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“Cases and Beer”
Net Impact Club Hosts Discussion on
Global Business
On April 18, 2008 the Net Impact Club
of the Robert H. Smith School of
Business at the University of Maryland
hosted a “Cases and Beer” discussion on
the social and economic costs of doing
business globally. The case being
discussed centered on Yahoo! and their
experience doing business in China. Was
Yahoo’s compliance with the Chinese
government’s request to share personal
information with them with regards to
their censorship policy? The discussion
was moderated by Smith faculty member
Shreevardhan Lele, Tyser Teaching
Fellow.
Lele led the group in a debate on the
Yahoo case centering it on several
frameworks to analyze the issues and
facts. First, Lele surveyed the group
for issues and concerns about Yahoo’s
actions from the group’s perspective.
Ranging from cultural self-righteousness
to censorship to privacy issues, the
group built a list of concerns about
Yahoo’s behavior from a U.S. perspective
that could be broadly re-applied to
other cases. Lele then spoke on the
differences between cultures and rules
and how businesses need to consider the
social costs of doing businesses in
other nations.
Next, Lele led the group into an
analysis from legal, economic and
ethical perspectives. Yahoo’s actions
were legal in China, but many in the
group argued that they would be illegal
in the U.S. However, Lele showed the
group that there would be no basis for
legal action in the U.S. since the
incident happened in China. From an
economic standpoint, the group
determined that cooperation with the
Chinese government is a requirement for
doing business in China. Lastly, from an
ethical standpoint, the views on Yahoo’s
actions varied widely. As Lele framed
it, the ethical issue all depends on how
it is framed, what the ethical hierarchy
is, and how it translates to society.
Lele concluded the discussion by
noting that each player involved has
different values and institutions that
guide their decision making. This case
clearly shows that these differ across
people, companies, and nations. The
practices, norms, and rules that may be
followed and accepted in one place or
situation may not translate to another.
Related
Stories:
►Net Impact Club Hosts Discussion
on Global Business
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CEO Speaks to Smith Students
►Second Annual
CEO Conference Focuses on Sustainability
►April 2008:
Sustainability Month at Smith
▓ Adam Weiner, MBA
Candidate 2009, Smith Media Group |
