On Impacts Of Confucianism On The Corporate Culture Of East Asian Countries

Socio-economic development is mainly driven by two forces, scientific progress and humanistic spirit. The global economy is transferring from material economy to knowledge-based economy, with culture being the major driving force. Since the 1980s, the East Asia's economy has experienced a booming period. Newly Industrialized Economies in particular as represented by South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan province of China and Hong Kong have caught the eyes of experts and scholars. Study shows that one of the main reasons of East Asia's economic take-off is that Confucianism has played an important role. The core values of Confucianism are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and truth. Because of the five virtues, Asian people have a strong sense of responsibility and sacrifice to their country and enterprise. Confucianism could become a driving force for economic development in the East, making the way of economic growth so much different from that in the West.This thesis studies the similarities and differences of Confucianism between China, Japan, South Korea, and cultural differences between the East and the West, deepens our understanding of Confucianism and Confucian merchants, and reveals the superiority as well as drawbacks of Confucianism. These comparative analyses offer a positive way to learn rationally from the spirit of Confucianism, which will help build a modern business culture with Chinese characteristics.This thesis consists of 4 parts. The introduction states the significance of research and makes overview study on Confucianism. Chapter 1 includes a brief introduction to Confucianism and studies the relationship between Confucianism and economic development. Chapter 2 makes the study of Confucianism from the perspective of Hofstede's Four Value Dimensions. Chapter 3 makes research on the influence of Confucianism on the corporate cultures of East Asian countries and analyzes the features of corporate culture in China, Japan, and South Korea respectively, supported by case studies on enterprises like Fotile, Haier, Matsushita and Hyundai. Chapter 4 proposes useful enlightenment that can be drawn from corporate cultures of Japan and South Korea for Chinese enterprises.Nowadays, it is an upsurge to study Confucianism. However, few studies are conducted on its influence on corporate culture either at home or abroad, and thus little reference is available, so that ideas herewith, along with possible oversights or mistakes are subject to correction and discussion as well.