Chapitre 5 Flashcards
What are ethics, corporate social responsibility, and
sustainability?
“social” issues that arise
frequently in international business
What are business ethics?
the accepted principles of
right or wrong that govern the conduct of
businesspeople.
What does an ethical strategy refer to?
a strategy, or course
of action, that does not violate a company’s
business ethics
What is a decision making process?
The process of making choices by identifying a a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions
What are 7 steps of decision making process?
- Identify the decision
- Gather information
- Identify alternatives
- Weigh the evidence
- Choose among alternatives
- Take action
- Review your decision
In what are many ethical issues rooted in? (4)
Differences in:
1. Political system
2. Laws
3. Economic development
4. Culture
How could ethics differ from one country to another?
Something might be normal in one country and illegal in another
What do most common ethical issue involve?
- Employment practices
- Human rights
- Environmental regulations
- Corruption
- Moral obligations of multinational corporations
What should firms do to guard against ethical abuses?
- Establish minimal acceptable ethical standards that safeguard the basic rights and dignity of employees
- Audit foreign subsidies and contractors regularly to ensure standards are being met
- Take corrective actions as necessary
Name basic human rights found in developed nations that are not universally accepted worldwide (5)
- Freedom of association.
- Freedom of speech.
- Freedom of assembly.
- Freedom of movement.
- Freedom from political repression.
What are Sullivan principles (adopted by GM)? (slide)
- Company should not obey the apartheid rules in its
operation in South Africa - Company should promote abolition of apartheid laws
(Was not sufficient to break down the apartheid regime)
Name the 7 Sullivan principles (si ca c’est demande je quit l’exam)
- Non-segregation of the races in all eating, comfort, and work facilities
- Equal and fair employment practices for all employees
- Equal pay for all employees doing equal or comparable work for the same period of time
- Initiation and development of training programs that will prepare, in substantial numbers, blacks and other nonwhites for supervisory, administrative, clerical, and technical jobs
- Increasing the number of blacks and other nonwhites in management and supervisory positions
- Improving the quality of the life for blacks and other nonwhites outside the work environment in such areas as housing, transportation, school, recreation, and health facilities
- Working to eliminate laws and customs that impede social, economic and political justice
When do ethical environmental pollution problems occur?
When environmental regulations differ between host and home nations
When does tragedy of commons occur?
When a resource held in common by all but owned by no one is overused by individuals, resulting in its degradation.
By what is global tragedy of commons enhanced?
Corporations that move production locations where they
are free to pump pollutants into the atmosphere or
dump them in oceans or rivers, thereby harming these
valuable global commons
What organization regulates conduct of int. business in the taking of bribes and other unethical actions?
U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
What is FCPA amended to allow for?
Facilitating payments
What does convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign
Public Official in International Business
Transactions do?
Makes the bribery of foreign officials a criminal
offense
Ethical implications of corruption (2)
- Are bribes the price to pay to do a greater good? (May improve efficiency and help growth.)
- Do bribes reduce businesses’ incentive to invest? (Reduces the returns on business investment and leads to low economic growth.)
No question, answer = material
Ethical Dilemmas
- Ethical obligations of multinational corporations are
not always clear-cut.
How should corporations handle ethical
dilemmas regarding employment, human
rights, corruption, and environmental
pollution?
- Pressure from customers and stakeholders to be
transparent in ethical decision making. - No universal worldwide agreement about what
constitutes accepted ethical principles.
Six determinants of ethical behavior?
- Personal ethics.
- Decision-making processes.
- Organizational culture.
- Unrealistic performance goals.
- Leadership.
- Societal culture.
What are personal ethics?
Generally accepted principles of right and wrong
governing the conduct of individuals
By what is formation of ethics guided?
Our parents, our schools, our religion, and the media
What pressure may expatriate managers face?
To violate their personal ethics because they are away from
their ordinary social context and culture
What could lead to unethical behaviors in a corporation?
Parent company may pressure managers to meet
unrealistic goals that can only be fulfilled by acting
unethically
Decision-Making Processes: when may businesspeople act unethically?
When they fail to ask, “Is this decision or action ethical?”