Corporate Ethics and Global Business: Philosophical Considerations on Intercultural Management
ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, B. N. Kumar & H. Steinmann , eds., Berlin/New York: Walter de Gruyter, pp. 13-46, 1998
37 Pages Posted: 16 Feb 2010
Date Written: 1998
Abstract
In this paper we discuss the ethical challenges of Multinational Corporations operating in various cultures with different social expectations and ethical values. In particular, we focus on the contribution of the US model business principles for ethical conduct of Multinational Corporations and point to some limitations of this initiative. We discuss the philosophical problems of universalism and relativism of ethical standards and develop a culturalist perspective based on the constructivist approach of recent German philosophy. Finally, we outline the implications for the management of international companies.
Keywords: Business ethics, intercultural management, philosophy
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation