¶ … Yahoo! Vs. China. Specifically it will discuss Yahoo's decision about whether to disclose a subscriber's personal information to the Chinese government. In 2004, the Chinese government requested the name of a Yahoo! subscriber in China. The ethics of the problem were immediately apparent, and made the decision extremely difficult. To disclose or not to disclose could put Yahoo's fledgling relationship with China in the balance. It is a political decision with great ramifications for western companies hoping to gain a foothold in China. However, with the political situation in China, the government could use the information against the subscriber, and his or her life could even be in danger, so there are valid points about both situations. If Yahoo! values their business interests over personal involvement in a political situation, then they will disclose. However, if they set a precedent and do not disclose, they not only do the ethically right thing in protecting their subscriber, they show the Chinese government that it cannot intimidate western companies into submission, and that will set an example to other companies, as well as...

Of course, this could affect future interactions with the Chinese government. They would learn that western companies are not the same as Chinese companies, and they protect their clients. The government would also learn that it is not easy to intimidate these companies, and they should not try to treat them as they treat companies (and people) in their own country.
The case has many more ramifications that just relationships in China and protecting clients. It shows the intricacies of doing business globally, especially in underdeveloped countries that do not share the same values as we in the United States share. Often, companies have to alter the way they do business to fit into another country or culture. For example, fast food companies often make additions to their foreign menus to better serve the tastes of foreign customers, in order to compete internationally. While companies have to recognize that business practices and protocol are different in each country, they have to also serve their stakeholders back home, and that means developing a more universal set of values that can apply in more contexts of the…