Components Of Conscience In Chinese Culture And Their Effects On Consumers’ Unethical Behavior Decision-Making

In the background of the acceleration of globalization and the further deepening of China’s reform and opening up,a wide range of foreign goods have entered the Chinese market,bring different cultures and values.Affect by this,the local consumers’ behavior also appeared differentiation.In particular,affecting by materialism and hedonism,consumers’ inaccurate judgment of ethical attribute of their behaviors,and the excessive pursuit of material return,which cause the proliferation of consumers’ unethical behavior.These facts are not according with the ethical concept that individuals’ behavior should defer to conscience advocated by Chinese culture,and the reasons have not been explained.Literature research shows that the connotation of conscience in different cultures is quite different.Most of the local studies in China focus on philosophical speculation,and the definition of conscience is full of controversy.And the results of rational quantification and application of conscience to empirical research are lacking,and how conscience affect the decision-making of consumers’ unethical behavior has not been revealed yet.This study uses literature research,group interview,questionnaire and other methods to systematically explore the following contents:(1)The connotation and component of conscience in Chinese culture;(2)The effect and path of conscience and its component in the decision-making process of consumers’ unethical behavior;(3)The moderating of experience in the decision-making process of the effect of conscience and its component on consumers’ unethical behavior.Through the above research,this study deeply reveals the component of conscience in Chinese culture and how conscience and its component affect the decision-making of consumer’ unethical behavior.The results show that,(1)Conscience concept in Chinese culture contain four dimensions consists of “ce yin zhi xin”(compassion for others),“xiu wu zhi xin”(be shamed or disgusted for one’s behavior or thought),“gong jing/ci rang zhi xin”(be respectful to others)and “shi fei zhi xin”(ability to judge right and wrong)has been empirically tested;(2)Conscience can directly restrain consumers’ unethical behavior intention by improving the ethical judgment,and it can also directly restrain the intention;(3)In term of the component of conscience,“ce yin zhi xin” and “shi fei zhi xin” can both directly and indirectly restrain consumers’ unethical behavior intention;“xiu wu zhi xin” only can directly restrain the intention;“gong jing/ci rang zhi xin” only can indirectly restrain the intention;(4)Experience can strengthen the direct restraint of conscience on consumers’ unethical behavior intention,while can weaken the indirect restraint effect;(5)Experience can weaken the indirect restraint of “ce yin zhi xin” on consumers’ unethical behavior intention;and it can strengthen the direct restraint of “shi fei zhi xin” on the intentionThe above conclusions have important implications for management practice.In term of the consumers education departments such as mass media and others,they should strengthen the education of conscience awareness based on the traditional Chinese cultural value system,arouse consumers’ attention to conscience,and urge them to maintain the moral bottom line even under the temptation of major interests;In term of the enterprise marketers,while pursuing the return of interests,they should actively assume social responsibility,show responsibility and play a good role of demonstration,so that the consumers’ moral consciousness and self-restraint would be stimulated,and then the unethical behavior would be reduced.