An expose of bad businesses and their unethical practices

More and more of us are seeing our jobs globalized. As we follow the migration of business on a global trek for higher profits, we need to be aware that different cultures think differently about ethics. I have found an excellent short article that could be used as a primer to get managers thinking about the impact of globalization on corporate ethics. Perhaps it would spur them to do some research, and soul searching, on their own.

Corporate social responsibility means different things in different places, but the points of view of East and West seem to be merging. This article focuses on doing business in China and India, and how to insure that all parties understand the underlying ethical necessities. At one time, these were primarily American problems. Now, as the Chinese and Indians play a larger role on the world business stage, they are also beginning to have problems with translating their ethics into a foreign culture.

The upshot is that none of us can be an island of ethics. We have to understand the interplay of factors that leads to divergence in the practice of corporate social responsibility. We all know that we have  accountability in this area. However, we need to learn how to translate our responsibilities into foreign cultures, and to help those cultures understand the values that we hold dear.