Much as in domestic law, international business law cannot truly enforce international business ethics. This is the primary issue facing any kind of international business ethics enforcement. The international business law which might provide for such enforcement is often implemented by one country and one country alone; it can then implement that law against companies based within its own boundaries that violate the law in some substantial way, even if they violate that law in another country. But the problem remains that for enforcement of that international business law to actually take place, evidence has to be gathered that a violation of that law occurred in another country, which is generally difficult. As a result, such laws are inherently weaker, and many companies that obey such laws in the country in which they were implemented choose to ignore those laws in countries where their enforcement would be too difficult. If you need legal advice and assistance, contact business lawyers.
This is an example of very poor international business ethics, but unfortunately, it is an example far more common than most would like to imagine, primarily because international business ethics are not actually as uniform as they might be. A company from a country with no restrictions against certain practices will likely have to follow the laws of another country into which it extends, and therefore, might not extend its business into a country with overly restrictive policies. But that same company would be able to send its business into countries without laws and perform all kinds of unethical practices in those countries without fear of repercussion from that company's home nation. The result of all this is that some companies choose to ignore international business ethics in order to stay competitive with those companies that are not bound by international business law.
There have been some arguments in favor of the creation of a genuinely uniform international business ethics code that would at least present understandable guidelines for all businesses to agree on and follow. Such an international business ethics code might not have the force of law behind it, but it would certainly go a long way towards codifying the desirable business practices of any given business. It could also give every business adopting such a code an award that would identify it as exhibiting ethical procedures, which might be more effective at enforcing the international business ethics code than international business law. Regardless, such a code is likely a long way away, as there are too many business that are happily profiting from unethical behaviors in international business.
