Filed in archive Ethics by leon on May 1, 2007

This year, we've seen Siemens being investigated for graft and corruption and Chiquita Brands getting fined $25 million slinging cash to paramilitaries in Colombia.

And we're only four months into 2007.

How does a business steer an ethical course when expanding overseas? It's a question raised here by WP Carey professor Marianne Jennings.

She points to some of the warning signs, like fear and silence, pressure to maintain numbers, weak boards and a culture of conflict. The only way around the problem, she says, is to set very clear policies. Companies must also realize that when they enter a new country, their reputation starts at zero.

But what are the specific steps? I examine that issue when I discuss ways of avoiding integrity land mines.

Related Entries:

Learning from mistakes - 22 September 2006
Ethics lesson from HP - 10 January 2007
Bribery International - 04 January 2007
Siemens scandal claims another scalp: chairman resigns, more... - 20 April 2007
Ethics danger signals - 29 November 2007

« Women, tax and pay | Main | Principles for Responsibl... »

Permalink: Ethics in international business

Tags: Marianne Jennings ethics international business Siemens bribery scandal corporate international+bu

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Rating: 9.00 out of 4 vote(s) cast.

Response from: Eric (05/02/07 2:53pm)

This is an awesome article. I work for a multi-national company who is a service provider to some of the companies you name. They are top 100 clients to us...and are a several billion dollar company. These factors seriously impact our internal quality and our values programs. Values are HUGE where I work.

Thanks for this post.

Eric

Response from: Closets (05/03/07 8:35am)

Ethics and integrity have taken a holiday for the past few years while big business takes advantage of the political leverage it held. Hopefully better days are ahead as the corrupt regimes are gradually ended.

Response from: BizzBites.com

How does a business steer an ethical course when expanding overseas? Watch out for the warning signs like like fear and silence, pressure to maintain numbers, weak boards and culture of conflict. When companies enter a new country, their reputation sta...

Response from: news.fatpitchfinancials.com

Response from:

How does a business steer an ethical course when expanding overseas? Watch for warning signs, like fear and silence, pressure to maintain numbers, weak boards and a a culture of conflict. Companies must also realize that when they enter a new country, ...