2.3.4 Religion, ethics and superstition
Managers are also interested in the dominant or state religion of the country, the importance of religion in the society, the degree of religious homogeneity or heterogeneity and the degree of tolerance of religious diversity, ethics and superstition.
Religion . T he dominant religion influences everyday activities such as opening and closing times, holidays, ceremonies and available foods. A company's operations must be geared to these factors. Sunday, for example, is the Sabbath day in Christian countries; Friday is the Sabbath in Islamic countries. The dominant religion affects production because of these issues, but it is worthwhile remembering that it also affects consumption.
The importance of religion is also a concern for business. Where religious beliefs are fundamental to the society there will be little flexibility in terms of adherence to religious holidays and low tolerance of religious mistakes by foreigners. Take the example of the heavily commercialised celebration of St Valentine's Day where romantics at heart exchange cards, flowers, chocolates, and gifts as expressions of their love. Each year Hindu nationalists issue warnings that they will shave the heads of young lovers celebrating St Valentine's Day and beat them. The reasoning for this is that the Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party consider the celebration obscene and a violation of the Hindu cultural ethos. However, where religion plays a relatively minor role, people will be more relaxed about religious issues and more tolerant of the mistakes of foreigners.
The degree of religious homogeneity or heterogeneity , and the degree of tolerance of religious diversity, will of course have varying degrees of significance for managers.
For some examples of issues created by religion, review the following readings. The first represents a religious festival in Italy where everyone celebrates by smoking cigarettes, including children from as young as six years of age. Compare this to attitudes towards smoking in countries such as Australia . The second article discusses the inappropriate use of the Buddha image in Thailand . This article should also prompt some consideration of how easy it may be to offend others by our purchase, or even our wearing, of religious symbols. The third reading provides some views of an Islamic fundamentalist in Malaysia on segregating men and women at supermarket counters, bus queues and hairdressing salons.
Reading 2.6
Bush, S. 2004, 'Children light up in Italian village's smoking tradition', Age , 24 January, p. World 17.
Reading 2.7
Johnstone, S. 2004, 'Hypocrisy over Buddha images', Phuket Gazette , 15-31 May, p. 19.
Reading 2.8
Star/Asia News Network 2001, 'Segregation at bus queues 'an insult to men'', Straits Times , 29 March, p. A9.
Ethics . A ccording to Hill (2005, p. 98) 'ethical systems refer to a set of moral principles, or values, that are used to guide and shape behaviour'. Ethics is a set of moral principles usually derived from religion. Thus there are Christian ethics, Islamic ethics, Buddhist ethics and so on. Largely (but by no means exclusively) because of corporate misconduct, business ethics have become extensively important. Concern for stakeholders and the environment is increasingly relevant for managers of international businesses, as is bribery. Consider the content of the following figure that explores the concept of right and wrong and changes in moral and ethical choices. What are your views on these issues?
'.different cultures have adopted different concepts of right and wrong; who is to judge their comparative validity? Doubtless there were many Aztecs who believed that human sacrifice is virtuous. There are some contemporary cultures where stoning an adultress to death is considered appropriate. |
Even during my lifetime I have witnessed moral reversals from entirely within Western society. Homosexuality was once regarded by many as not merely undesirable but wicked. Today we celebrate the right of people to express their sexuality as they wish and regard attempts to suppress that freedom as morally offensive. Thrift used to be a virtue, until inflation arrived and banks started encouraging borrowing and debt. Now we think that anybody who doesn't provide for themselves and their family with a massive house mortgage is shirking their responsibilities. |
Not only are advances in genetics and medical technology re-shaping our moral universe, they are presenting us with ethical choices that never existed before. Is it right or wrong to clone a human being? Should genes for certain diseases or psychological defects be removed from the human genome? What are the rights of surrogate mothers? Should frozen sperm be used without the donor's permission? Divine guidance is of little help; the answers won't be found in the scriptures. Instead, humanity faces a huge, new responsibility. Since no one will tell us for sure what is right and wrong, we have to work it out for ourselves'. |
Figure 2.5 Right and wrong
Source: Davies 1999, p. 39
Superstitions. These also affect international business in much the same ways as religion. Colours for example, should be used with great care. Black is the colour for mourning in Christian countries as well as being the colour for trendy clothing, whilst in the Middle East it stands for modesty. White is the colour for mourning in Islamic countries. Red is considered lucky in China , as is yellow in Thailand . White carnations, which are often worn at formal events in some English speaking countries, are a symbol of death in some East Asian countries.
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