1. There is an old saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Do you believe that a business should conform to the business and cultural practices of the countries in which they operate, or should they adopt and remain true to the values of their home countries? If bribery is acceptable in Mexico, why shouldn’t Walmart bribe local officials?
2. In what sense is Apple or Google a “U.S. company”? Should companies have special loyalty to the countries in which they are incorporated? Why, or why not?
3. Nike once famously claimed that they are a marketing company not a manufacturer, and thus they cannot be held responsible for the actions of other companies that produce the goods that Nike sells. To what degree should Apple be held responsible for the actions of Foxconn in China? To
what degree should Foxconn be held responsible for the actions of security guards at their plants when those guards are hired by independent security firms?
4. To what degree, if any, are consumers responsible for the way workers are treated in manufacturing plants that produce consumer goods? Would you be less willing to buy an iPad if you learned that it was manufactured in a plant in which workers worked eighty-hour weeks and other workers committed suicide to protest their treatment?
