Universalism vs Relativism: How They Affect Global Social Corporate Responsibility

Global Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
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Global Ethics and Corporate Responsibility
The standard characterization of what is right or wrong in society towards defining what constitutes ethical or moral conduct often makes for a major contentious issue in both the scholarly and business world (Quintelier, 2013 & Shweder, 2012). A common debate pitting universalism of ethics and moral codes against moral relativism often ensues across the different fields. Proponents of ethical or moral universalism argue that the characterization of morality ought to be the same for all individuals and groups worldwide (Tangwa, 2004, Chin, 2015 & Rossi, 2021). In essence, moral universalism holds that human actions are right or wrong for everyone across different social constructs or contexts. It also holds ethical statements to be true or false for all individuals and groups in the different contexts of their existence CITATION Qui13 \l 1033 (Quintelier, 2013). On the other hand, moral relativism holds that the morality of human actions is subject to the social constructs within which they occur or are performed (Chin, 2015 & Shweder, 2012). In essence, what is right in a particular context may be wrong in another context or social construct due to some underlying factors defining an individual’s or group’s perception of morality and overall way of life.
The debate on the standard characterization of ethics and moral codes is prevalent in the business management sector due to the globalization of business operations. The application of global social corporate responsibility initiatives is subject to the perspective taken by organizations’ management in determining cross-cultural ethics and moral codes (Bartel, 2022). Cultural differences in the perception of what is right or wrong create a major challenge in the application of global corporate socia...