Ethics and International Business Essay

Words: 2089
Pages: 9
Open Document
Ethics and International Business:
Finding the Lesser Evil

At the beginning of this course it was made apparent that the class was not meant to be a monologue by the instructor but a discussion. From the numerous discussions held in class, I have come to the belief that ethics in international business was the most significant topic discussed in this course.
Ethics in international business and the outsourcing of labor is a prevalent issue that affects not only the United States and our nation's economy, but also the economy of other countries. In a world where technology has made the whole world accessible, the global economy has become more and more important. The labor standard of the outsourcing companies also gets down to …show more content…
The perspective that sweatshops are a lesser evil requires a look at the bigger picture involved. This perspective takes an approach that in general conditions and wages in sweatshops are equal or better than the alternatives available to the labor force in these countries. While these conditions are not ideal, they do provide for improvement. It is not doubted that there will be situations in which the conditions of sweatshops cross the line and infringe on universal human rights; however, those special situations should not lead to the complete halt of sweatshops, rather better regulation of their practices. In the case of wages, one might question why an increase to wages doesn't occur due to the fact that the increase would not lead to an extreme increase in labor cost to the multinational corporations. However, once again the bigger picture has to be evaluated. Rapid growth to the gross national product of a developing country can cause more hindrance than help. Growth must be steady and even sometimes slow. Even countries such as the United States faced times of low wages such as in the Industrial Revolution. A country cannot grow completely in one step. It must take many smaller steps. As for the economy of the world as a whole, outsourcing labor can prove to be beneficial to both the home-country of the corporation as well as the host-country receiving the labor. The fine line as to where the balance
Show More

Related Documents: Ethics and International Business Essay

Essay on Ethics in International Business

Ethics in International Business Abstract International business ethics challenges the corporate world to deal with questions of what to do in situations where ethical standards come into conflict as a result of the different cultural practices in the nation. Since, there is this dilemma that has progressively troubled the large multinational corporations, international business ethics has arisen to help address these adhesive subject matters. There are several international business ethics discussions…

Words 1663 - Pages 7

Essay on Business Ethics

What is ethics? Ethics can be defined as a set of principles used by an individual to govern his or her decisions in an effort to ensure fairness and equality. Business ethics, as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is the applied ethics discipline that addresses the moral features of commercial activity. The same source also gives a history of business ethics which states that the concept as an academic principle is relatively young-only about forty years old; but in general is as…

Words 1442 - Pages 6

Essay on Global Expansion

and business operations begin, it is important that businesses disclose to domestic customers that their personal information is being outsourced overseas. They must endure their customers that the data being sent is secure by following regulatory requirements. Also, businesses must ensure that their employees are protected from political and economic uprisings, local fraud, and provide medical support. Currently, many universities offer courses in their business school for ethical business practices…

Words 3828 - Pages 16

Social Responsibility Essay

marketing and expansion is crucial to international and inter-cultural business. Despite short-term advantages you may gain through unethical marketing, failure to practice ethical and social responsibility in all facets of a business on a local and global scale will likely have a negative long-term result. In the article Ethical and Social Responsibility in Global Marketing (2012), Ephraim Okoro proposes maintaining high levels of ethics in an international marketplace to gain and sustain customer…

Words 824 - Pages 4

Essay about Literature: Business Ethics

INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME Research skills Business ethics is often described as very old new subjects. This might seems like a strange statement, but it reflects the development of the discipline. On the other hand, ethical thinking has its roots in the writings of the great philosophers like Socrates and Confucius. (Roger Bradburn, 2001). As an academic subject it has only come of age since the Wall Street scandals of the 1980s…

Words 568 - Pages 3

Ethics: Arabian Peninsula and World Business Culture Essay example

THE PETERFOOTLOCKER CODE OF ETHICS (SAUDI ARAIA) A MESSAGE FROM PETER At PETERFOOTLOCKER, we are on the offense, always. We play hard, we play to win, and we play by the rules of the game. This Code of Ethics is vitally important. It contains the rules of the game for PETERFOOTLOCKER, the rules we live by and what we stand for. Please read it. And if you’ve read it before elsewhere in our other international subsidiaries, read it again for we playing the game and this time in Saudi Arabia…

Words 789 - Pages 4

Essay on KiruiE Ethics

1. Evaluation of International Widget Code of ethics. International Widget has developed very clear code of Ethics to guide all its staff members. Among the areas of emphasis is the essence of confidentiality. The organization has made it clear that all clients’ information will be treated with high level of confidentiality. It further provides that ethics will be upheld in conducting business with all the clients and suppliers. In addition, the organization has committed itself to observe ‘duty…

Words 1187 - Pages 5

International Marketing Ethics and Csr Case Study Essay

leaders in their industry, Mars is constantly in the spotlight. Being responsible in the way they conduct business is part of the reason they are in the highly regarded position that they are in today. The sourcing of cocoa however is currently one the greatest ethical dilemma’s facing not only Mars, but all chocolate companies all over the world. The importance of international marketing ethics across cultures has been noted by a number of authors (Fletcher & Crawford, 2011; Armstrong & Sweeney…

Words 2168 - Pages 9

Accelerated MBA: An Overview Of Lord Ashcroft International Business School

Lord Ashcroft International Business School International Business Department: Accelerated MBA Academic Year: February 2014 Semester/Trimester: 2 1 Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. Key Information.............................................................................................................................. 2 Introduction to the Module .........................................................................................................…

Words 5035 - Pages 21

Study Guide: International Business Management Essay examples

Leadership- race to the top Creating business-friendly infrastructure Inexpensive, reliable utilities (phone, gas, water, waste) Inexpensive, reliable transport/travel (highways, airports) Ensure a well-educated workforce Create a business-friendly regulatory environment Easy to start a business, higher/fire workers, enforce contracts, get credit, close a business. Political Risks Ownership, Approval systems, anti-competition, infrastructure, business related laws (HR, environment, safety)…

Words 996 - Pages 4