商法课件Global Business Ethics

Origins of Ethics
Reformation (宗教改革)
• European history during the 16th century
• Protestant thinkers (led by Martin Luther) challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church • The Church lost its control over all scientific & intellectual thoughts
Ethics & Corruption
• The practice of using connections to advance business interests exists in just about every country in the world • In Western countries, connections are viewed informally and sometimes even with a negative connotation • Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern cultures are quick to value connections and relationships and view them quite positively
• Likely to be ingrained in the culture and not associated with winning a specific piece of business
• Bribery, on the other hand, is more commonly considered the practice in which an individual would benefit with little or no benefit to the company
• The highest levels of corruption are seen in most African nations, Russia, Myanmar, and Afghanistan
Ethics & Corruption
• Gift giving in the global business world is used to establish or pay respects tl gains
Ethics & Management
Management & operations
• Human resources (HR)
• Marketing
• Research & development (R&D)
• Corporate mission
Management & Operations
Origins of Ethics
Age of Enlightenment (启蒙时代)
• Era from the 1650s to 1780s
• Western philosophical, intellectual, scientific & cultural life (Age of Reason) • Promotion of reasoning & critical thinking (not religion) for legitimacy and authority • Philosophers: Francis Bacon, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Sir Isaac Newton, Voltaire, David Hume, Descartes
Management & Operations
• Gender issues, at times, are impacted by local perceptions of women in the workplace • Companies often determine whether a person (gender, ethnicity, or race) can be effective in a specific culture based on the prevailing values in that culture • Fortune Global 500/Global 500 ( 财富世界500 强 ) vs. smaller, lesser-known and midsize companies
Management & Operations
Case study: Collapse of the bubble economy in Japan in the 1990s - 2000 • Japanese companies are seen as “guardians” (paternal “父” figure) • Lifelong loyalty to the company in return for lifelong employment (employees were taken care of from “cradle to the grave”) • Efforts to lay off or fire employees may be perceived as culturally unethical
Global Business Ethics
商业伦理
Introduction
What is ethics?
• Branch of philosophy that seeks to address questions about morality
• Good & bad • Right & wrong • Justice • Virtue
Ethics & Corruption
• Corruption is “giving or obtaining advantage through means which are illegitimate, immoral, and/or inconsistent with one’s duty or the rights of others. • What happens when cultures change but business practices don’t? • Does that behavior become unethical, and is the person engaged in the behavior unethical?
Ethics & Corruption
• Paying bribes is relatively common in many countries
• Bribes often take the form of grease payments, which are small inducements intended to expedite decisions and transactions • Transparency International tracks illicit behavior, such as bribery and embezzlement, in the public sector in 180 countries by surveying international business executives
Ethics & Corruption
• Ochugen (midsummer) usually occurs in mid-July in Tokyo and mid-August in some other regions
• An occasion to provide consolation to the families of those who had died in the first half of the year
• NO clear social rules preventing any sort of discrimination against people • Even when formal rules & laws exist, they may not be enforced • Normal practice may allow people & companies to act in accordance to local culture & social practices
Ethics & Corruption
• Gift giving in Japan was for centuries an established practice in society and is still taken seriously • There are specific guidelines for gift giving depending on the identity of the giver or recipient, the length of the business relationship, and the number of gifts exchanged • Oseibo (year’s end) gifts are presented in the first half of December as a token of gratitude for earlier favors and loyalty
Impact of Ethics on Global Business
Impact of Ethics