Global Business Ethics

Corporate social responsibility, sustainability and acting ethically are all accepted business aims, but their meaning and implementation in a global context is far less clear-cut. Global Business Ethics cuts through the confusion to provide a coherent basis for ethical decision-making within the complications of the international business landscape. Underpinned by theory and including worked-through examples of ethical dilemmas and their solutions, this textbook will guide the reader beyond theory to real-world business decisions. Practical tools such as decision trees and suggested principles to apply in dilemma situations give readers the skills and confidence to tackle the ethical challenges they face. Global Business Ethics offers a unique working code of ethics provided as a model with guidance to readers for adaptation and implementation. Case studies include: Walmart, Hershey's, Citibank, Ford, Nike, Johnson & Johnson, Harley-Davidson, The Body Shop and Procter and Gamble. A chapter on the legal aspects of ethics provides guidance on the complex relationship between law and ethics in international business. The final part takes an in-depth look at the practical application of ethics in business life. Covering all the major theories of ethics, including an examination of the role of quantification of ethics, Global Business Ethics demonstrates how their principles can be applied to inform better business decisions. Online supporting resources for this book include instructor's manual, lecture slides and appendices.

Ethics in business is not a new topic and has been intensely discussed since the emergence of the so-called limited companies. However, privatization, technological and digital innovation, changes in moral perception, economic and financial crises and globalization stir a more recent debate on how companies should behave in our societies. This book starts from the position that ethics in business should imply an open debate on norms and values, using a sound methodology to get there. Ethics should cross borders: not only the borders of a country, but also the borders of someone’s moral imagination. Ethics should not only be about harmony but also about conflict (and how to deal with that). Ethics should be realistic and well substantiated by academic research. Ethics should be used to understand the complexity of the world, and the challenges companies struggle with on various levels. Therefore, this book is composed of three parts in which ethics is discussed at different levels. In part one we discuss ethics at the level of the individual. In part two we discuss ethics and business. In the third part, ethics is discussed in the context of a globalized world. In each chapter, we discuss the ethical complications of each topic from various – and preferably opposing – perspectives. Each perspective is methodologically and academically substantiated. Each chapter ends with an extensive literature list in which the original sources are listed for further reading. Furthermore, at the end of each chapter, a summary is written in which the most important definitions and viewpoints are highlighted. The frequent use of colorful and bold examples make this an accessible read for bachelor and master students at business schools and professionals in international business.

Part Three features analyses of ethical issues faced by transnational corporations, for example, their relationship to host nations, their social responsibilities, and ethics programs within transnationals. Part Four contains a summary and a debate about the development of transnational codes of business conduct, including a discussion of efforts being sponsored by the United Nations. Finally, Part Five looks into the ethical problems that arise during economic development. Included here are contributions that raise questions about ethics and emerging financial markets, land-use, and the role of multinational corporations.

In the modern business environment, companies strive to create a sense of moral obligation within their employees in an effort to foster a concern for social welfare and justice among global organizations. Despite the efforts of managers and directors, many companies continue to find it difficult to overcome the moral dilemmas of the corporate sector. International Business Ethics and Growth Opportunities presents the necessary methods and resources for managers and directors to be successful in leading their corporations in a responsible and morally conscious manner. Examining the dangers of unethical behavior, this book provides the strategies and tools for proper management to encourage company strength and success. This publication is an essential resource for academicians, researchers, officials, post-graduate students, and professionals in the fields of business and business education interested in ethical decision making on the individual and company level.

This book evaluates strategies for managing ethical conflict. Macro-approaches that attribute select values to entire peoples and claim supremacy for these values are suspect. A micro-approach, focusing on the ethics of individual thinkers, is better. The study uses the ethics of Confucius and Tetsuro Watsuji to derive a process-based universal ethic that respects local differences yet is not relativistic.

"Taking a fresh look at one of the key foundations of business--the need to conduct business responsibly, sustainably, and within a sound ethical framework--Global Business Ethics is a guide for ethical decision making within the international business landscape. Enriched with worked examples of ethical dilemmas and their solutions, this book goes beyond theory to real-world business decisions. It includes a chapter focused solely on legal ethics and discusses ethical gradualism and quantification of ethics. The final chapters take an in-depth look at the practical application of ethics in business life and advice on avoiding and solving ethical problems an organization may face." --

The newly-updated version of this groundbreaking textbook continues to provide a topical and relevant analysis of the ethical dimensions of conducting business in a global political economy. From a starting point of applied ethics, the book introduces a common set of normative terms and analytical tools for examining and discussing real case scenarios.

This book provides comprehensive and, above all, business focused guidance on the fundamentals of business law and how they should be integrated into ethical and effective business decisions. It concentrates on legal principles and thereby is able to articulate the impact of global business law and its international applications providing a comprehensive overview of the legal and ethical principles which both facilitate and regulate corporate business. This is an ambitious undertaking, yet arguably no more ambitious than the projects undertaken by global business leaders making business decisions around the world. The author combines the expertise of a long-term blue chip law background with the insights of an experienced business educator. Law and Ethics in Global Business is both a comprehensive course book for MBA study and an invaluable business reference source for any executive involved in global business.