Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
PHIL 322
Joel Chow
10 October 2016
Working in a global business environment means facing different cultures, norms, legal
frameworks, environmental regulations, and personal ethics. These differences generate huge
grey areas that could breed unethical practices such as child labor, fraud, insider trading,
important for business leaders to deal with ethical issues in cross-cultural settings. Bribery, for
example, is one of the most common ethical challenges a global business will face. It is under the
grey area and more difficult to prevent. To address the issue, business leaders should not only
In the article The Promise and Peril of Global Business Ethics, Donaldson and Dunfee
claimed that many consider bribery to be similar to tipping (45). It could be that you are tipping
for the service or that you are bribing for better treatment of delivered goods. Bribery occurs
when the dilemmas of ethics and pursuit expected results exit. They could be the responsibility
of driving a companys growth in a particular region, the opportunity of developing new markets,
or the competition among competitors. In the short run, bribery seems no harm but helping a
company achieve its desired outcomes. However, if a business wants to stay alive in the long
run, doing the right thing is the only way to achieve the ultimate goal. When bribery conduct is
discovered, leaders need to demonstrate a visible and active commitment to address this issue. It
set an example for employees to behave ethically as well as prevent future unethical conducts.
According to Donaldson and Dunfee, there are four different types of cultures companies
adopt to their system. They listed these categories to be the Foreign Country type, Empire type,
Interconnection type as well as the Global type (49). In regards to a company that follows local
guidelines instead of their own are referred to as the Foreign Type. This is one of the the types
that companies should follow to an extent when they plan to expand their businesses outside of
their domestic domain. The problem with this approach is that it allows local customs to have too
much power over the company and have a higher chance for foreigners to bribe the locals in
gaining high advantages. For example, the company can bribe the locals to work extra for them
or use an area for dumping toxic waste if they do follow certain customs. The Empire Type, the
one that companies should try to avoid to make ethical decisions, usually adhere their own
standards everywhere with minimal changes overseas. This route can be perceived as dangerous
because locals can view that business to resemble a dictatorship and a symbol of oppression.
Most notably, the majority of local Indians found themselves maltreated by the East India
Company in India prior independence from Great Britain. For the Interconnection type, these
companies do not endorse any national interest and tend to engage in commercial relations in
the EU or NAFTA. This approach is effective in avoiding siding with a specific party that might
give a portrayal of something similar to the Empire type. Lastly is the Global type, where
companies follow rule that are commonly set for all nations. Like the Interconnection type, these
companies follow neither domestic nor local norms, however they do have problems that often
In addition to the issues listed, Donaldson and Dunfee claimed that Western companies
are findingand stumbling overethics issues abroad as never before (46). Companies are
having complications with adjusting to other global customs that are different compared to their
own. Business leaders should have the responsibility to overlook foreign laws regarding what
they can and cannot do in that country in order to uphold ethical values and respect for that area.
To support this, it is possible for there to be the creation of more global guidelines that
businesses must acknowledge going to any part of the world. It is a necessity to hire individuals
with both the western and indigenous perspectives to schedule frequent visits to these companies
on foreign soil in order to keep in check that following the rules in place. The Integrative Social
Contracts Theory (ISCT) helps administer rules that businesses can follow globally. With this
guide, business leaders can find the best alternative from the other listed approaches.