Professional Documents
Culture Documents
citizens of different cultures vary based on their religious beliefs as well as perceptions of time the key question: whose values & ethical standards take precedence
Cultural Relativism...
the concept that morality varies from one culture to the next since business practices are defined as right or wrong by the particular culture
ethical relativism-one culture defines ethical behavior for the whole globe, no exceptions business relativist-there may be no ethical standards except for the one in the transaction culture
Multinational Corporations...
operate on a global scale without significant ties to any one nation or region
perceived to be unfair for MNCs to transfer jobs abroad where wage rates are lower have been accused of increasing the gap between the rich & poor nations have been accused of exploiting natural & human resources have been accused of engaging in unfair competition
Human Rights
opportunistic use of child labor, payment of low wages, abuses in foreign factories are a few of the concerns relationships with subcontractors have proved problematic for some firms MNCs should view the law as a floor of acceptable behavior & strive for greater improvements in workers quality of life
Price Discrimination
occurs when a firm charges different prices to different groups of consumers
allowable if justified based on costs
price gouging-a price increase exceeding the costs of additional expenses (taxes, etc.) dumping-charging high prices for products sold in the home market and low prices that do not cover costs in foreign markets (considered illegal under many international laws)
Harmful Products
product banned in many industrial nations, considered harmful, are sold in other countries where they are still legal dumping of hazardous waste materials in less developed countries is a related issue some products that are not harmful in some countries may be so in others because of issues related to: literacy, unsanitary conditions, & cultural values
Pollution
many countries are working together to create alliances & standards for environmental responsibility to minimize the negative effects of pollution some countries are taking legal action against polluting firms in an effort to defend air & water quality reasonable global emission standards must be established
Telecommunications
satellites, e-mail & the Internet bring a ease of information access with resulting ethical issues a few of the ethical issues include:
counterfeiting knockoffs money laundering