The Relevance and Value of Confucianism in Contemporary Business Ethics

• Main Author: CHAN, Gary Kok Yew
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2008
• Subjects: business ethics; Confucian ethics; reciprocity; hierarchy; The Doctrine of the Mean; human virtue; Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics; Commercial Law
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/808; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sol_research/article/1807/viewcontent/Chan2008_RelevanceAndValueOfConfucian_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article examines the relevance and value of Confucian Ethics to contemporary Business Ethics by comparing their respective perspectives and approaches towards business activities within the modern capitalist framework, the principle of reciprocity and the concept of human virtues. Confucian Ethics provides interesting parallels with contemporary Western-oriented Business Ethics. At the same, it diverges from contemporary Business Ethics in some significant ways. Upon an examination of philosophical texts as well as empirical studies, it is argued that Confucian Ethics is able to provide some unique philosophical and intellectual perspectives in order to forge a richer understanding and analysis of the field of contemporary Business Ethics.