Unit 2: Discovery Research Peer Response

Unit 2: Discovery Research Peer Response

Directions

1. Conduct a literature review and then share your discoveries in the discussion. Let the discussion scope guide your discovery research. You are required to have at least three resources. 

2. Response posts 

1. Select two peers to respond to. 

2. Take on the role of a member of the executive team. Read their recommendations thoroughly then provide some rationale as to why you think their recommendations are persuasive (or not).

Jennifer Lord

Define ethical and moral practices in Asia.

Having good ethics and morals in a company is how consumers learn to trust a company. This is true for Asian business practices. “Business ethics is the study of appropriate business policies and practices regarding potentially controversial subjects including corporate governance, insider trading, bribery, discrimination, corporate social responsibility, and fiduciary responsibilities.” (Twin, 2021). Having morals is understanding the differences between right and wrong, and good and bad. When it comes to business this includes, not taking advantage of the consumer.

How can western companies in China successfully carry out ethical and moral practices of doing business?

Many western companies try to work in China. The population of China and modernized country makes it appealing for investors. Unfortunately, there are a lot of factors that make working in China difficult for even local companies. “There’s a high risk of inadvertently being involved in human rights violations or efforts to build up the Chinese military, especially through third parties. “ (Kaplan, 2022). Companies must know what the risks are when working in certain areas of China. Are they unknowingly supporting a sweat shop or censoring the citizens? Google stopped doing business in China due to a censorship issue. When working with different countries there will always be “ethical blind spots.” Even though there are many issues with being able to work ethically and morally in China many companies still do business there. “In candid discussions with some ethics officers of Western companies, they admit that they have done little to implement their ethics codes and values in China - in some cases they have not yet even translated their codes into Chinese.” (Hanson, 2010). Companies must take their business ethics and ensure it is being upheld in China if they want to continue to do business there.

Take on the role of a consultant to provide some persuasive recommendations to the executive team of a multinational project on ethical and moral practices.

To maintain ethical and moral practices in our company, we must ask specific questions to other countries we would like to do business in and ensure our companies core values align with the country. For example, our workers are paid a minimum wage salary set by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Therefore, the country we want to work with must have something similar in pay and work hours. As a company, we should see the working conditions regularly. We must ensure our company does good work that we can be proud of. Companies that have ethical workplace cultures are more financially successful and have more productive employees.

-Jen Lord

References

Hanson, K. O. (2010, December 15). Doing Business in Asia: The Ethical Challenges. Retrieved from SCU.edu: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/doing-business-in-asia-the-ethical-challenges/

Kaplan, S. D. (2022, January 26). How to Navigate the Ethical Risks of Doing Business in China. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2022/01/how-to-navigate-the-ethical-risks-of-doing-business-in-china

Twin, A. (2021, August 29). Business Ethics. Retrieved from Investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/business-ethics.asp

Shiron Musick

When it comes to ethical and moral practices, they will vary based on different aspects such as the culture they are located within. Both ethics and morals come down to the idea of what is considered right and wrong but differs on where the expectation occurs. Ethics are regulations on how things should be conducted in an aspect of right and wrong. While morals are on a personal level and can vary from person to person. In addition, to following ethical and moral practices to the area it is also important to follow those with the home country as well. This requires a balance to occur that can be difficult and take a lot of research. Negative aspects will always occur and will make the news no matter the location, however the priority of responding can and often do differ based on location, such as saving the face of how the company is perceived as a top priority in Asian cultures (Kent, 2014).

An important note that western companies should take into consideration is understanding the how business is conducted in China along with their politics. Understanding this can allow a better idea of key factors that will impact the ability to conduct business. There have been times where an organization starts in a country and then will remove themselves due to regulations. An example of this would be Google and the aspect of censorship, which impacts if business will be conducted in different countries such as China (Kaplan, 2022). It is important to understand what product or service are going to be offered and what is the best way to appeal to those in the market.

 When it comes to conducting projects that keep up with ethical and moral practices, it is vital that there are key people from each area. In a multinational project there are going to be many different perspectives that must be considered and the culture that influences them as well. In addition, what the company expects as their ethical and moral standings are important as well. This is due to making sure that the standards for the organization still stay solid even when looking at conducting projects in other countries and nations. The culture of the organization will influence the expectations of what moral and ethical practices occur, so to have an ethical workplace this must be encouraged (Meinert, 2014).  Each nation that is going to be part of the project needs to have someone to represent their cultures and expectations during discussions. This way there is equal representation and understanding of what is important, to find a balance between all involved.  

Reference:

Kaplan, S. (2022). How to Navigate the Ethical Risks of Doing Business in China. https://hbr.org/2022/01/how-to-navigate-the-ethical-risks-of-doing-business-in-china (Links to an external site.)

Kent, J. (2014). Business Ethics In Asia: Lost In Translation?. https://www.forbes.com/sites/connorconnect/2014/03/25/business-ethics-in-asia-lost-in-translation/?sh=91e846164734 (Links to an external site.)

Meinert, D. (2014). Creating an Ethical Workplace. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0414-ethical-workplace-culture.aspx