Learning to Navigate the Rough Seas of Ethics

Description

Is our reasoning sound when we justify using sweatshops in Asian countries, paying bribes to secure contracts, and tolerating social and environmental degradation based on the argument that everyone else is doing it, and if we don’t, a competitor will? Doing business across borders presents a minefield of ethical dilemmas that many managers are ill-equipped to deal with. This article tackles three main myths surrounding cross-cultural management: the appeal to local etiquette over moral considerations; the idea that tolerance based on relativism and subjectivism will solve cross-cultural dilemmas; and the belief that profit justifies dubious means. By weighing and analyzing the arguments from an ethical perspective, using logic and reasoning, the author reveals how decisions made even with the best of intentions can lead to unethical behavior. She points to some universally accepted values and timeless notions of the common good as the better basis for constructing an ethical framework. The article includes some dilemmas for readers to consider for themselves, all aimed at helping international managers formulate sound approaches to deal with the questionable behaviors they face across cultures.

Keywords

bribery culture ethics etiquette moral value system pluralism relativism tolerance