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This study used the systematic review methodology to examine peer-reviewed journal articles published in the Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Springer and Emerald Insight during the 2000-2020 period to analyse greenwashing. In an open market, the behaviours of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), private firms and multinational corporations (MNCs) pose an implicit greenwashing threat. Our focal point is to analyse corporate greenwashing in MNCs in host emerging markets, particularly in Asia, for two reasons. First, reports of greenwashing have increased around the world since Volkswagen was revealed to have falsified automobile emissions data. Second, MNCs play an important role in expanding market size and their behaviour is increasingly unpredictable. The analysis shows that MNCs tend to engage in greenwashing immediately after doing business in host emerging markets characterised by restricted regulations, clear market opportunities and low competitive pressure. When greenwashing occurs, it will harm the interests of not only consumers, but also society as a whole, despite offering significant benefits to existing stakeholders. In this case, the authorities should implement regulations to confront MNCs before attracting them, which should be enforced in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-Western cases of business ethics require additional caveats in arriving at generalizations. The theoretical trap of conceiving Asian corporations as business ethics ‘ignorant’ or unfriendly derives from the lack of historical understanding of Asian cases. This collection used both historical and contemporary cases of Japan, Korea and China to show that these three Asian cases have tried to balance their traditional norms and values of business ethics with those from the West. The key to the understanding of Asia is that all three countries have historically pursued ethical mandates in running private corporations, although corruptive practices were also rampant during different historical periods. Further studies of business ethics for non-Western cases are necessary to devise methodological and theoretical alternatives to the Western-centric perspectives. In this volume, we analysed how new institutionalism and modes of exchange fared in their attempt to explain Asian business ethics. From our results, it is indicated that historical methods must accompany any analysis of business ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between CEO ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility by focusing on the mediating role of organizational ethical culture and the moderating role of managerial discretion (i.e., CEO founder status and firm size). Based on a sample of 242 domestic Chinese firms, we found that CEO ethical leadership positively influences corporate social responsibility via organizational ethical culture. In addition, moderated path analysis indicated that CEO founder status strengthens while firm size weakens the direct effect of CEO ethical leadership on organizational ethical culture and its indirect effect on corporate social responsibility. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue deals with modes of ethical persuasion in both public and private sectors of the national economy in East Asia from the periods of the 14th century to the modem era. Authors in this volume ask how and why governments in pre-modem Joseon Korea, modem Korea, and modem Japan used moral persuasions of different kinds in designing national economic institutions. Our case studies demonstrate that the concept of modes of exchange first developed by John Lie (1992) provides a more convincing explanation on the evolution of pre-modem and modem economic institutions compared with Marx's modes of production as historically- specific social relations or Smith's free market as a terminal stage of human economic development. The pre-modern and modem cases presented in this volume reveal that different modes of exchange have coexisted throughout human history, contrary to deterministic and Eurocentric views of economic history. Furthermore, business ethics or corporate social responsibility is not a purely European economic ideology, because manorial, market, entrepreneurial, and mercantilist moral persuasions had widely been used by state rulers and policymakers in East Asia for their programs of advancing dissimilar modes of exchange. In a similar vein, the domination of the market and entrepreneurial modes in the 21st century world is also complemented by other competing modes of exchange, such as state welfarism, public sector economies, and protectionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship is increasingly being recognized as a significant conduit for bringing about a transformation towards sustainable products and processes. Emerging literature on ethical entrepreneurship has developed a new model of entrepreneurship as a calling to endow resources with new value; it is the ethical aspect that would make such a construct authentic sustainable entrepreneurship. One of the first steps in entrepreneurial training and maturity in the area of sustainability is to develop models for sustainability communication and reporting. This article presents a revised assessment model for sustainable entrepreneurship in Asia, which consists of five domains, namely: economic, social, ecological, cultural, and ethical. The insistence on the inclusion of ethics is motivated by the fact that it is the obligation of businesses to be accountable for their environment and for their stakeholders in such a way that ethics forms one of the legs on which entrepreneurship, if it is to be sustainable, stands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT We investigate how earnings management is associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and investor protection with 139 firms in ten Asian countries. In Asia, CSR is increasingly attracting attention but the legal system generally is perceived as being poor. We hypothesize that there is an inverse relationship between CSR and earnings management, as well as between investor protection and earnings management. Regarding earnings management, we investigate earnings smoothing and earnings aggressiveness. We find that Asian firms with relatively good CSR are engaged significantly less with earnings management. Investor protection also is negatively associated with earnings management. We find that this is very case sensitive and depends on the ways in which earnings management and investor protection are actually measured. In addition, we establish that CSR shows positive interaction with investor protection. We conclude that in Asian countries CSR moderates firms' earnings management and that this is conditioned by the legal system. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on the dispersion in analysts' recommendations in Asian emerging markets. Using a large dataset of analyst recommendations, we document a significantly higher dispersion in analysts' recommendations during the pre-crisis period (poor governance regime) relative to the post-crisis period (better governance regime). We argue that higher dispersion in analysts' recommendations was due to ineffective governance mechanisms prevailing during the pre-crisis period. However, as governance mechanisms improved, reduction in information asymmetries resulted in convergence of analysts' information, thereby lowering the dispersion in analysts' recommendations during the post-crisis period. Consistent with our arguments, our results show that corporate governance mechanisms can explain the bulk of difference in dispersion between the two periods. This study adds to the debate on effectiveness of corporate governance reforms in Asian emerging markets. Our results, overwhelmingly, indicate the success of governance reforms initiated after the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide information about the extent to which sustainability is integrated into business school education and learning in the Asia Pacific region. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was developed, and administered to business schools in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to measuring the number of courses and programs integrating sustainability, the study solicited qualitative observations by respondents, to provide information and insight into the issues. Findings – The research found that whereas corporate governance, sustainability and business ethics were quite commonly taught in business schools, they were not generally prioritized. There was also an overall lack of systematic approaches to the integration of sustainability in business curricula, and significant barriers to the integration of sustainability into programs remained. Originality/value – This is the first region-wide survey of sustainability in business education in the Asia Pacific region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the relationship between corporate commitment to business ethics and financial reporting quality. We posit that companies with a higher level of ethical commitment exhibit better quality financial reporting than those with a lower level of ethical commitment. Consistent with our prediction, we find that companies with a higher level of ethical commitment are engaged in less earnings management, report earnings more conservatively, and predict future cash flows more accurately than those with a lower level of ethical commitment. We also find that corporate commitment to business ethics has perpetuating effects on future financial reporting quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of a survey-based study of perceptions of ethical business practices in 13 countries of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Responses from more than 23,000 managers and employees were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons, aimed at identifying homogenous sets of countries. Anglo countries (US, UK, Australia, and Canada) clustered together, and were joined by India in most cases. Japan and Italy formed a homogenous subset significantly different from all other countries. Countries of continental Europe, China, Mexico, and Brazil formed various mid-range groupings. The paper discusses some salient differences between groups of countries and presents implications for human resource management (HRD) practice and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is a global divergence or convergence with regard to the ethics of corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach -- Regional perspectives on the ethics of corporate governance from four regions, namely, Africa, Asia, Continental Europe and North America are first briefly introduced and characterized in terms of distinctions between the ethics of governance and the governance of ethics, internal and external corporate governance, and shareholder and stakeholder orientations to corporate governance. Thereafter these regional perspectives are compared in order to determine whether there is a global divergence or convergence with regard to the ethics of corporate governance amongst these four regions of the world. Findings -- There are four factors that potentially may have an impact on the ethics of corporate governance, namely, patterns of ownership, the prevailing view of the role of the firm in a society, cultural and societal norms, and socio-political priorities. The influence of these factors makes a global convergence on the ethics of corporate governance neither likely nor desirable. Research limitations/implications -- Not all regions of the world were included in this comparative study. Regions that need to be included in future studies are Latin America, Central Asia and the Middle East. Practical implications -- The main finding, namely, that a global convergence on the ethics of corporate governance is neither likely nor desirable, should be taken into consideration by promoters of global corporate governance standards. Originality/value -- Based on regional perspectives from Africa, Asia, Continental Europe and North America, the paper provides a global perspective on the question of whether there is global divergence or convergence with regard to the ethics of corporate governance amongst these four regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Arising from an engrossing and incisive panel discussion at the IV Congress of ISBEE, this paper aims to add the Asian perspective to the debate on ethics of corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach -- Personal insights and experience in the course of promoting corporate governance are juxtaposed with the theoretical assumptions behind the accepted international framework and standards. The paper highlights the key developments relating to corporate governance in Asia; identifies key structural factors and cultural influences; and derives conclusions from these. Findings -- The paper notes the discernable tilt towards the stakeholders' perspective in large segments of the Asian economy, primarily on account of block-shareholding with control over managements; dominance of State ownership; and the aspiration of the newly internationalising companies to meet the competitive demands of input and output markets relating to stakeholders. The paper argues that the cultural influences such as relation-based priorities and social expectations of "duties" imply a different approach from the Anglo-Saxon contractual constructs. The paper concludes that there is dualism of the culturally determined practices co-existing well with the international standards. Research limitations/implications -- This paper could inspire empirical research on the actual impact of economic structures and culture in determining the balance between shareholders and stakeholders in different regions. Practical implications -- The paper's unique propositions are likely to sensitize corporations in recognising the dualism in practice and debating merits of convergence. Originality/value -- The distinctive value of the paper arises from the arguments and conclusions relating to "synergetic dualism" and "expansive" approach observed in the Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does one understand the differences and similarities of corruption among various Asian countries? We use a recent framework developed by Rodriguez, Uhlenbruck, and Eden () to suggest that corruption has to be examined from two different dimensions: pervasiveness and arbitrariness. Using this framework, we ask why some Asian countries are able to achieve high levels of economic growth in the midst of high level corruption while other countries suffer from economic stagnation. We specifically suggest that more firms would bribe when pervasiveness is high, while fewer firms would bribe when arbitrariness is high. We also look into the implications on foreign direct investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasingly important aspect of CSR is the recognition that sound practices are often based on good standards of corporate governance. Good corporate governance provides the foundations of good CSR by creating value-creating relationships with all stakeholders. This article seeks to review corporate governance issues from an Asian perspective. Ownership and control of many companies in the region differ from those commonly seen in the West and there are therefore specific issues that need to be addressed in this context. It is argued that the fact that so many Asian companies are dominated by controlling shareholders (often families) means that corporate governance may have to be even stronger in the Asian region than elsewhere. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is threefold: to contribute to the increasing global debate in organization theory about corporate ethics; to focus on the importance of measurement costs and its influence on organizational change in stakeholder systems; and to provide a framework for overcoming the inherent ambiguity and increased measurement costs associated with stakeholder business systems. Design/methodology/approach - The approach is to analyze the importance of institutional certification and indirect measurement indicators, which are defined as indices to develop a dynamic framework capable of evaluating change in stakeholder business systems. Findings - The stakeholder business system, a dominant system in continental European countries, as well as various countries in Asia, requires involvement by multiple actors, including financial markets, banks, employees, government. Research limitations/implications - Further research is necessary to analyze in more depth the way organization value can be measured and how stakeholders can interact with the organizations involved in external certification, in facilitating organizational change. There is also a need to further research the dynamics of the relationship between market, institutions and social structure in organizational change. Originality/value - A general contribution of the paper is that it illustrates that all industries have ‘indices’, which are more tacit, implicit than the traditional, transparent market indicators and signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses four hypotheses: (a) that corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Asia is not homogeneous but varies among countries, (b) that the variation is explained by stages of development, (c) that globalization entrances the adoption of CSR in Asia, and (d) that national business systems structure the profile of multinational corporations' CSR. These hypotheses are investigated through analysis of Web site reporting of 50 companies in seven Asian countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand. The article concludes that CSR does vary considerably among Asian countries but that this variation is not explained by development but by factory in the respective national business systems. It also concludes that multinational companies are more likely to adopt CSR than those operating solely in their home country but that the profile of their CSR tends to reflect the profile of the country of operation rather than the country of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a necessity in a dynamic business like communication management to relook at 'ethics', in light of the difficult times experienced by businesses and PR professionals, particularly in the Asia Pacific. To better understand ethics as applied in the industry, it could be helpful to classify the ethical issues that surround PR practitioners. The ten defined categories are personal, professional, political, cultural, racial/religious, trade/business, social, legal, financial and environmental. It is also possible to argue that 'issues management' can be seen to also involve 'ethics management'. Communications professionals should devote even more of their time and attention to this and raise professional standards in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advertising of controversial products/services and the use of controversial images to "cut through the clutter" in the marketplace appears to be increasing around the world. However, apart from the general ethical issue regarding the deliberate use of controversial/offensive images for public viewing that may offend some people, it is important to determine what makes a controversial advertisement offensive? A questionnaire was distributed to 1014 students across four different countries in the Asia Pacific region to determine what type of products are seen as offensive and the reasons they are offensive. The results present some important implications for international marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global link building is having a substantial impact in every sphere of Asian managerial activity.The economic upheavals of the Asian ?nancial crisis have cast a long shadow,and ethical clarity has become a social issue.For instance,corporate performance in terms of long-term survival,growth and global competency is seen to depend to a considerable extent upon the ethical infrastructur of managers and emerging managerial culture in Asia.One ?eld in which Asian managers and their managerial practices are often considered weak is the area of ethical clarity.Corporate managerial leaders in Asia need to develop new responses to the ethical complexities arising out of the increasing global interfaces. In spite of a growing awareness of the importance of ethical centrality in an intensely competitive international business arena,very little empirical work has been conducted to strengthen the relevant management literatures.The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to examine the perceptions of ethical probity among managers in six Asian countries.The results of the study indicate interesting convergences and divergences across countries and organisational demographies.The ?ndings lead to observations of the apparent similarities of ethical conceptualisation in global,societal and often in the organisational arena while revealing noticeable divergences in the domain of individual ethical perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of ethical literature demonstrates that the material presented to date is largely based upon theoretical and empirical research. While this information has contributory value, the information produced is largely observational rather than practical. Managers are anxious to receive assistance with the mechanisms by which ethics can be integrated into their organisations. Utilising the recent experience of the author with a large utility company in Asia committed to developing an ethical programme to enhance ethical awareness in their organisation, this paper intends to review current systems and procedures available to managers for integrating ethics into business. In addition to reviewing mechanisms for promoting an ethical climate, where appropriate, reference will be made to prior research and specific organisations where these practices have been used successfully. The paper concludes with a set of summary recommendations for managers embarking on the introduction of an ethical programme to their organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of ethical literature demonstrates that the material presented to date is largely based upon theoretical and empirical research. While this information has contributory value, the information produced is largely observational rather than practical. Managers are anxious to receive assistance with the mechanisms by which ethics can be integrated into their organisations. Utilising the recent experience of the author with a large utility company in Asia committed to developing an ethical programme to enhance ethical awareness in their organisation, this paper intends to review current systems and procedures available to managers for integrating ethics into business. In addition to reviewing mechanisms for promoting an ethical climate, where appropriate, reference will be made to prior research and specific organisations where these practices have been used successfully. The paper concludes with a set of summary recommendations for managers embarking on the introduction of an ethical programme to their organisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unethical consumer practices in Asian countries have attracted much attention from business practitioners. The availability of counterfeit products such as computer disks, fashion clothing and watches, etc., provide a negative impression to the business world. This research aims to investigate the job-related ethical beliefs of hotel employees in Hong Kong. The results show that the four-dimensional factors model as suggested by Vitell and Muncy (1992) can explain hotel employees' job-related ethics. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship among the four factors and the general attitudinal statements. Significant differences were observed when analysing the demographic variables (i.e. age and education level) with the four factors including: no harm; unethical behaviours; actively benefiting; and passively benefiting. The results suggest the need for a clearer ethical policy for employees, and the identification of the behaviours that are viewed as "no harm" in the work environment. Hotel management will benefit by being able to identify those areas where employees need guidance and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]