MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN WARTIME: PROHIBITION OF FLYING AMERICAN FLAG Austin Davis- Business Mgmt (Marketing) Summer 2010 Melissa Harvey- Business Mgmt (HR) Minor in Spanish May 2012

Ethical Principles Supporting:  Contributing Liberty- “Never take any action that will interfere with the rights of others for self-development and self-fulfillment” (Hosmer 2) - “ The business itself has the freedom to follow one’s own self-interests within the constraints of the law” (Hosmer 2). It is not illegal to display or to not display the American flag so there should be no penalty for either alternative.  Self- interests- “Never take any action that is not in the long-term self-interests of yourself and the organization to which you belong” (Hosmer 1) - It is in the self-interest of the company to maximize profits. Displaying the American flag in another country that it is at war with, may have a negative effect on its business. In other words, politics should be discussed at home, not in the office

Codes of Conduct Example:  Excerpt from ExxonMobil’s Standards of Business Conduct; “It is the policy of Exxon Mobil Corporation to prohibit any form of harassment in any company workplace. The objective of this policy is to provide a work environment that fosters mutual employee respect and working relationships free of harassment.”

News Article Support: From the article “Flag Displays at Work a Double Edged Symbol”…  “Some people don't outwardly demonstrate their patriotism, said Dennis Gorsuch, of Gorsuch Consulting in Folsom, and there should be room for them in the workplace too. People need to understand that not everyone wants to wave the flag, he said, and those people shouldn't be "marked as being disloyal or unpatriotic.””  “You let Joe put up the American flag. Can I put up a hammer and sickle?'"

Advantages to Critical Stakeholders  Less disruption  Opinion about war is being expressed by displaying the flag. When not displayed, stakeholders of the host country feel less reluctant with the business’ goods and services  Main objectives: to continue business and to generate revenue -Leave patriotism at home; do not bring it to the business

Disadvantages to Stakeholders  The business shows a lack of patriotism or support for its country  May appear that the business is for the war rather than against it  May cause controversy in the business’ home country  Stakeholders such as consumers and stockholders may feel uncertain and confused about the business’ stance on the war

Group Opinion:  If our group were employed in a real situation where we had to make a management decision on whether or not to fly the American flag, our decision would be the same as the assigned position. The excerpt from ExxonMobil’s code of conduct represents the way we feel about patriotism and flying the American flag in the workplace. The office is a place to conduct business and supporting your country should be left at home.

Citations  1) Hosmer, Larue T. "Trust: The Connecting Link Between Organizational Theory and Philosophical Ethics." Academy of Management Review 20.2 (1995): 1-2.  2) Melanie, Payne. "Flag Displays at Work A Doubled-Edged Symbol." Sacramento Bee, The (CA) (n.d.): Newspaper Source Plus. EBSCO. Web. 13 June  3) Tillerson, Rex. ExxonMobil Standards of Business Conduct. ExxonMobil, 1 Jan Web. 10 June