INTERNATIONAL PAYOFF - DILEMMA FOR BUSINESS

• NCJ Number: 65142
• Author(s): Y KUGEL; G W GRUENBERG
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 221 pages
• Corporate Author: Lexington Books
• Sale Source: Lexington Books
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS BY U.S. MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS ARE EXAMINED IN ORDER TO PRESENT THE CASES FOR AND AGAINST PAYOFFS, TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR DISCUSSING BUSINESS ETHICS, AND TO SUGGEST CONTROL MEASURES.

Abstract

THE BOOK IS DIRECTED TO LEGISLATORS, EXECUTIVES OF MULTINATIONAL FIRMS, AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. ITS BASIC THESIS IS THAT BLANKET CONDEMNATION OF INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS IS NOT ONLY UNREALISTIC BUT MAY HARM U.S. FIRMS' ABILITY TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY IN THE FACE OF WORLD COMPETITION. FURTHERMORE, THERE IS A SPECTRUM OF ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS; REVELATIONS OF SUCH PAYOFFS ARE NOT AN INDICTMENT OF GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO CURB THE GROWING POWER OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS. AFTER DELINEATING THE WHITE, GRAY, AND BLACK AREAS AND FORMS OF INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS, THE ANALYSIS FOCUSES ON THE RATIONALE OF PAYOFFS FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF SOCIETY, BUSINESS, AND THE INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE. VARIOUS STUDIES OF BUSINESS BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE THE RANGE OF BELIEFS HELD BY THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY ON INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS. RECENT REPORTS OF ACTUAL PAYOFF CASES IN SEVERAL INDUSTRIES ARE PRESENTED. THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK DEVELOPED USES THREE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS (SOCIETY, BUSINESS, AND INDIVIDUAL) AND DECISIONMAKING GUIDELINES (LEGAL, ECONOMIC, MORAL). THE FRAMEWORK PERMITS INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVES TO BASE THEIR DECISIONS ON THEIR UNIQUE SITUATIONS IN THE GLOBAL MARKET. FINALLY, A COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSAL FOR MEASURES TO CONTROL INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS IS PRESENTED. INCLUDED ARE FOUR LEVELS OF ACTIVITY. AT THE TRANSNATIONAL LEVEL, THE MAIN EMPHASIS IS ON MORAL INFLUENCE; AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL, ON LEGAL INFLUENCE; AT THE BUSINESS LEVEL, ON ECONOMIC INFLUENCE. EACH INFLUENCE IS DIRECTED AT MAKING INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS INCREASINGLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE'S SELF-INTEREST. THE ANALYSIS IS THEN APPLIED TO VARIOUS CURRENT PROPOSALS FOR THE CONTROL OF PAYOFFS TO EXPLAIN WHY THE EMPHASIS ON THE INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE IS A FRUITFUL APPROACH FOR DEALING WITH INTERNATIONAL PAYOFFS. TABLES, CHAPTER FOOTNOTES WHICH INCLUDE REFERENCES, CARTOONS, A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND AN INDEX ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--CFW)