The Future Of Business Ethics In China

4 Pages 992 Words

The Future of Business Ethics in China



Introduction

From a long-term, global perspective I believe that business ethics is paramount to all societies. Why? Major driving forces for business ethics lay in an increasing importance of business, a growing diversity of ethical beliefs and an ever more pressing need to address these complex issues.
In China, the study of ethics in relation to business has emerged only in recent years. Before 1978, dialogue on the subject of free market economics or business in general was taboo. Following the dramatic changes in Chinese society resulting from the 1978 economic reforms, China’s door has swung wide open to both foreign investment and private business activities. China in the 1990's was trying to come to grips with the consequences of the monumental changes which have taken place within the past 20 years, including the emergence of such ethical developments as corruption, intellectual property rights concerns, environmental abuses, labor unrest, and equality issues, among others. The recent economic changes and pressures from within China’s business community are demanding a new understanding and assessment of the relationship between business and ethics.

Challenges in Business Ethics in China

Sustainable human development

Of the many challenges ahead for China, perhaps the greatest is to strive for sustainable human development. As the United Nations Development Program proposed, human development surpasses purely economic development to include life expectancy, basic education and income per person. It also involves the long-term perspective of "sustainability," which the World Commission on Development and Environment defines as "[meeting] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs."
Can we elaborate on this concept of development in the Chinese context? The issue of sustainable development clearly to...