Assignment -

"The sole purpose of a firm is to make money for its shareholders" - Within the international business context, MNCs have displayed this perspective time and again (as exemplified by the cases of MNC's employment of sweat shop labour, the Rana Plaza disaster, and such ethical fiascos). When faced with ethical challenges, the objective of profit maximisation trumps ethical and moral value centric operations of businesses. Thus, leading to such ethical scandals.

Critique this behaviour of MNCs in the essay using two parts: The first part of the essay (Part A) should include a brief description of ethics in international business context, ethical dilemmas, and drivers for unethical behaviour. The second part, Part B should illustrate how ethical dilemmas could be mitigated within an international business context. Candidates are expected to read extensively and answer the essay topic by employing real world examples, ethical philosophies, and theoretical perspectives towards ethical behaviour within the global business context.

The essay mandates a minimum of 15 references with at least 6 of them being recent academic (peer-reviewed) references. For this, the students will have to read widely on global business environments. References within the Mid-Term assignment, must follow Melbourne Polytechnic Referencing standards. Failing which, marks will be deducted. The included reference list must adhere to the Harvard referencing style and include all references used within the essay.

The Mid-Term assignment mandates students to read widely around international business issues and strategies. It is essential that students do no confine themselves to their recommended reading materials. For the Mid-Term Essay, students are expected to demonstrate their understanding of ethical issues within international business environments from both theoretical and practical lenses.