Legal Studies and Business Ethics Papers
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
7-2012
Publication Source
Business Ethics Quarterly
Volume
22
Issue
3
Start Page
557
Last Page
577
DOI
10.5840/beq201222334
Abstract
We argue that Confucianism makes a fundamental contribution to understanding why civility is necessary for a morally decent workplace. We begin by reviewing some limits that traditional moral theories face in analyzing issues of civility. We then seek to establish a Confucian alternative. We develop the Confucian idea that even in business, humans may be sacred when they observe rituals culturally determined to express particular ceremonial significance. We conclude that managers and workers should understand that there is a broad range of morally important rituals in organizational life and that managers should preserve and develop the intelligibility and integrity of many of these rituals.
Copyright/Permission Statement
This article has been published in a revised form in Business Ethics Quarterly at http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/beq201222334. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © Cambridge University Press.
Keywords
civility, Confucianism, sacred, ritual, management ethics
Recommended Citation
Kim, T., & Strudler, A. (2012). Workplace Civility: A Confucian Approach. Business Ethics Quarterly, 22 (3), 557-577. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/beq201222334
Included in
Applied Ethics Commons, Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons, Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics Commons, Comparative Philosophy Commons, Human Resources Management Commons, Law Commons, Management Information Systems Commons
Date Posted: 20 June 2018
This document has been peer reviewed.