[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Cultural Values & Ethics
All individuals have a certain set of cultural and ethical values according to which one chooses to live life in a certain way. However, these ethical and cultural values have never been easy to define because it deals with intangibles like values and beliefs. But ethical standards provide us with an ability to resolve global ethical dilemmas. Without standards, we restrict our ability to do business effectively in a borderless world.
And, paradoxically, our search for a universal code of ethics intensifies just as we become increasingly aware of cultural differences. Most managers with global experience would agree that there must be some set of shared, global ethical values. This is not too surprising because we are all one species with common basic needs and desires, though expression is different around the globe. But what are these common values.
Even if you and your organization have sorted out its values, prioritized them and identified acceptable behaviors, there is still the issue of action. Good intentions are common; our challenge as individuals and companies is to act on intention. But appreciate how hard this is in the real world, and understand that living these values fully is akin to trying to be absolutely objective. As individuals, we cannot be absolutely objective, since we are rooted in subjectivity. For example, we have families, and we tend to treat our own children differently from the children of strangers.......
