Google versus China

Abstract

Google is considered as one of the top most search engine service that believes in free flow of information to its users. Researchers suggest that it is Google's mission to organize information available all around the word and make it accessible to its users in a meaningful manner. It's a known fact that Googlers come from all different type of background and culture, and Google's mission is to serve them by providing high quality services based upon strict business ethics. They give the best answers or options to the user in the least possible time. Their mission is to provide fast internet search engine service as well as making it accessible universally. China in contrast to America is a country with conservative cultural background and beliefs. Chinese history is full of such incidents where it opposed the introduction of any new or foreign product or service, which it believed will harm its people. The Great Firewall and Golden Shield Project are all such examples that emphasized on restricting the free flow of information to the people of China (Wilson et.al, 2007). This research paper aims to address one major issue that revolves around Google halting its operations in China. It further discusses what Chinese government did and how it broke some basic rules of business ethics in its dealings with Google. Additionally, it describes how Google dealt with it and what actions can be taken in terms of business ethics and management, in general.

Table of Content

Abstract2

Introduction4

Importance of business ethics4

Business Ethics in reference to China and Google5

Current and Future Applications8

Relevance to the Workplace9

Conclusion10

References12

Google versus China

Introduction

Google tried to cater to Chinese people like many other search engines companies did by becoming an official internet service provider. It further agreed to censor its content and deliver selected search result to Chinese users as mentioned by the Chinese Government. By doing this, it compromised on its business ethics. It went against its own mission statement but succeeded in terms of its operation in China. Recently, Google has decided to stop its services in China and stop censoring the material. This was the reaction of an attack on Google users, who were Chinese human rights activist. Their accounts were hacked for useful information. It is considered to be a planned and sophisticated attack by Chinese government that has ignored and broken principle of business ethic.

Importance of business ethics

According to a survey conducted by Ethics Resource Canter, that questioned around 3000 employees, around 49% employees witnessed at least one type of misconduct while 63% of employees reported the ethical issue to the management. No. of such issues have been growing at an alarming rate and can pose serious problems in the future (Ferrell et.al, 2012). Many global organizations are working together for successful application of ethics in business. This include government bodies and associations like World Trade Organization, European Union, North American Free Trade Agreement, etc. it is not necessary that if a person has good personal morals and values, it will be easy for ...