Confucian dynamism, culture and ethical changes in Chinese societies – a comparative study of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong

Confucian ethics, as the essence of the Chinese traditional culture, have been widely applied to social sciences from economics to business. Confucian dynamism, a concept proposed by researchers during the 1980s, was understood to boost Asian economies. According to the previous studies, the rankings of Chinese societies in terms of Confucian dynamism followed the order China>Hong Kong>Taiwan. Based on an empirical investigation of 504 individuals in these areas, this study finds that this ranking has changed owing to rapid economic and political transformations of recent decades. Occidentalized Hong Kong and communist China have environments unfavorable for maintaining Chinese traditions. This transformation also influences the ethical cultures of different Chinese societies. The understanding of Confucian ethics can not merely help Western managers to understand business people, companies and human resources in China better, but it can also help explain the cultural and ethical changes in Chinese societies. Further, this study also addresses managerial implications of Confucian ethics for business organizations and human resource management.