Historical Antecedents of Chinese Business Ethics

Rarick, Charles A.

doi:10.5296/jmr.v1i1.34

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Given China's growing stature and influence in the global economy, it will only be a matter of time before Chinese‐style management and strategic thinking will change the landscape of global business (Cheung and Chan ; de Bettignies et al. ; Ip ; Rarick , ).…”

Section: Revisiting Confucian Values In Global Businessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corporate Governance in Asian Countries: Has Confucianism Anything to Offer?

Miles¹,

Goo²

2013

Business and Society Review

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Although Confucianism is a resilient cultural tradition in Asian societies, its role in their corporate governance systems is ambiguous. Confucian values have been pushed to the periphery because of a preoccupation in these countries to emulate corporate governance systems from the West. This article argues that Confucianism has much to offer in enhancing director conduct and corporate governance standards. As the attention of the global business community turns eastwards, it is opportune to revive interest in Confucianism and to explore ways in which it can be integrated formally into companies' governance systems.

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Section: Revisiting Confucian Values In Global Businessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corporate Governance in Asian Countries: Has Confucianism Anything to Offer?

Miles¹,

Goo²

2013

Business and Society Review

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“…Daoism is regarded as a source of wisdom based on the attributes of Yin and Yang, promoting a rather passive approach to life in general and to ethical behaviour in particular (Rarick, 2009, p. 5).…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chinese hedonic values and the Chinese classical virtues: managing the tension

Thompson

2011

Journal of Management Development

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which Chinese classical virtues act as a restraint on consumerist hedonic values and the associated priority on profit maximisation by managers.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a literature review and adopts a reflective approach to the topic.FindingsThe paper considers how Chinese classical virtues are related to contemporary relational or indigenous values and how a social tension is created between these values and the hedonic values now present in Chinese urban society. Implications for management and management education are reviewed in the light of this tension.Practical implicationsThe social unrest created by the privatisation of SOEs can be mitigated by the promotion of management education sensitised to the cultural norms and expectations of the Chinese people in relation to the role and responsibilities of managers. The Junzi (gentleman‐leader) archetype and the virtues of ren‐yi‐li are offered as exemplary features of a management seeking to balance social responsibility with profitability.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the social turbulence created by the advent of market economics in China and the concomitant rise of consumerism and the privatisation of state‐owned enterprises.

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“…This chapter provides an overview of the historical situation in which the ideologies to be discussed were conceived: it is important to note, that all the ideologies were born during a relatively unstable era after a long time of social and political stability. The most common characteristics of Chinese management (such as centralized control, collectivism, harmony, paternalistic leadership, flexible strategies, family businesses, strong organizational networks and the importance of business connections) can be traced back to the early thinkers and ideologists of China (Rarick, 2009) before and during the early years of the country's first unification.…”

Section: Historical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The systematization of these traditional principles started with Confucius and became a distinctive school founded upon his and his disciples' work (Yao, 2000). The ideology first started to gain importance during the period of Warring States (403-221 BC), when scholars who could address issues concerning ideal leaders and social structures were in high demand (Rarick, 2009)…”

Section: The Importance Of Confucianism Through Chinese Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Management with Chinese Characteristics: at the intersection of culture and institutions

Koczkás

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With the rapid development of the Chinese economy, the proliferation of Chinese companies worldwide, and the increased presence of Chinese business schools in the international academic discourse, the research on Chinese organizations became a major research stream in international journals. A significant proportion of empirical research in the academic discourse on organizational issues stems from the People’s Republic of China, while the uniqueness of the external environment the country poses for its organizations still means a challenge in the generalization of these research results. According to the traditional approach to Chinese management, Chinese culture, especially the Confucian influence is a major determinant and explanatory variable behind the differences of Western and Chinese organizations. This dissertation aims to discover the influence of the Confucian ideology, other factors of the external environment, and the most relevant external and internal factors in Chinese management today. 1. Confucianism has many principles and values which could have an implication on modern managerial practices, such as the importance of moral force and rituals, the importance of loyalty or a harmonious society. However, the actual influence of Confucian ideology is more of a historical heritage for Chinese managers than actual influencing factor behind their practices. Chinese managers are proud of their heritage which gives them a sense of belonging, but their practices don’t follow Confucian principles more than the practices of non-Chinese managers do. Moreover, the empirical research results are highly influenced by the operationalization of Confucianism, for which there are countless different approaches – the ancient ideology and its many variations are a difficult concept to translate for management research. 2. It is important to note, that in the recent academic discourse, Confucian ideology is not a significant factor anymore. The external environment overall does not receive as much scholarly attention in recent empirical studies as it does in conceptual approaches about Chinese management. The most relevant external factor in Chinese management research is the political environment, and organizations’ relationship with political bodies and individuals. 3. The most relevant internal factors studied in relation with external environment are the strategic focus of the firm, leadership and ownership attributes, motivational, interpersonal and other human resource related factors. This suggests that even though the traditional approach seems to support a cultural (and Confucian) influence in the workings of Chinese organizations, this is not a relevant issue anymore for the researchers and practitioners of the field. If we wish to make a comparison between the management practices of China and another country or region, it seems best to narrow the focus of the research to a more specific area of management, since the attempts to find an overarching explanatory variable behind the uniqueness of Chinese phenomena runs the risk of inaccurate oversimplifications.

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Historical Antecedents of Chinese Business Ethics

Cited by 4 publications

References 11 publications

Corporate Governance in Asian Countries: Has Confucianism Anything to Offer?

Corporate Governance in Asian Countries: Has Confucianism Anything to Offer?

Chinese hedonic values and the Chinese classical virtues: managing the tension

Management with Chinese Characteristics: at the intersection of culture and institutions

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