Ethical Relativism

Ethical Relativism is a theory that morality is relative to the norms of one’s culture. The same action may be morally right in one society but may be morally wrong in another.

One of the arguments against ethical relativism is that universal moral standards can exist even if some moral beliefs vary among societies.

In the case of compliance, US laws are mandating high levels of business practices. The problem is often what to do in other societies. In Japan you have to think about what to do with the Yakuza, in Russia you need to worry about everyone. How do you operate a business with high ethical standards in these countries? Should you?