Managing cross cultural business ethics

The Trompenaars database (1993) updated with Hampden-Turner (1998) has been assembled to help managers structure their cross cultural experiences in o rder to develop their competence for doing business and managing across the world. The database comprises more than 50,000 cases from over 100 countri es and is one of the world's richest sources of social constructs. Woolliam s and Trompenaars (1998) review the analysis undertaken by the authors in t he last five years to develop the methodological approach underpinning the work. Recently Trompenaars with Hampden-Turner (Trompenaars and Woolliams, 1999) have extended the concepts into a new model on dilemma reconciliation of cultural differences. This paper reviews these latest updates in relati on to dilemmas of cross-cultural business ethics. The paper asserts that kn owledge in relation to business ethics is culturally specific; and that eth nocentrism is not easy to avoid. Too great an emphasis on rational-analytic conceptions of reality may mean that syntheses, emotion, and intuition, ar e not adequately developed. This presents implications for doing business a nd managing across cultures and for resolving ethical dilemmas.