An Economic Approach to Business Ethics: Moral Agency of the Firm and the Enabling and Constraining Effects of Economic Institutions and Interactions in a Market Economy

Wagner‐Tsukamoto, Sigmund

doi:10.1007/s10551-005-5842-1

Cited by 42 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…In general, the present study addresses gaps in empirical research on Japanese business ethics performance by taking a theoretical stance that is grounded in an economic approach to business ethics (Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2005; see also WagnerTsukamoto 2003WagnerTsukamoto , 2007b. The paper's objectives are to reconstruct in economic terms subjective, managerial business ethics perceptions in the Japanese consumer market for fast moving, daily consumption products.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Ethics in Japan: An Economic Reconstruction of Moral Agency of Japanese Firms – Qualitative Insights from Grocery/Retail Markets

Wagner‐Tsukamoto

2008

J Bus Ethics

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The paper reconstructs in economic terms managerial business ethics perceptions in the Japanese consumer market for fast moving, daily consumption products. An economic, three-level model of moral agency was applied that distinguishes unintentional moral agency, passive intentional moral agency, and active intentional moral agency. The study took a qualitative approach and utilized as empirical research design an interview procedure. The study found that moral agency of Japanese firms mostly extended up to unintentional and intentional passive moral agency. Certain myopic managerial views were found to affect active moral agency.This leaves room for business ethics programs that aim at the development of active moral agency. KEYWORDSEconomics & moral agency / consumer ethics; three types of moral agency; Japanese consumer industry; managerial perceptions on business ethics; qualitative empirical research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer Ethics in Japan: An Economic Reconstruction of Moral Agency of Japanese Firms – Qualitative Insights from Grocery/Retail Markets

Wagner‐Tsukamoto

2008

J Bus Ethics

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“…2-5;Himmelfarb 1995, p. 36;Windsor, 1980, p. 166 It can be argued that Quaker firms may have stood a better chance to successfully implement their ethics if they had approached the implementation of their ethics in economic terms. Three routes can here be distinguished (For a conceptual overview of these three routes, see Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2005, 2007b):…”

Section: Insert Figure 2 About Herementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, (i) in the face of global competition, a costly moral toughening of laws had to be internationally approached in order to succeed on a 'local'/national scale. Otherwise, over time morally less regulated and thus less costly markets are likely to attract firms from more highly regulated markets (Vanberg, 2001;Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2005). Also, (ii) a religious toughening of business laws raises questions regarding the effectiveness of the market mechanism being undermined by behavioural ethical codes.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Examples of ethical capital are generally reflected by cost/price differences between capital utilised in interactions in which stakeholders consider moral precepts and capital utilised in interactions in which stakeholders do not consider moral precepts (apart form moral precepts enacted on grounds of self-interested choice through the rules of the game; Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2005).…”

Section: Most Of the Pioneering Welfare Advances In Quaker Factories mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…8 Chocolate could have been marketed like fair trade coffee, environmentally friendly washing powder, organic cheese, free range eggs, etc. (See also Wagner, 1997;Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2005). In these cases, firms recoup from stakeholders costs of paying attention to higher moral standards than the ones set by the rules of the game (e.g.…”

Section: Most Of the Pioneering Welfare Advances In Quaker Factories mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Contrasting the Behavioural Business Ethics Approach and the Institutional Economic Approach to Business Ethics: Insights from the Study of Quaker Employers

Wagner‐Tsukamoto

2016

Order Ethics: An Ethical Framework for the Social Market Economy

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The paper suggests that in a modern context, where value pluralism is a prevailing and possibly even ethically desirable interaction condition, institutional economics provides a more viable business ethics than behavioural business ethics, such as Kantiansim or religious ethics. The paper explains how the institutional economic approach to business ethics analyses morality with regard to an interaction process, and favours non-behavioural, situational intervention with incentive structures and with capital exchange. The paper argues that this approach may have to be prioritised over behavioural business ethics which tends to analyse morality at the level of the individual and which favours behavioural intervention with the individual's value, norm and belief system, e.g. through ethical pedagogy, communicative techniques, etc. Quaker ethics is taken as an example of behavioural ethics.The paper concludes that through the conceptual grounding of behavioural ethics in the economic approach, theoretical and practical limitations of behavioural ethics as encountered in a modern context can be relaxed. Probably only then can behavioural ethics still contribute to raising moral standards in interactions amongst the members (stakeholders) of a single firm, and equally, amongst (the stakeholders of) different firms.

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Bolstering unethical leaders: The role of the media, financial analysts and shareholders

Chen

2010

Journal of Public Affairs

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This paper examines factors that contribute to financial misreporting by companies and the role played by the character of the CEO, financial analysts, the media and shareholders in bolstering unethical leadership in companies. Through the use of computer simulation models, it shows how a combination of CEO narcissism, financial incentives, shareholder expectations and media praise as well as unethical leadership, can do much to explain some of the findings highlighted in recent high profile financial accounting scandals. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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An Economic Approach to Business Ethics: Moral Agency of the Firm and the Enabling and Constraining Effects of Economic Institutions and Interactions in a Market Economy

Cited by 42 publications

References 41 publications

Consumer Ethics in Japan: An Economic Reconstruction of Moral Agency of Japanese Firms – Qualitative Insights from Grocery/Retail Markets

Consumer Ethics in Japan: An Economic Reconstruction of Moral Agency of Japanese Firms – Qualitative Insights from Grocery/Retail Markets

Contrasting the Behavioural Business Ethics Approach and the Institutional Economic Approach to Business Ethics: Insights from the Study of Quaker Employers

Bolstering unethical leaders: The role of the media, financial analysts and shareholders

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