Strategy, Climate Change, and the Japanese Firm: Rethinking the Global Competitive Landscape of a Warming Planet

Abstract

Because of the growing awareness of the important role the business sector plays in global environmental governance, there is a critical need for a more nuanced understanding of how multinational corporations in Japan and other advanced industrialized countries manage their corporate environmental and social responsibility concerns. This paper examines the current and future direction of Japanese business responses to the climate change issue and seeks to advance our understanding of the important links among climate change, business strategy, and Japanese companies. Three issues and questions will be analyzed in this paper. First, how and in what manner has Japanese industry responded to previous energy and environmental management challenges? Second, how are Japanese companies responding to the challenges posed by global climate change? Third, what are the important issues and questions in designing and developing the next generation of climate change strategies for Japanese companies?