International exchanges as the basis for conceptualizing ethics in international business

Extant business ethics literature available for application to internationa l business demonstrates some variety but no comprehensive principles. While the domains of both international business and business ethics are expandi ng, they are also becoming increasingly divergent. At the same time, the pr imacy accorded to the multinational enterprise in both fields ignores the s ocio-cultural and political embeddedness of economic activities, and multip le agencies in international business (individuals, firms, nations, etc.). Some international business theorists have offered the view that internatio nal exchange should be the central building block for theories on internati onal business. In this paper, it is argued that international exchange coul d be the fundamental unit of analysis for international business ethics as well. The potentially unifying features of exchange norms and ethical princ iples leads the author to develop some core exchange ethics principles that are tested on three recent international business practices.