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

Abstract

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.

The human experience of ethics: a review of a decade of qualitative ethical decision‐making research

“…Gowri () put forth four techniques to use when analyzing ethical business decisions involving harm: identification, evaluation of use, evaluation of the effect of proliferation, and evaluation of consequences. Additionally, the ethical responsibility of firms (Wagner‐Tsukamoto, ) were studied, as well as approaches to moral problems (Vartiainen, ) and moral agency.…”

“…In particular, the role of sensemaking by giving meaning to experience was utilized in several studies (Cramer et al ., ; Sonenshein, ; Reis, ), highlighting an interesting avenue for business ethics research. Other insightful views included moral agency and problem identification (Vartiainen, ; Wagner‐Tsukamoto, ), and the role of technology (Alexander & Nicholls, ; Svensson & Bååth, ; Light & McGrath, ; Somogyvári, ; Strider, ). While many quantitative studies, even though they use a multifaceted theoretical lens, can be categorized based upon Rest's () ethical decision‐making framework, qualitative studies have been about exploring the ethical decision‐making framework beyond the Awareness – Judgment – Intention – Behavior model.…”

Ethical Considerations of Japanese Business Culture

“…Next, each Japanese corporation has its own main Japanese bank, traders, affiliated companies, and established customers (Tsalikis, & Seaton, 2007;Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2009). When the Japanese corporation's board members or executives belong to business associations such as Nihon Jidousha Kogyo Kai (Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association), Keidairen (Japan Business Federation), Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives) and so on, other members from business associations may comprise of the close circle of that corporation (Davies, 2016;Davies & Ikeno, 2002;Mente, 1994;Mente, 2015;Tsalikis, & Seaton, 2007;Wagner-Tsukamoto, 2009).…”

Elderly consumers’ sensitivity to corporate social performance

“…Wagner-Tsukamoto (2009) found that consumer perceptions and satisfactions, especially in the areas of product quality and safety are the prime drives, of the Japanese firms’ CSP. This study also found several dilemmas faced by Japanese firms when dealing with not-so-well-documented CSP practices and stressed that the implementation of environmental management systems as a fulfilment of CSP commitments is an outcome of those dilemmas.…”