Japan vs. United States: Ethical Norms

Japan vs. United States: Ethical Norms This paper is about the ethical norms of Japan and the United States. The Japanese culture is very complex as well as their corporate culture. Japan’s government us unitary state, constitutional monarchy, parliamentary system. The United States culture is primarily western and corporate culture is considerably fragmented. The different factors within both cultures have an impact on both countries’ ethical norms. Japanese corporations can be contrasted to American corporations which stress the interests of stockholders and are more likely to emphasize short term goals. Leadership is a term that emphasizes three characteristics which are the human trait requited, to coordinate interests of the group, and towards the group’s goals (Taka & Foglia, 1994). Effective leaders maintain integrity and trust by communicating clearly, leading by example and fostering positive relationships with sponsors, stakeholders, suppliers and employees. When leaders establish a strong commitment to ethical behavior and demand that all employees adhere to a high standard of business conduct, confidence in the company tends to be high. When leaders show disregard for the rules, morale, productivity, and overall success suffer in the long-run. The problem of when and how to adapt to different ethical standards is best approached by examining two sets of issues: those faced by Americans doing business in Japan, and those encountered by Japanese working with Americans. Americans and Japanese each have their ethical strengths and shortcomings, and that neither has the exclusive right to set up standards by which they may judge the other (Gundling, 1991). Japan is a very traditional country, with strong business ethics being a major foundation. When dealing with the Japanese in a business atmosphere, there