Ethical Decisions:Glbl BusGov

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

International business helps drive globalization trends that are reshaping political, economic and socio-cultural values. Increasingly, many governments and civil society groups urge corporations to go beyond traditional business roles to help improve human rights, labor conditions, and environmental impacts in countries around the world. Such actions can pose serious policy dilemmas, involving difficult value choices. Should foreign companies try to influence a country’s domestic political process on issues such as democratic elections, religious freedoms, the treatment of indigenous peoples, or the domestic allocation of tax revenue? Should large international retailers seek to impose “living wage” standards on their foreign suppliers? Do the marketing practices of international companies impose inappropriate choices on vulnerable consumers in developing countries, or enhance their free choice of products? Should corporations decide how a developing country balances trade-offs between current economic growth and longer-term environmental goals? How should social-media companies balance freedoms of speech with untruths that incite undemocratic behavior or violence? Should corporations speak out about voter-repression and other undemocratic measures? Who should decide, What should be done, When and Where? Why? This course studies the application of ethics to contemporary issues of international business operating in different economic, political and cultural settings. Drawing on established ethical theory, the course uses normative criteria to evaluate “best choice” options for real-world decisions. Consideration of global economic justice and corporate social responsibility are examined, along with mandatory and voluntary methods of influencing business behavior. Students will examine these issues from the perspective of corporate employees and managers, home and host government officials, and civil society activists.