day-to-day actions of its members, and the image the company broadcasts to its associates is fundamental in building a stable business foundation. These pledges are a vital communication tool used to covey the firm’s standards for business operations, and predominantly, its relationships with the surrounding communities (Ethics Resource Center, 2003).
The modern theory of the firm, which is central to finance and corporate law, views the corporation as a of contracts among the various corporate constituencies. Upon this foundation, finance theory and corporate law postulate shareholder wealth as the objective of the firm. Research in business ethics has largely ignored this contracts theory of the firm except to reject the financial-legal model as normatively inadequate. Philosophers generally bring philosophical theories of ethics to bear on problems of business, and they regard the contractual theory of the firm primarily as a subject for criticism using the resources of philosophical ethics. In particular, stakeholder theory, which stresses the importance of all groups that affect or are affected by a firm, has been proposed as a more adequate theory of the firm for studying business ethics.
Cox, Taylor H. Jr. & Blake, Stacy, 1991, “Managing Cultural Diversity: Implications for Organizational Competitiveness” The Executive, 5 (3), 45-57.
Kossek, E.E, Lobel, S.A & Brown, J. (2005) ‘Human Resource Strategies to Manage Workforce Diversity: Examining the Business Case’. Available at: http://books.google.com.ng/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zUYHDw_detEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA53&dq=HR+strategies+in+designing+multicultural+teams&ots=GQEMrnrt3N&sig=jXJCo2ifZdrMBa4rC-8ruKFJClw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Accessed: 27th March, 2012.
Cultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence are vital to the success of the leaders as well as the associates of a given organization. Successful organizations have programs that focus on cross-cultural training as well as conflict resolution. Reguieg (2014) also stated that cross-cultural training is the most effective means for increasing the understanding and awareness for individuals who are confronted with cultures outside of their own! Organizations looking to achieve cultural diversity must have the buy-in from the executive level leadership and be willing to hold themselves and others accountable for achieving diversity in the workforce. Recent studies show the organizations are embarking on diversity training for a great number of reasons, but the ability to compete on a global level is the stand out. According to Lockhart (2002), “The ability of organizations to effectively compete in a global economy increasingly depends on their competence in managing their diverse human resources for strategic advantage” (p.1). Diversity and cross-cultural training are necessary initiatives for organizations that want to make a difference on a global scale and back home in diverse
In the international business arena, ethical problems arise out of mere international business transactions. Fair trade movement, transfer pricing, and fair wages, and human rights protection, are examples of dealings that fall within the domain of international business ethics. Similarly issues like child labor and cultural imperialism are critical enough to call upon the attention for international business ethics. Ethics is all about what is right or wrong, what is good or bad, what is acceptable or unacceptable. Thus we can say business ethics is all about adhering
The use of culturally diverse business teams is an increasingly common situation in today’s world; especially as the world continues to become a global village. Leveraging on the cultural diverse backgrounds and experiences of members of such teams can be a source of improved performance which can ultimately reflect a competitive advantage in the business market. As Symons and Stenzel (2007) aptly state, “culturally diverse teams are more likely to engage in innovative `out-of-the-box' thinking, given their different life experiences in diverse social environments.” Another pointer to suggest that multicultural teams tend to be a source of competitive advantage in business is found in the paper by Di Stefano and Maznevski (2000) where they state that “multicultural teams have an enormous wealth of material with which to create innovative approaches to complex organizational challenges.” They furthermore state that “today’s business cannot flourish without the creative value afforded by high performing global teams.”
First, companies must always respect core human values that all are entitled to. This should set the base for all business decisions and define the company’s minimal ethical standards. Second, local traditions should be respected. In Japan it is tradition to exchange gifts when conducting business. Some Western companies have had trouble doing business in Japan because the gift could be seen as a bribe. Most now tolerate the tradition, but to stay within their code of ethics have set specific limits to what can be given as a gift. Lastly, Thomas reminds us that context matters. Some practices are wrong in any setting, while others may be acceptable in a certain setting but unethical in another. Sometimes large machinery used everyday in a country like the U.S. is required for a job in a poorer country. The machinery is safe in qualified hands, but in the poorer country workers may not be suited to operate the
Today, Business Ethics is the conduct that businesses carry in its daily dealings with the business partners, consumers and employees. However, the concept of ethics in businesses can be different for companies.
Laws are needed and important, but ethics make thing better and does not harm anyway. Being legal is ethical and being ethical cannot be illegal. There is no simple law exist or laws lack charging individual or corporate misconduct, however the guilty pleas and settlement suggest companies ' leaders know the regulation and the difference between right and wrong, but chose to do the wrong thing. Companies doing global business must be responsible to the country they originate and the countries which they operate, laying their legal foundation for ethical behavior. Being irresponsible and unethical could leads to sanctions, particularly corporate bribery, and product safety. Bribery is unethical which affects company performance and erodes the authority of leaders who condones. Consumer will boycott any business that is unethical and exhibits irresponsible behavior towards citizens and society. Ethical behavior will certainly do positively influence on employees and employers, but not being ethical will affect worker morale. With the internet and mobile technology, any bad ethics and behavior and will cost companies a fortune. According to Samii (2011), here are a few reasons why anything legal is not necessarily ethical.
We live in a country that is fueled by diversity. Cultural-sectioned neighborhoods, food, relationships, and clothing are prevalent all across the nation. There is a great need for diversity to be socially accepted. The fact is, is that diversity includes everyone, no one is alienated from being diverse; therefore, it is necessary for organizations to develop a platform for employers and employees to comprehend and acknowledge cultural differences through extensive training and collaboration, without jeopardizing the success of the organization. However, the challenge that most organizations face these days, is how to properly implement the inclusion of diversity in a global market, while promoting cultural awareness in the workplace.
In conclusion, companies that seek to integrate into global markets usually encounter several problems because of the effect of globalization on business practices. The challenges originating from such integration is attributed to the differences in cultures in various societies across the globe. As evident in Google’s dilemma in China, there is no single set of universal ethics that are applicable to all settings and societies across the globe. Companies such as Google need to develop varying ethical standards that are relevant and appropriate to various nations and cultures in the world. This would enable the companies that are integrating into global markets to avoid ethical issues while maintaining effective business practices.
An organization may have its personal code of ethics and the environment or members of the organization can be a barrier to the fulfilling of its code of ethics if they behave unethically. A manager is obliged to follow the organization’s ethics and more again when dealing with international business. Managers dealing with international business or partnership are vowed to the ethic of: communication, privacy, safety, etc. If these ethics are not respected, it can be a source of discord and ruin to each of the organizations. A clear example is seen in the book Carpenter, M., Taylor, B., Erdogan, B. (2009). Principles of Management. Nyack, NY: Chapter 3 on the Ethical Challenges Managers Face,
Richard, O. C., & Nancy, B. J. (2001). Understanding the impact of human resource diversity practices on firm performance. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13(2), 177-195. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194165626?accountid=32521
...ve if each business constructs its business ethics within its environment (international or local) while paying attention to ethical needs present but at the same time pay attention to basic business ethics present around the globe. This article therefore reveals that standard global business ethics cannot effectively govern both international and local business but can provide a basis for business ethics that all managements across the globe should acquire.