Problem
I. The world of "ethical actions" in international business is more complicated than you would think. For example, in US companies you are not allowed to bribe any official for anything at any time. Having said that - let's say that your company's equipment is sitting on the dock of a foreign country and it's pouring rain. The official there is telling you that you need to pay him $1000 to allow your equipment to move off the dock. What do you do why? How would you justify your actions to management in the US?
II. A US employee sends a German employee (same company) a joke. The German employee perceived the joke to be directed at them, and it caused an uproar. The US employee was reprimanded and put on performance probation.
Is this unethical behavior on the part of the US employee or is the German being over sensitive? What can we learn (should we learn) from this example?