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Reflective Essay > drawing upon week 1-9, critically reflect on…
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An influential international business ethics scholar has argued the following points: 1. Multinational
corporations ought not to deprive workers in host countries of their rights and should even assist in protecting
some rightsminimal edu- cation and subsistencebut they have no duty to provide direct aid to th…
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Reflective Essay > drawing upon week 1-9, critically reflect on the views expressed in the short text and link them to
what you have learned in this course. Illustrate your reflections with relevant examples from the field of International Business Ethics, drawing on cases discussed in the lecture, tutorials, your Group Project, or from outside sources.
Weekly topics:
In particular, I would like to explain in short what we learned throughout the week:
Week 01: Introduction and foundations – introduces the course and its main themes, such as ethics, globalization, and corporate social responsibility.
Week 02: International Business Ethics – what are the issues? – explores the ethical challenges that arise in the context of international business, including cultural differences, corruption, and labor standards.
Week 03: Schools of Ethics 1: Consequentialism – introduces the consequentialist approach to ethics, which focuses on the outcomes of actions rather than their inherent morality.
Week 04: Schools of ethics 2: Deontology – introduces the deontological approach to ethics, which emphasizes the inherent morality of actions rather than their outcomes.
Week 05: Schools of ethics 3: Virtue ethics – introduces the virtue ethics approach, which focuses on developing good character traits as a means of making ethical decisions.
Week 06: MNCs and the Social Contract: Justice and legitimacy – explores the role of multinational corporations in the global economy and the obligations they have to various stakeholders.
Week 07: Rights-based approaches: do MCs have human rights obligations? – examines the human rights obligations of multinational corporations and the challenges associated with enforcing these obligations.
Week 08: Environmental Ethics: do MNCs have a moral responsibility to the environment? – explores the ethical responsibilities of multinational corporations with respect to the environment, including issues related to climate change and resource depletion.
Week 09: Ethics Management 1 – examines the role of ethical leadership and organizational culture in promoting ethical behavior within multinational corporations.
I already have a few points for ‘Schools of Ethics and Corporate Responsibility’, “Human rights obligations”, “Environmental Ethics”, and “Ethics Management”. However can you please elaborate on those points and provide more examples?
Schools of Ethics and Corporate Responsibility: The first point made by the scholar is that MNCs should not deprive workers in host countries of their rights and should even assist in protecting some rights, such as minimal education and subsistence. However, the scholar argues that MNCs have no duty to provide direct aid to those whose rights have been violated. From a consequentialist perspective, this may seem reasonable if providing direct aid interferes with the corporation’s economic mission, which may benefit more people in the long run. On the other hand, a deontological approach would prioritize the protection of individual rights, and thus argue that MNCs do have an obligation to provide aid to those whose rights have been violated.
Furthermore, the scholar argues that the economic mission of MNCs makes them a poor substitute for governments in dispensing welfare. This aligns with the social contract theory that emphasizes the role of the government in promoting the welfare of its citizens. However, this raises questions about the role of MNCs in promoting social justice and fairness, especially in situations where governments are unable or unwilling to protect their citizens’ rights.
Human Rights Obligations: The second point made by the scholar is that it is not within the moral capacity of MNCs to rectify deficiencies in human rights, such as minimal education and subsistence. This view diverges from the rights-based approaches discussed in Week 7, which argue that MNCs do have human rights obligations, especially in situations where their activities may impact the human rights of host communities. For example, the case of Nike’s sweatshop labor practices in Southeast Asia raises questions about the ethical responsibility of MNCs to ensure that their supply chains are free from exploitation and human rights violations.
Environmental Ethics: The scholar’s view that corporations have a very restricted, artificial personality, and only restricted moral responses may be expected of them aligns with the anthropocentric approach to environmental ethics discussed in Week 8. However, this perspective ignores the growing recognition that corporations have a moral responsibility to protect the environment and promote sustainable development. For example, the case of Shell’s oil spills in the Niger Delta raises questions about the ethical responsibility of MNCs to ensure that their activities do not harm the environment and communities that depend on it.
Ethics Management: Finally, the scholar’s argument that only restricted moral responses may be expected of corporations aligns with the view that ethics management is primarily about compliance with legal and contractual duties and responsibilities. However, this ignores the growing recognition that ethics management should go beyond mere compliance and embrace a proactive approach to promoting ethical behavior and values within the organization. For example, the case of Enron’s accounting fraud highlights the importance of embedding ethical values and practices within the corporate culture to prevent unethical behavior.
Please have a draft with points on International Business Ethics that relate to the screenshot
Must be structured as follows:
– Introduction
– Body
– Conclusion
