Ethics and International Standards of Behavior - Joseph R. DesJardins -In many ways, the globalization of business that's occurred in recent decades has raised a whole slew of new issues and challenges for business ethics. But in other ways, this process has raised some questions that are as old as Western philosophy. Issues like bribery, issues like sweatshop labor, child labor are very much new to the field of business ethics in the last year. And they've really arisen as business has become a more globalized an international enterprise. On the other hand, the question is, what does it matter that different cultures have different expectations and standards? Are we to simply accept the status quo? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in Indonesia do is the Indonesians do. Or are there standards that are more objective, more universal? Is ethics dependent upon culture, or is it something that's more rational and independent of culture? Again, I think Plato asked that question 3,000 years ago, and it's still valid today. If we assume that every culture has its own standards and standards are valid within each culture, then we face the real serious risk of relativism, that each culture has its own standards, and what's good in one place is wrong in another place. But the result of that ultimately is who's going to win that conflict? And what it really means is that those that have the power will control the agenda. Thrasymachus in Plato's "Republic" had it right. Justice is the advantage of the stronger. If there are no rational process, if there are no objective answers, then we have conflict. And when we have conflict, the decision will be made by those with power. So the philosophers argue that there has to be a rational process, perhaps not a rational answer-- one definite right answer that's correct in all times and all places and across cultures-- but a process of reasoning and thinking and decision making which can find mutually agreeable conclusions. So again, I would push a model of ethics as a model of decision-making and argue that even in a global context, there are standards, there are rational, objective, and intercultural standards of behavior.