Globalization, Ethics, Justice, and Rights in Business
Globalization, Ethics, and Justice
Globalization
Globalization is an economic process leading to transnational relationships and creating a global society. It features uniformity in lifestyles, where the search for identity and individualism creates local reflections. This leads to an exaggerated perception of risk and the globalization of problems.
Global Ethics
Global ethics responds to moral problems arising from scientific and technological development, globalization, and modern society’s moral pluralism. Minimum morals establish binding moral standards, regardless of culture, based on recognizing others and consensus. Maximum morals relate to the right to moral differences, connected to ethical happiness, which varies for individuals and communities. Combining modern communities while respecting these different models is challenging.
Justice
From an institutional perspective, justice relates to the judiciary, ensuring the administration of laws. Legally, justice conforms to the law; what is fair aligns with the law, and what is unfair transgresses it. Ethically, justice is a moral value or virtue for individuals or social groups. Just behavior aims to achieve good.
Classical Theories of Justice
- Presocratics: Believed in an orderly cosmos, identifying justice with harmony.
- Sophists: Justice is subjective, depending on time and place.
- Plato: Justice is the polis’s most important value; citizens fulfill their natural roles.
- Aristotle: Justice is obedience to law, distinguishing between commutative (equal exchange) and distributive (needs-based) justice.
Contemporary Theories of Justice
- Rawls: Seeks to respect rights and freedoms, accepting inequality if it protects the disadvantaged.
- Walzer: Inequality is unjust domination; each social good needs its own distribution criteria.
- Habermas and Apel: Justice is decided through dialogue and equity.
Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflects the idea of human dignity and equality. Human rights are inherent, not granted by the state. They recognize individuals’ fundamental freedoms, belonging to all humans by nature. These rights are universal, inalienable, inherent, inviolable, and absolute.
Business Ethics
Business ethics is the branch of philosophy dealing with morality. Ethics and morals are often used interchangeably. Moral customs and ethical analysis determine good and evil. Humans are moral beings due to reason.
Characteristics of Human Ethical Status
- Creation of intelligence: Unlike animal instincts, humans have intelligent responses.
- Collective construct: Resulting from interaction.
Relativism
Currently, there are no absolute universal values above individual or group norms.
Sophist Thesis
The only universal law is natural law; moral codes are artificial constructs of each culture.
Reasons for Universal Ethics
- Theological: God is the author of universal order.
- Natural: Human nature has universal requirements.
- Social: Societies ensure survival through norms.
- Autonomous Will: Good is determined by consensus and autonomy.
Conscience and Responsibility
Conscience discerns and values moral judgments. Prudence guides action. Responsibility links autonomy and actions.
Freedom
- External/Physical: Freedom of action, always facing some limitations.
- Internal/Moral: Freedom to choose, influenced by:
- Spontaneous will
- Rational and social will
- Freedom of Reason: Freedom to think, linked to truth.
Material and Formal Ethics
Material ethics focuses on the content of actions, asking “what” about the action.
- Aristotle: Happiness is the end of human action, achieved through reason, virtuous habits, and proper distribution of goods.
- Epicurus: Happiness is seeking pleasure and avoiding pain.
- Utilitarianism: Morality maximizes happiness for the most people.
Formal ethics focuses on the form of actions, not the content.
- Kant: Morality is universal and formal, based on autonomy.
- Sartre: Human existence is not predetermined; individuals choose their values.