Business Ethics Across Cultures Article Review

Business Ethics Across Cultures Article Review

Business ethics in foreign countries varies extensively depending on the country, ideas of business, and the diversity of culture. In South America, countries such as Argentina and Brazil, use Corporate Ethical Policies (CEP) and Corporate Ethics Statements (CES) that characterize the organization’s beliefs, principles, and standards of behavior in the workplace. The importance of having and using CEP and CES is more important in those countries where dishonesty is most widespread (Mele, Debeljuh, & Arruda, 2006). In a country like Turkey business ethics are gaining in importance as managers and employees must face many ethical problems in their jobs. The business situation in Turkey is in a grave situation and businesses in general are riddled by ethical dilemmas (Kalafatoglu, 2010)

In South America during the last 20 years interests in developing and putting into operation CEP to help promote more ethical behavior from the executives down to the workers. The reasons for this are:

• An extensive suspicion of the activities of businesses;

• The requirement of a higher benchmark of living that corresponds to the communities’ wants and needs;

• The requirements that upper management performs for the benefit of the company and not just for their own advantage, and to control the actions of particular interest groups;

• A growing community concern of these issues and their knowledge regarding them.

The need to develop and operate CEP tends to come to light after actions similar to scandals, hiring of a new Chief Executive Officer, departure of the creator of a company, or the presentation of additional employment laws. Its use began in America, then progressed to Europe, Canada and Japan, and just lately has spread to South America (Mele, Debeljuh, & Arruda, 2006).

Surveys had been taken from 500 of the largest companies in each of three countries in South America. The surveys were sent to the top...