Global Justice and International Business - Case Study Example

LITERATURE REVIEW INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES IN ORGANISATIONS By Location Global Justice and InternationalBusiness Summary of the arguments Underpinning the research is that international businesses or multinational corporations have the duty to improve the welfare of the citizens. Core to the argument is that the main purpose of the international businesses should be to alleviate poverty in the developing countries (Arnold, 2012). The article explains the responsibility of the international businesses by paying attention to theories that obligate international business corporations to improve the economic status of the countries they are operating. The authors explain some of the agents of global justice with much emphasis on distribution of the global resources. Besides, the authors refer to institutional legitimacy and explains that there is moral legitimacy that is relevant to the international business though there has been little attention given to the subject. Besides, the article refers to Rawls and human rights cosmopolitan theoretical models to explain the moral obligations of businesses. The key notions The notion of the research is that little attention has been given to the extent to which international businesses are responsible for the well-being of the society. The first notion is that business corporations are the agents of international justice. Secondly, the article recommends that the legitimacy of the global governance institutions as well that of the corporations is distinct implying that they exercise different levels of control in the international business arena. The third notion or argument is that the proposed democratic and deliberative model of the political Corporate Social Responsibility is actually unsatisfactory. The final notion is that the Rawlsian theory does not provide the accounts under which corporations are obligated to ensure global justice. On the other hand, the article defends the integration of CRS into business operations. As from the first notion, it is evident that businesses are obligated to ensure that the operations in foreign countries result in fairness to the surrounding communities by providing necessary benefits to them. Besides, legitimacy is a huge concern for international businesses because they operate in multicultural and political environments. As with CSR, the approach is the only way of ensuring that a business engages in sound operations that benefit the community. However, the article finds some limitations to Rawlsians theory of holding businesses accountable for their actions. Strengths and weaknesses From the title, the article successfully explores a new topic on the responsibility of international business corporations as the agents of international justice. Moreover, the article succeeds in identifying some of the considerations as well as theoretical underpinnings that international businesses can use in ensuring that their actions show justice and fairness. However, the article faults Rawlsian theory to argue against CSR despite the role it has played in improving the responsibility of multinational corporations to the social well-being of the communities around the world. Linking and reflection The article adds to knowledge to the existing perspectives on the role of international corporations by explaining the models that the corporations can use in ensuring international justice. Underpinning the study is that corporations are the agents of international justice thus they must align their strategies to fulfill such obligations. On the other hand, the article recommends that international justice is an ethical concern thus uses CSR to explain how organizations are obliged to engage in ethically sound operations. 2. Cultural Constrains in Management Theories Summary of the arguments The article covers some of the cultural constraints in management international businesses and posits that management theories and concepts are used different according to the cultural contexts. Besides, the article aims proposes the development of a universal model to take into account the different national culture in managing businesses at the international level. The underlying assumption is that management theorists, scientists, and writers are human, and their theoretical assumptions present the constraints in their context of managing the human resource (Hofstede, 1993). Therefore, the article focuses on the idea that a theorys validity, in management, is a subject to the conditions of the national cultures. Key notions As from the article, the key notion underpinning the central arguments is that managing businesses internationally is constrained by the national cultures. The author gives the example of Europe and explains how theories of management have not been successfully implemented in those cultures. Besides, the constraints in management theories are also evident in the poor countries that have not yet established their approaches to management because they still apply the Western management theories. However, a notion common with the management transfer to the poor countries is that the multinational corporations have on many occasions the cultural considerations in these countries. The constraints in managing the cross-boundary business are due to cultural differences, and this has been confirmed by the management theorists and scientist. In the international business environment, some cultures are perceived to be superior, and this explains why cultures in Europe stick to their approaches to management. Poor countries, given their low economic status, depend to a large extent on the Western management theories despite having their cultures. In this case, management transfers to poor countries ignore the integration of their cultures into the management of the human resource. Strengths and weaknesses The strengths of the arguments stem from the close reference to cultural management theories that confirm that cultural difference is a major constraint to managing cross-boundary businesses. Besides, another of the article is that the article supports the arguments with substantive examples of how management practices have failed in certain cultural settings. However, an imminent weakness is that author limits examples of the constraints to managing the human resource to only some prominent cultures with little emphasis on the developing or the emerging economies. Link and reflection From the main arguments of the article, it is possible to infer that culture is a major constraint to the management of international businesses. On the other hand, culture must be considered when transferring management practices to foreign countries. Besides, the role that national cultures lay in the management of the human resources is the reason as to why some practices may be associated with the Japanese, Chinese, Europeans and the Americans. 3. Article 3: Rethinking change: downsizing businesses, changing behaviors and still managing to come out on top Summary of the arguments The article refers to the increasing need for the international business to use strategies that would help them explore the opportunities in the emerging markets. In this case, the authors recommend that companies should consider the right approaches to downsizing their human resource or the workforce while the same time is staying competitive and saving costs. The research findings recommend the five steps to downsizing namely managing corporate brand name, managing communications, managing closure, managing investment in employees and managing the continuity of the operations (Butler, Crundwell & Sweeney, 2011). The key notions An imminent notion from the article is that the increased pressure from competition in the home countries is forcing companies to consider investing in markets with cheap labor that will result in saving of costs. In return, businesses should ensure that there is a proper transition into the new business opportunities. One of the proper practices to such transitions is downsizing the employees, and this must be done in a satisfactory manner. The five steps focuses on the managing of the continuity of operations thus a firm seeking opportunity in foreign countries must make sure that there is strategic fit in the new markets. Strengths and weaknesses From the article, the authors design a model for downsizing employees thus offers a fast hand reference to managers or businesses seeking to expand to the cheaper and cost effective markets. However, there is barely any weakness though the research findings could have been based on a more empirical study. Link and personal reflection The article is a perfect reference to individuals seeking to understand some of the basics of managing cross-boundary businesses where the focus is to minimize costs. Therefore, the downsizing model is a useful tool for understanding how organizations can ensure business continuity after entering the new markets. 4. In the Eye of the Beholder: Cross Cultural Lessons in Leadership from Project Globe Summary of the arguments The article makes references to global leadership as being crucial for the success of international businesses. The inferences from the study are based on the Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE) study leadership differences on a worldwide scale (Javidan, M, Dorfman, Sally de Luque & House, 2006). In effect, the article attributes the increased focus o international business to globalization. On the other hand, the cultural dimension is a crucial factor to consider in global business; thus managers have to compare the existing cultures with those of their organization. Besides, the author refers to some of the elements to consider in cross-cultural business management situations. In this case, underpinning the study is that is each cultural context requires distinct leadership competency. Key notion and explanations The main notion of cross-cultural business management is that globalization has increased the extent to which people interact and also reduced barriers to business operations. On the other hand, cross-cultural business management is embedded in the notion that national culture affects the management practices. Besides, the article focuses on leadership as a main element of cross-cultural business management. The implication is that each and every culture requires some leadership competencies thus a global leader must have attributes that enable him or her to oversee operations under diverse cultural environment. Strengths and weaknesses An imminent strength of the article is the application of the GLOBE model to study global leadership and effectiveness of organization behavior. In this case, the authors refer to leadership to certain national contexts thus explains issues surrounding global leadership and organizational behavior. Since there is substantive statistical evidence to underpin the assumptions and recommendations, the article has no any weakness. Link and Personal Reflection The findings of the research make it possible to link the failure of managing the human resource effectively in the international business environment to cultural difference. Therefore, a leader can only be successful if he or she has the competency to organize, direct and coordinate a diverse workforce. Bibliography Arnold, DG 2012, ‘Global Justice and International Business’, Business Ethics Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 1, pp.125-143. Butler, M, Crundwell, D & Sweeney, PM 2011, Rethinking change: downsizing businesses, changing behaviours and still managing to come out on top. Hofstede, G 1993, ‘Cultural Constrains in Management theories’, Academy of Management Executive, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 81-94. Javidan, M, Dorfman, PW, Sally de Luque & House, RJ 2006, ‘In the eye of the Beholder: Cross Cultural Lessons in Leadership from Project Globe’, Academy of Management Perspectives, pp. 67-92. Read More