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This study aims to investigate the values of the founders of social business through a case analysis of five social businesses in Hong Kong. The study probes the dynamics of the formation and implementation of values of the founders. Value conflicts or dissonance are unavoidable challenges for social business due to their ethical nature. Value conflicts or dissonance and how they are handled are examined. This study has found that the founders hold values of universal types including social justice, equality, autonomy, empowerment as well as local Chinese values. The issues of founders and their values have received less attention in Hong Kong and elsewhere. This study attempts to fill this gap by shedding light on this unexplored area, which can help provide a fuller picture of the nature of social business in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discourses on Chinese folk happiness are often based on anecdotal narratives or qualitative analysis. A recent study on Chinese folk happiness using qualitative method seems to provide some empirical findings beyond anecdotal evidence on Chinese folk happiness. This paper critically examines the study's constructed image of Chinese folk happiness, its methodology and account of traditional Chinese happiness, and finds them wanting. A brief account of Chinese traditional happiness is provided.

Discourses on Chinese folk happiness are often based on anecdotal narratives or qualitative analysis. Two traditional concepts of happiness popular in Chinese culture are introduced. The paper constructs a concept of Chinese folk happiness on basis of the findings of a scientific survey on the Taiwanese people regarding their concepts of well-being at nation and personal levels. The survey has revealed that people's concepts of well-being are consisted of a diversity of elements including political, economic, social, and cultural factors, as well as health, family, job, and social relationships. The paper compares these concepts with the traditional notions of Chinese folk happiness.

The aim of this paper is to construct a notion of well-being in the workplace applicable to Taiwan society as an example of the Chinese cultural communities. The construction involves the following steps. Different domains of the well-being in the workplace are identified based on the results of workplace research. A set of integrative values combining universal values and Chinese values is constructed to serve as the ground for constructing the components of workplace well-being. Both the universal portion and the Chinese portion have a generic and a workplace-specific portion as their integrative parts. The values in effect help to define specific contents of the components, thus making them relevant and applicable to the Chinese culture. The construct serves as the basis to develop specific indicators to measure, monitor and assess well-being in the workplace. The construct of workplace well-being forms a part of the general well-being in business which contains various well-beings associated with the multiple stakeholders in the business communities--customers, shareholders, citizens, competitors, communities, and the environment. In today's globalized business environment, this construct is especially significant when more multinationals are operating with an increasingly multicultural workplace where people with different cultures communicate, cooperate and interact.

Purpose – This paper aims to examine whether and to what extent the practical wisdom contained in classical Confucianism can provide conceptual and ethical resources for ethical leadership for Chinese companies in the twenty-first century. The objectives of the paper are: to reconstruct the core elements of Confucianism; to account some major issues confronting corporate China; to identify the attributes of the Confucian ethical leadership through those of Junzi against such a backdrop; to identify some major challenges for Junzi leadership in today's business environment in China; and to consider some implications of this analysis for management development and management education. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a normative analysis. Findings – A critical articulation of the concept of ethical leadership based on the Confucian notion of Junzi is presented, and the concept is examined against the context of problems confronting business in China. The challenges for Confucian ethical leadership are identified in the conclusion. Research limitations/implications – The paper presents a critical reference for managers who adopt or intend to adopt Confucian ideas in management. Social implications – The paper provides a critical reference for those in society who assume leadership positions to learn about Chinese ethical leadership. Originality/value – Few works in the literature have made the connection between Confucian ethical leadership and the Chinese corporate context with a critical approach and rigorous analysis to help reveal the inherent challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to document and explain value changes in the families of the upper Pearl River Delta region as a result of rapid economic changes from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s. A survey via questionnaire interviews was conducted in the urban area of Guangzhou and one of its increasingly industrialised rural suburbs, Xiayuan. Xiayuan represents the early stage while Guangzhou the later stage of economic development in the region. A representative sample of the population in Guangzhou and Xiayuan was identified and interviewed respectively. The response rate in both localities was highly satisfactory (Guangzhou 67%; Xiayuan 61%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]