Game-Theoretic Insights Concerning Key Business Ethics Issues Occurring in Emerging Economies

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to identify useful game-theoretic insights concerning key issues of business ethics in emerging economies. An insight should be of assistance to understanding and implementing business strategy and government policy. Better understanding and implementation should then help develop increased international consensus on ethical and legal standards. An example is the problems arising from efforts to reduce corruption (bribery, extortion, and facilitation) which is widespread in emerging and developing countries. It is important to understand the causes and effects of the various forms of corruption in order to design and implement effective anti-corruption measures by national governments, international institutions, and multinational entities. The study draws on four elements which will be addressed in the following sequence: game theory, emerging economies, business ethics, and key issues.

The chapter is structured as follows. The following section explains in general terms game theory and criteria for defining emerging economies. The explanations are background for addressing key issues of business ethics. The next section reviews the business ethics literature concerning game theory. The subsequent section identifies game-theoretic insights for four key issues of business ethics in emerging economies. (Some illustrations are drawn from developing economies; the rationale is explained below in the sub-section on defining emerging economies, as the dividing line is evolving and gray.) The concluding section of the chapter emphasizes the findings and their implications for business ethics in emerging economies.