Title: The ethics of foreign knowledge brokers: a conceptual and empirical framework

Authors: Jordi Paniagua; Juan Sapena

Addresses: Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", Calle Jorge Juan 18, 46004, Valencia, Spain ' Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", Calle Jorge Juan 18, 46004, Valencia, Spain

Abstract: This paper presents a conceptual and empirical framework to analyse international knowledge brokerage from an ethical perspective through political and corporate incentives on foreign employment. Exploiting non-linear regressions on a global dataset covering bilateral jobs created by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) between 161 countries during a seven year period, we find empirical evidence to support an ethical trilemma where knowledge, democracy and corporate openness seem to be mutually incompatible in less developed countries. This paper responds to a theoretical and empirical need since the dynamic link between FDI, knowledge brokerage and ethics has often been neglected in the specialised literature.

Keywords: FKB; foreign knowledge brokers; FDI; foreign direct investment; knowledge brokerage; corporate culture; organisational culture; IBE; international business ethics; incentive-based ethics; foreign employment; multinational enterprises; MNEs; developing countries; international management; democracy; corporate openness.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2013.054329

European Journal of International Management, 2013 Vol.7 No.3, pp.333 - 349

Published online: 10 Sep 2014 *

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