Overview
- Raises a number of issues of contemporary importance for the international economy and comparative business ethics
- Fills a significant gap in the historical literature
- Draws on research based on primary sources in English and Japanese
Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Economic History (PEHS)
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About this book
This enlightening text analyses the origins of Western complaints, prevalent in the late nineteenth century, that Japan was characterised at the time by exceptionally low standards of 'commercial morality', despite a major political and economic transformation. As Britain industrialised during the nineteenth century the issue of 'commercial morality' was increasingly debated. Concerns about standards of business ethics extended to other industrialising economies, such as the United States. Hunter examines the Japanese response to the charges levelled against Japan in this context, arguing that this was shaped by a pragmatic recognition that Japan had little choice but to adapt itself to Western expectations if it was to establish its position in the global economy. The controversy and criticisms, which were at least in part stimulated by fear of Japanese competition, are important in the history of thinking on business ethics, and are of relevance for today's industrialising economies as they attempt to establish themselves in international markets.
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Table of contents (5 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Janet Hunter is Saji Professor of Economic History at the London School of Economics, UK. She has published widely on the economic and social history of modern Japan, and is currently researching on concepts of ethical business practice in developing economies such as Japan, and the economic impact of the 1923 earthquake.
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title: 'Deficient in Commercial Morality'?
Book Subtitle: Japan in Global Debates on Business Ethics in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
Authors: Janet Hunter
Series Title: Palgrave Studies in Economic History
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58682-7
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: The Author(s) 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-58681-0Published: 29 July 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-58682-7Published: 09 July 2016
Series ISSN: 2662-6497
Series E-ISSN: 2662-6500
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: IX, 116
Topics: Economic History, Business Ethics, Business Ethics, Asian Economics, Globalization