An interesting approach for preventing the deterioration of ethical standards and practices in business and industries with the help of gaming/simulation is presented in this paper.

Tsuchiya, based on an analysis of three major accidents in the nuclear power industry in Japan, came to the conclusion that the lowering of ethical standards was the root cause of the accidents, resulting in severe damage to public image and profit. The author also found that “maintaining effective communication through openness is the main leverage [point] for preventing the deterioration of ethical standards and practices,” and, thus, reducing the risk of major accidents occurring.

Following the approach of learning through gaming/simulation, the author developed two gaming/simulation exercises, called Rescue Team and King of Fishermen. These two gaming/simulations were run more than 100 times with more than 700 people. As the author states, “the company and a majority of participants believed that the exercises had helped them reflect on openness in their daily lives, and opened their minds for learning to make openness a theory-in-use of action.” So, the author claims that, in addition to being used in the nuclear power generation industry, the two gaming/simulations “can also be useful in other industries.”

This paper addresses a key problem regarding safety in nuclear industry procedures and ethical standards. This work could be of interest to anyone running a business or an industry who is concerned about ethical standards and their effect on ensuring safety in business operations.