Question

Three employees of Martin Enterprises have flown to China to meet with potential business partners there. The three employees are in a disagreement about whether to give gifts to the potential partners. James is from the U.S. office and he feels it is an ethical violation. Eun Hee (from the South Korean office) and Evan Lee (from the Japanese office) agree that the gift is appropriate given the Chinese culture. Which ethical generalization is this an example of?
a. Individuals have their personal belief system.
b. Individuals from the same cultural contexts will tend to have similar beliefs.
c. Individuals can rationalize behavior.
d. Individuals may not always be consistent with their beliefs.

Answer 1

As given in the case, the ethical practices which are followed in one country need not necessarily be followed in another country. Here in this case, James hailing from US feels as per his upbringing giving gifts to influence decisions is not a ethical practice. HE has been following such an example all through his life and it will be difficult for him to take a new approach out of the blue. While in the case of Hee and Lee, they have similar upbringing and are used to sharing gifts on their initial interactions. They do not consider this a means to influence a decision making process but rather a hospitality to share the new bond and relationship. In my opinion, people belonging to the same culture will often have similar belief systems.