Ethics and Social Responsibility

CHAPTER 4
ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• Explain the concepts of social responsibility and corporate responsiveness.
• Describe business ethics in terms of ethical relativism.
• Discuss the dilemma of balancing respect for global ethical concepts against expectations to accommodate local practices.
• List ways in which governments influence international ethical standards.
• Detail the controversy concerning ethical standards for bribes.
• Describe how social priorities are influenced in host countries and why companies must honor implicit social contracts in foreign environments.

OUTLINE
Managing By What Rules?
Clarifying Terms
Antecedents of Corporate Ethics and Social Responsibility
Corporate Responsiveness
A Social Contract
Business Ethics
Relativism and Business Ethics
Global Concepts and Local Practices
International Convergence of Ethical Perceptions
Ethical Dilemmas in Developing Countries
Government Influence on Global Ethics
The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Ethics in Perspective
Misconceptions of Unethical Conduct?
Ethics Across Cultures
Guidelines for Avoiding Ethical Dilemmas
Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility
International Priorities for Corporate Citizenship
Responding to Local Expectations

LECTURE SYNOPSIS

In a world where laws, customs, and cultural values vary from one society to another, there are few consistent guidelines to help companies or managers to maintain a satisfactory code of conduct. This chapter addresses business ethics and corporate social responsibility, emphasizing "relativism" (value perspectives and ethical dilemmas), international codes of conduct, and managerial roles in a socially responsive company.

Managing By What Rules?

International managers are part of a global environment in which employees, customers, and competitors represent a broad range of social values, and managers often develop chameleon-like behavior to... [continues]

Read full essay