Australian managers' experience of global human rights issues

This paper explores the experiences of Australian managers in relation to human rights issues in their international business operations. The paper reports findings from a qualitative research study, using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) that investigated the cross-cultural ethical dilemmas experienced by Australian managers in the mining, textile and IT industries in their international operations. Findings in this study suggest that Australians managers face human rights issues such as child labour, detrimental working conditions, discrimination and exploitation. This represents a major dilemma for them as they address human rights issues that violate their own ethical values in relation to the treatment of others in their working environments and their economic development