Diligence or hard work is still another Confucian ethic that can help today’s business. Working hard in business means doing the job completely and giving one hundred percent of one’s efforts. Working hard also means coming to work on time and not leaving early. A company with hardworking employees will have higher productivity and be more efficient. Rewards can be given to employees who show hard work by completing all of their assignments timely and accurately. On the other hand, employees who are lazy can be punished by reducing their performance awards and demoting their position. Another way to have a hard working workforce is to have the managers work hard and be a role model. If the employees can see that their managers are working hard and staying late in their offices, there will be more pressure for them to work hard as well.
The Confucian ethic of humanitarianism (ren) can also be applied to the business world today. Humanitarianism in business means that a company must also try to improve the quality of human lives even when its goal is to make a profit. This means an oil company must keep the environment clean when drilling for oil underground or at sea. Good environment will benefit human beings around the world. An example is Shell Oil Company’s partnership with environmental group Ducks Unlimited in saving wetlands along the Mississippi River (Shell Partners with Ducks Unlimited) Sites. In addition, humanitarianism means helping the local community that the company is doing business in. Companies doing business in Africa can help the local population by building roads and schools. An example is the work done by Roche Pharmaceutical Company to create a health program in South Africa (Roche Celebrates 10 Years of South Africa's ''Train of Hope'). To achieve humanitarianism, I would direct my public relations department to work with the local government to sponsor charitable events and activities.
Bravery (yong) is a Confucian ethic that is also important in today’s business world. To be brave in the business sense means the willingness to take risks. A company must look for new places and markets to grow if it is to remain profitable in the future. An example is the recent proposal by the Chinese oil company CNOOC to buy the US oil company Unocal. CNOOC is taking a risk with this transaction because of the negative politics involved. (China in Contest with the Great Nations over Global Oil Resources) But it has to take this risk because it must look for new markets and energy sources in order to grow. Another example is China’s Lenovo Corporation buying IBM’s personal computer unit. (I.B.M. Sought a China Partnership, Not Just a Sale) This was a risky move by Lenovo because IBM’s personal computer unit was losing money, but Lenovo saw this as a way to gain market share and turn it into a global name brand. To implement risk-taking for my company, I would research new markets to grow by exploring business opportunities in places like China and India.
The Confucian ethic of the absence of bias and discrimination is important for a company to succeed in today’s business world. This means the company must treat all employees and customers equally regardless of their color or race. A company that treats all of his employees fairly will be more likely to succeed because the employees will all work together as a team toward the same goal. On the other hand, companies that discriminate against their employees or customers are likely to lose business and may even get sued in court. For example, a group of black customers successfully sued Denny’s Restaurants for not serving them because of their skin color (Seven Arab Americans sue Denny's owner alleging discrimination). Also, clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch settled a lawsuit accusing it of discrimination by not including people of color in its clothing catalog (U.S. retailer settles bias charge). To prevent discrimination in my company, I would educate my employees about racial discrimination through training.
In conclusion, the Confucian ethics of honesty, loyalty, courteousness, diligence, humanitarianism, bravery, and the absence of bias and discrimination are all very important in today’s business world even though these ethics have existed for thousands of years. To be successful in business, a company must apply these ethics within the company’s systems and practices and make them an important part of the company culture. Also, company management must practice these ethics by example so that their employees will support the system. Moreover, a company must practice these ethics both internally and externally to be successfully. Internally means using these ethics to change employee behavior and externally means treating the customers with these ethics in mind.
Works Cited
“Arthur Andersen Convicted of Obstruction of Justice.” FOXNews.com. 17 Jun. 2002 <http://foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,53379,00.html>
“Shell in the US - Shell Partners with Ducks Unlimited.” Shell. 03 Mar. 2005 <http://shell.com/home/printFramework?siteId=us-en&F...bray/press_release/2005/ducks_unlimited_03032005.html>
“Roche Celebrates 10 Years of South Africa's ''Train of Hope'' As It Continues To Better The Lives Of Millions.” CSRwire 02 Dec. 2004 <http://www.socialfunds.com/news/release_print.cgi?sfArticleId=3278>
“China in Contest with the Great Nations over Global Oil Resources.” Dar al hayat. 11 Jul. 2005 <http://english.daralhayat.com/business/07-2005/Article-20050711-068d8421-c0a8-10ed-00f8-0297ca2a7668/story.html>
Steve Lohr. “I.B.M. Sought a China Partnership, Not Just a Sale.” The New York Times. 13 Dec. 2004 <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/13/technology/13ibm.html?ei=5088&en=c83eba90eb619e69&ex=1260594000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&adxnnlx=1120554059-RRj4ww1xTeIdMJRqxJ9IAQ>
“Seven Arab Americans sue Denny's owner alleging discrimination” AP Wire. 28 April. 2005 <http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/business/11513216.htm>
Steven Greenhouse “U.S. retailer settles bias charge.” New York Times. 18 Nov. 2004 <http://iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/artivles/2004/11/17/business/fitch.html>
Professor Da Roza Chinese 10 Lecture Notes
Edward L. Shaughnessy. China: Empire and Civilization. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000