VALUES AND ETHICS IN A GLOBAL SETTING

Values and Ethics in a Global Setting



Values and Ethics in a Global Setting

Introduction

Globalization theorists have coined the term glocalization to better understand how global economic and social forces affect individuals. This neologism, combining global and local, shifts the study of globalization to the periphery of transnational organizations. Whereas the idea of globalization connotes an overwhelming, unidirectional, and homogenizing force, in practice globalization rarely is experienced as a compulsion to eat the same foods, wear the same clothes, and sing the same songs (Guillén, 2001). Instead, these theorists assert, one often sees a mélange of the global and the local in everyday life. By looking at the ways in which the global and the local interpenetrate, these theorists seek to establish the extent to which individuals have the ability to act when faced with the force of globalization.

Values and Ethics in a Global Setting: A Discussion

Many Westerners may view China and India primarily as a threat to North American and European middle class jobs. But this is a distorted view of these two growing economic powerhouses, said Aron Cramer, president and chief executive officer of Business for Social Responsibility, at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics' fourth biennial business ethics conference on March 9 (Guillén, 2001). The topic of the conference was Business Ethics in a Global World, with a focus on China and India.

Cramer, who advises companies on issues of corporate social responsibility in today's complex global economy, noted that how China and India manage their growth will have a huge impact on many countries. “The questions matter for the entire planet,” he said.

Cramer began by defining the aims of corporate social responsibility: to use the market economy to address gaps in income distribution and help pull people out of poverty, as well as to ensure the sustainability of natural resources such as fish stocks and water. Cramer offered three perspectives on how Chinese and Indian companies apply business ethics.

1. How have Western companies and Western expectations shaped Chinese and Indian views of corporate social responsibility and ethical business? Some people see corporate social responsibility as Western countries trying to impose their own values on other countries (Micklethwait and Adrian, 2000). Cramer disagreed, saying that in many disputes about labor standards, for example, the problem is that the local labor laws are not being enforced. Although he noted that there are some cases where ...