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Ethical Issues
As political, legal, economic, and cultural norms vary from nation to nation, various ethical issues rise with them. A normal practice may be ethical in one country but unethical in another. Multinational managers need to be sensitive to these varying differences and able to choose an ethical action accordingly.
In an international business, the most important ethical issues involve employment practices, human rights, environmental norms, corruption, and the moral obligation of international corporations.
Employment Practices and Ethics
Ethical issues may be related to employment practices in many nations. The conditions in a host country may be much inferior to those in a multinational’s home nation. Many may suggest that pay and work conditions need to be similar across nations, but no one actually cares about the quantum of this divergence.
12-hour workdays, minimal pay, and indifference in protecting workers from toxic chemicals are common in some developing nations. Is it fine for a multinational to fall prey to the same practice when they chose such developing nations as their host countries? The answers to these questions may seem to be easy, but in practice, they really create huge dilemmas.
Human Rights
Basic human rights are still denied in many nations. Freedom of speech, association, assembly, movement, freedom from political repression, etc. are not universally accepted.
South Africa during the days of white rule and apartheid is an example. It lasted till 1994. The system practiced denial of basic political rights to the majority non-white population of South Africa, segregation between whites and nonwhites was prevalent, some occupations were exclusively reserved for whites, etc. Despite the odious nature of this system, Western businesses operated in South Africa. This unequal consideration depending on ethnicity was questioned right from 1980s. It is still a major ethical issue in international business.
Environmental Pollution
When environmental regulation in the host nation is much inferior to those in the home nation, ethical issues may arise. Many nations have firm regulations regarding the emission of pollutants, the dumping and use of toxic materials, and so on. Developing nations may not be so strict, and according to critics, it results in much increased levels of pollution from the operations of multinationals in host nations.
Is it fine for multinational firms to pollute the developing host nations? It does not seem to be ethical. What is the appropriate and morally correct thing to do in such circumstances? Should MNCs be allowed to pollute the host countries for their economic advantage, or the MNCs should make sure that foreign subsidiaries follow the same standards as set in their home countries? These issues are not old; they are still very much contemporary.
Corruption
Corruption is an issue in every society in history, and it continues to be so even today. Corrupt government officials are everywhere. International businesses often seem to gain and have gained financial and business advantages by bribing those officials, which is clearly unethical.
Corruption in Japan
In the 1970s, Carl Kotchian, an American business executive who served as the president of Lockheed Corporation, paid $12.5 million to Japanese agents and government officials to sell Lockheed’s TriStar jet to All Nippon Airways. After the case was discovered, U.S. officials charged Lockheed with falsification of its records and tax violations.
The revelations created a scandal in Japan as well. The ministers who took the bribe were charged, and one committed suicide. It even led to the jailing of Japan’s prime minister. The Japanese government fell in disgrace, and the Japanese citizens were outraged. Kotchian had, without doubt, engaged in unethical behavior.
Moral Obligations
Some of the modern philosophers argue that the power of MNCs brings with it the social responsibility to give resources back to the societies. The idea of Social Responsibility arises due to the philosophy that business people should consider the social consequences of their actions.
They should also care that decisions should have both meaningful and ethical economic and social consequences. Social responsibility can be supported because it is the correct and appropriate way for a business to behave. Businesses, particularly the large and very successful ones, need to recognize their social and moral obligations and give resources and donations back to the societies.