Business Ethics

Reflection on Business Ethics

The purpose of this reflection is to compare the concept and experienced I have learned as East Asian scholar practitioner with the prevailing Western ethical thoughts and practices. To achieve this aim my chosen articles will need to answer the following questions:

 What is Confucianism? And how is it differed from the prevailing Western philosophy on ethics?

 Can Confucianism be of use to strengthen our prevailing knowledge of ethical principles and behavior?

With the stated aim and requirements in mind, I have chosen the following articles to be reviewed:

Chan, KY Gary (2007) The relevance and value of Confucianism in contemporary business ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 2008 http://link.springer.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10551-007-9354-z.pdf (accessed 03/07/2013)

Koehn, D. (1999) What Can Eastern Philosophy Teach Us About Business Ethics? Journal Of Business Ethics Volume: 19 Issue: 1 (1999-01-01) http://link.springer.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/content/pdf/10.1023%2FA%3A1006102022834.pdf (accessed 03/07/2013)

Chan is Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University where he teaches ethics and social responsibility. I find his article interesting as it examined the relevance and value of the nearly 5000 years old Confucian ethics to contemporary business practice. I also find it to be quite relevant to my practice as it provides some key answers to the first question on the gap between Confucianism and the prevailing Western philosophy on ethics.

In reviewing Chan’s (2007) thesis I have followed Cunliffe’s (2004) advice ‘On becoming a critically reflexive practitioner’, to critically reflect on and in action. I have also widely consulted the practical guideline found in Badaracco’s (1992) ‘four spheres of executive responsibility’ while drawing upon my own experience as East Asian business practitioner. In the process, I find myself agreeing with Chan’s (2007) finding that “Confucian ethics...