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Business Ethics and Politics in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Paul Steidlmeier
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Abstract:

Business ethics in China is highly politicized, both within China as well as on the global scene. Over the past years many issues of business ethics have arisen. It turns out that the Chinese often have a different set of ethical priorities with respect to the economy than do their Western counterparts. China possesses rich and well-developed ethical traditions that provide a meaningful basis for evaluating its own problems. This article reviews China’s ethical heritage and, at the same time, takes note of Western ethical concerns of human rights, property and so forth that have been injected into the debate. The article further reviews the principal issues of ethical analysis and, within the context of China/U. S. inter-relations, suggests ethical paths to pursue on four levels: government to government, multinational corporations, interest groups and international fora, and individual initiatives and commitment.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , July 1997 , pp. 131 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 1997

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