|
The Cultural Dimension of Business Ethics Footnotes 1 There's much to be discussed here with its implications of the Protestant Ethic vs. other belief systems of sharing wealth. 'You reap what you sow' advocates a self-interest orientation commonly emphasized in capitalist countries whereas, in socialist & communist countries equality and sharing wealth are essential. Even though communism ended with the fall of the Berlin wall, it's principles are still acclaimed by many. 2 The difference between morality and ethics is argued by several philosophers granting either one as the reference of norms encompassing the other one as the application. For example, morality contains the principles guiding judgments of right & wrong, good & bad whereas ethics would be considered the actual application of these principles leading to a decision. However, some treat these two concepts interchangeably. There's no etymological distinction to be made if only in terms of origins (Greek ethiké ; Latin : Moralis ) 3 Nancy J. Adler International Dimensions of Organization Behaviour Canada Southwestern pp.64-66 4 ibid., p. 65 5 Paul Ricoeur Le Juste 2 Paris Esprit 2001 6 op.cit, Adler p. 16 7 Business ethics is an extensive domain covering many different professions in which norms and codes of behaviour vary (i.e. medical profession, legal profession, as well as industrial norms generated by the specific sector healthcare, IT industry, energy, etc.) 8 Ronald M. Green The Ethical Manager, A New Method for Business Ethics New York Macmillan p. 87 9 op.cit., Adler p. 51 10 ibid., p. 114 11 ibid., p. 67 - 69 12 Child Labor Child Care, Harvard Business Review case study January-February 1993 13 op.cit., Adler pp. 16 - 17 14 op.cit., Ricoeur pp.42 - 45 15 Philippe d'Iribarne La Logique de l'Honneur, Gestion des Entreprises et traditions nationals Paris Seuil 1989 d'Iribarne gives a remarkable analysis between managing companies and their national traditions 16 op.cit., Adler, pp. 52 - 63 17 E. Hall : Understanding Cultural Differences pp. 48 - 50 18 Benjamin Lee Whorf Language, Thought & Reality, Cambridge MIT Press p. 19 Cultural models & ethical theories charts, analysis is in progress, not yet available. 20 op.cit. Green pp. 171 - 76 21 Rob van Tulder / Ans Kolk 'Multinationality and Corporate Ethics : Codes of Conduct in the Sporting Goods Industry' Journal of International Business Studies, N° 32,2 (second quarter 2001) pp. 267 - 83 22 'situationalism' is my own coined term as it signifies a contextual approach to all that occurs within the specific situation ('situational leadership', situational ethics) a response based upon the actual situation (context) 1.0 Cultural dimensions of Business Ethics |
 - Dialogue - Analytic thinking - Philosophical Schools of Thought : existentialism, phenomenology, Dasein analyze, Greek philosophers, etc. - Certified philosophy practitioner, SCP,U.K. - Founder café philo in English : Paris, London - Socratic Dialogue Facilitator, Oxford U.K. - Lecturer on Business Ethics, Cross-cultural Management and Communication, Philosophy & Business Strategy 26, rue de l'Avenir 92170 Vanves, France tel. 01.40.95.05.67 fax: 01.46.45.85.49 email: galeprawda@wanadoo.fr |