we hold true in our affairs at home. Two maxims of American ideology rebuke the opinion of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”First, no one, including businesses, should morally be permitted to “freeload” (simply put, “freeloading” is the practice of accepting advantages offered by a certain situation while not accepting its disadvantages) (EDB 531). When placed in a situation where “freeloading” is a viable option, many businesses are eager to take advantage of it due to its profitability (most often this is in the case of bribery). There is something essentially wrong with this practice in our society, however. Most modern societies function on a system of benefits and burdens. Each member of society is expected to accept both the benefits and the burdens adherent to their situation and actions. For example, when you steal money you are attempting to acquire a benefit without the adjunct burden (earning it). When such a person is caught doing such, they are almost certainly prosecuted and made to accept the burden (usually in the form of jail time or fines). When a business receives a bribe or a kickback, they are essentially accepting a benefit of the laws against those practices while not suffering the burdens associated with those laws (EDB 531).The second idea which American morality supposes is that of inalienable human rights. Presently, it can be assumed that there is (in most cases) international standards of human rights as designated by the signatories of the United Nations Declaration of Universal Human Rights and by various treaties addressing the issue (EBD 516). Unfortunately, often times, the differing business and social standards in foreign markets/countries allow for firms to take advantage of that country’s populace in ways which are not available (or even legal) in our society. While companies certainly should not be required to provide aid for the p...
