Ethics in Global Markets

Ethics in a Cross Cultural Environment 1. Why Bother?  “Good Ethics is Good Business”

 “The Business of Business is Business” Milton Friedman Governmental Control versus Market Control Inefficient Externalities Costly Justice of Distribution

Legality versus Ethicality Ethics is Prerequisite for Legal System, Legal System is Prerequisite for Free Market Economy

2. What Does it Mean to be Ethical? “Ethics is the enterprise that attempts to formulate the principles by which human life is to be lived” Douglas Rasmussen History Culture Ethics

3. Ethics in a Cross Cultural Environment Major Problem Areas: Environmental Issues Safety Issues Wage Issues Gender Issues Consumer Deception Corruption FCPA http://www.transparency.org/research/cpi/overview

4. Cross Cultural Validity of Values - Ethnocentrism “When in Rome or anywhere else do as you would at home” - Relativism “When in Rome do as the Romans do” - Universalism “When in Rome do as you should do all over the world”

5. Traditional Universal Ethical Rules - Deontological Theories Inherent Wrongness or Rightness of Intended Actions Examples:  Golden Rule  Categorical Imperative “Act according to that maxim only, which you can wish, at the same time to become a universal law” Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) Elusive Impractical Might Lead to Irresponsible Consequences

- Teleological Theories Moral Consequences of Actions Example:  Utilitarianism “Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number of People” John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Denies any Absolute, Categorical Values No Cross Cultural Understanding of Happiness Measurement Problems

- Dialogic Idealism Communicative Approach for Ethical Dilemmas “Act according to that maxim only, which you can expect to be acceptable to all stakeholders in a dialogue that is removed form all forms of force and coercion”

Two Principles of the Dialogic Idealism: Universality Principle: * Universal Rules of Ideal Dialogue 1. Everybody has the right to participate in dialogue 2. Everybody has same rights in dialogue 3. Everybody is willing to follow the better argument 4. A norm is only accepted if all participants can agree on it * Universal Objective Apply the rules of the ideal dialogue as much as possible in real dialogue Responsibility Principle: * Assessment of Consequences in Real Dialogue