Top

Journal of Business Ethics

Published in:

24-08-2017 | Original Paper

International Business as a Possible Civilizing Force in a Cosmopolitan World

Author: Norman E. Bowie

Published in: Journal of Business Ethics | Issue 4/2019

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

The effect of capitalism on the quality of life has been much debated. Albert O. Hirschman has classified the views of the impact of capitalism on the quality of life as civilizing, destructive, and feeble. I believe that multinational corporations (MNCs) should be and could be a civilizing force in today’s cosmopolitan but turbulent world. A number of initiatives will be discussed with special emphasis on business contributions to human rights and to the achievement of past and present United Nations (UN) initiatives. As MNCs undertake these initiatives, they will do well by doing good.

previous article Shaping the Shift: Shamanic Leadership, Memes, and Transformation

next article Authenticity and Corporate Governance

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Hirschman’s discussion of the ways in which capitalism might be feeble in its impact on society is not relevant to my discussion here. Persons interested in that discussion should consult the full article.

In making these observations, I am not saying that these corporations necessarily hold the moral high ground on other ethical issues. A corporation can be supportive of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (or queer, LGBTQ) rights and yet fail other moral tests such as protecting the environment or individual privacy. Human agents are not perfect and neither are corporate agents.

I make the save caveat here that I did in Note 2.

From 2005–2011, John Ruggie was the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights.

https://business.un.org/en/entities/34.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission/principles.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/what-is-gc/mission.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/search?utf8=✓&search%5Bkeywords%5D&search%5Bcontent_type%5D=1&search%5Bsort_field%5D for a complete selection of cases.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/take-action/action/case-example/106.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/take-action/action/case-example/102.

https://www.unglobalcompact.org/take-action/action/case-example/110.

https://www.unilever.com.

https://www.unilever.com/news/news-and-features/Feature-article/2016/Our-sustainability-journey-how-far-have-we-come.html.

https://www.hul.co.in/brands/brand-stories/dove-inspires-india-to-break-the-rules-of-beauty.html.

https://www.hul.co.in/sustainable-living/.

You can access the episodes by going to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvU21pcfE92BtZ6XQ3kgIGw The specific episode that includes the female condom is called “Empowering Kenya” and is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0V-KYyTza8.

The facts presented here are based on “The Female Health Company Inc.” A,B, and Carden Business Publishing, UVA-BC-0146, 0183, and 0253, 2013.

https://business.un.org.

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs.

https://business.un.org/en/browse/partnership_stories.

Arnold, D. G. (2010). Transnational corporations and the duty to respect basic human rights. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(3), 371–399.CrossRef

Bédard, J., Nelson, T. G., Saltzstein, S. L., and Spaziano, J. L. (2013). US Supreme Court greatly restricts scope of alien tort claims; Holds statute does not apply extraterritorially. Skadden Insights April 23. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2013/04/us-supreme-court-greatly-restricts-scope-of-alien.

Cragg, W. (2012). Ethics, enlightened self-interest, and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights: A critical look at the justificatory foundations of the UN framework. Business Ethics Quarterly, 22(1), 9–36.CrossRef

Cragg, W., Arnold, D. G., & Muchlinski, P. (Eds.). (2012). Special Issue: Human rights and business (Vol. 22, No. 1). Cambridge: Business Ethics Quarterly.

Eccles, B. (2015). UN Sustainable Development Goals: Good for business. Forbes October 20. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobeccles/2015/10/20/un-sustainable-development-goals-good-for-business/#1cba42202b50.

Hartman, L. P., Arnold, D. G., & Waddock, S. (2003). Rising above sweatshops: An introduction to the text and to the issues. In L. P. Hartman, D. G. Arnold, & S. Waddock (Eds.), Rising above sweatshops: Innovative approaches to global labor challenges. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group.

Hirschman, A. O. (1982). Rival interpretations of market society: civilizing, destructive, or feeble? Journal of Economic Literature, 20(4), 1463–1484.

Polman, P. (2016). Universal human rights: The foundations of the global goals. Huffington Post, The Blog. (original date August 2, 2016, updated February 7, 2017.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-polman/universal-human-rights_b_9185284.html.

Prahalad, C. K. (2006). The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.

Prahalad, C. K., & Hart, S. L. (2002). The fortune at the bottom of the pyramid (Vol. 26, pp. 54–67). Strategy+Business. http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11518.

Ruggie, J. (2011). Guiding principles on business and human rights: Implementing the United Nations “protect, respect and remedy” framework. Advance Edited Version, March 21. Human Rights Council, Seventeenth Session. Document A/HRC/17/31. https://www.business-humanrights.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/ruggie/ruggie-guiding-principles-21-mar-2011.pdf.

Title: International Business as a Possible Civilizing Force in a Cosmopolitan World
Author: Norman E. Bowie
Publication date: 24-08-2017
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Journal of Business Ethics / Issue 4/2019
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3670-8

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Other articles of this Issue 4/2019

Accountability in an Independent Regulatory Setting: The Use of Impact Assessment in the Regulation of Financial Reporting in the UK

An Ethical Perspective on Necro-Advertising: The Moderating Effect of Brand Equity

Shaping the Shift: Shamanic Leadership, Memes, and Transformation

Everyday-Life Business Deviance Among Chinese SME Owners

Moderation as a Moral Competence: Integrating Perspectives for a Better Understanding of Temperance in the Workplace

Not Walking the Walk: How Dual Attitudes Influence Behavioral Outcomes in Ethical Consumption