Examining the ethical predisposition of the next generation of business leaders in China and the Republic of South Africa

Christo Bisschoff,Sam Fullerton,David L Moore

doi:10.4102/sajems.v11i2.306

Abstract

This study was undertaken in an effort to determine the attitudes of business students in South Africa and China toward a battery of questionable actions undertaken by anonymous business entities. In general, practices such as the outsourcing of labour and celebrity endorsements met with little opposition on the part of the students. Conversely, actions such as the shipment of unsafe products to overseas markets and a doctor smuggling a potentially beneficial (but illegal) drug across international borders in an effort to help a patient were strongly condemned. A comparison of the means of the 14 scenarios resulted in statistically significant differences for the two countries on eight of the questionable actions. In seven of the eight, the South Africans exhibited stronger opposition (or a lower level of support for) the behaviour of the organization. Furthermore, the grand means for the two countries also favored the RSA as the country with the higher ethical predisposition.

Highlights

In an era of business characterised by international expansion, marketers have begun to target geographic locations that were previously largely ignored
Political barriers are being dismantled; the most noteworthy is the metamorphosis of South Africa which has opened the doors to new opportunities as a direct result of the abolition of apartheid
In a comparison of China, the United States, and Jamaica, the results indicated that there were no significant differences between China and the United States while Jamaica ranked last in the assessment of five vignettes employed to measure attitudes towards questionable actions on the part of business (Fok, Hartman & Kwong, 2005)

Summary

Introduction

In an era of business characterised by international expansion, marketers have begun to target geographic locations that were previously largely ignored In this regard, some observers might offer the standard cliché that the world has become smaller. The emergence and expansion of multilateral trade alliances such as the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU) have resulted in more marketers adopting an international perspective. Another contributing factor is the general fall of Communism, a historic development that led to the reunification of Germany and the opening of a multitude of new markets. As the crossing of borders has become less encumbered by a myriad of trade barriers, marketers across the globe have sought to take advantage of the resultant emerging opportunities

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Conclusion