Business ethics, as the philosophical enquiry into the moral features present in economic activity, ought to be a tool for building a fairer society. To examine how business ethics in Mexico can be such a tool, we first present some economic and cultural consequences of Mexico’s privileged geographical position (bordering the United States) and of its joining the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. By adding a political and historical account to the analysis, we explain why the post-NAFTA boost in the economy has divided the country in what we have labeled Main-Road Mexico (those who are or seek to be part of the modern economy of Mexico) and Off-Road Mexico (those who are unaware of or distant from any “modern” options, or rather, wish to maintain and even strengthen their pre-NAFTA and even pre-Hispanic cultural identity). We then use Hofstede’s findings of the cultural dimensions of Mexico to provide the backdrop against which we discuss recent and relevant research done on business in Mexico. We do this to highlight the implications for business practitioners dealing with Mexican companies in Mexico and Mexican companies abroad and to suggest that indeed business ethics can be the seed of social justice.

In a rapidly changing global market, it has become increasingly important and vital for the survival of the organization to be competitive and adaptive. In order to achieve this, organizational leadership needs a better understanding of the business cultures in which their companies are operating. One of the challenges is the lack of literature on ethical business cultures in emerging markets. This is also the case for Turkey, a fast growing emerging market. In this chapter, we use Donaldson and Dunfee’s Integrative Social Contracts Theory (ISCT) to explore the ethical business culture of Turkey as an emerging market. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are used to analyze the role of Turkish national culture in shaping business behavior. The role of religion and of the political and administrative institutional structures is also discussed in detail. The development of ethical business cultures in Turkish business organizations is also discussed, with special emphasis on challenges presented by globalization and rapid economic development. Implications for leadership are also discussed.

Doing business in Brazil requires a thorough understanding of what ethical business culture means in the country and how this culture is related to the inherent threats and opportunities in the Brazilian business environment, stressing the private and public connection, as many economic crises have had their origins in corruption scandals and ethical deviations. Historical and cultural factors such as jeitinho (a specific Brazilian approach to circumventing bureaucratic barriers and solving problems using informal networks of relationships and favors) still permeate social and business behavior, hindering the development of a more professional and ethical business culture for both private and public enterprises and impairing a more consistent national growth. Despite progress, made recently, changing a traditionally paternalist, personalist, and impunity-based business culture is neither easy nor automatic. Merely adopting codes of conduct has proven to be insufficient to transform Brazilian business culture, which is typically characterized by power concentration, paternalism, personal loyalty, and conflict avoidance. We explore this context behind the Brazilian model of ethical business culture and invite investors to cautiously enter the market, consciously preparing to both face it and help with the required change.

Chinese business ethics emerged as a field of research after the beginning of economic reforms in late 1970s to early 1980s. In the 1990s, China grew to become a manufacturing powerhouse, and Chinese products have been widely exported around the world. Issues associated with defective products, such as toothpaste tainted with antifreeze and pet food containing melamine, also arose and generated negative publicity (Lu, 2009). After China entered the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, concerns were raised about the inappropriate conduct of Chinese businesses (Brand & Slater, 2003). This triggered an interest in examining the ethical conduct of Chinese business organizations.

The first part of this chapter covers the development of Chinese ethical business culture and the impact of historical, cultural, economic, and political factors. It discusses the profound influence on ethical business environment and ethics of Confucian philosophy, Communist ideology, and the government regulatory agencies. Special attention is paid to the role of informal networks and the unique practice of guanxi. Next, the chapter discusses the ethics policies and practices at the firm level to investigate the roles of leadership, managerial culture, and ethics training in ethical business practices in China. Implications are discussed from the viewpoints of both foreign and Chinese firms to provide a global perspective.

Using the Ethical Perceptions Index, this chapter reviews employees’ varying perceptions of ethical business practices across 22 of the world’s largest economies. The chapter addresses two important research questions: Do perceptions of ethical business practices relate to important organizational outcomes? And, How do we create and sustain ethical business practices? In answering these questions, we draw on an extensive, globally representative sample of employees, and show that organizations operating with higher levels of ethics and integrity are more likely to succeed, both with respect to the way employees feel about their work environment as well as multiple indicators of organizational-level business performance. Finally, we explore the main drivers of ethical business cultures, and demonstrate that organizations that build a climate for diversity and inclusion, communicate transparently, codify and regulate important work processes, and hire and advance managers who act with a high degree of interpersonal justice, will score the highest on the Ethical Perceptions Index. We conclude by offering suggestions for leaders who seek to improve their organization’s ethical standing amongst employees.