Business

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Some people believe there is an inherent sense of what is right and what is wrong in all of us, regardless of where we live or who we are. Most people believe that there is a sense of decency and integrity in all of us, regardless of how we were raised and where we are from. Whether we are from the United States or Korea or Russia or the Philippines, we have similar sets of core values and codes of conduct.

However, there are differences among cultures. These differences lie in how we approach these values and codes and how we implement these values in a business code of conduct. We may approach human rights differently; we may approach how we deal with religion, gender and age differently. We may have differences in how we conduct business.

In some countries, pointing, making eye contact, and even blinking is considered wrong and offensive. In some countries, it may be inappropriate to shake hands with a person of another gender. Every country/culture has its own customs, expressions, behaviors, mannerisms, etc. Since we are rapidly becoming more and more a global society and economy, it is important to familiarize ourselves with these differences and try to incorporate them into our work environment. We are as apt to work with a person on the other side of the world as we are with a person right down the hall! And, in your working lifetime, you may very well be employed by a multinational company that operates on a global basis.

For this last discussion forum, let's consider some of these differences and discuss how we might deal with such diversity in the workplace. To do so, we will need to do a little research. Perhaps you work with someone who is from a different country or culture. You may want to speak with this person to gather information. There are numerous websites that offer information about cultural and ethical differences among countries; however, this one is particularly good:

http://www.executiveplanet.com/index.php?title=Main_Page (Links to an external site.)

•Select a country or culture that you believe is quite different from mainstream American culture.

•Identify and describe one point of difference between the two cultures that would affect ethics in the workplace. (Remember that language is not culture so don't pick a language difference.)

•If you were the business manager, explain how you could incorporate these differences into an organization's ethical code of conduct and communicate that to your employees?