CONFUCIUS

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CONFUCIUS

• The Key to Doing Business in the Pacific Rim in
  the 21st Century

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius was a teacher of ethics who lived in
  China from 551 - 479 BCE (Spring Autumn
  Period).
• His philosophy is preserved as
• The Confucian Analects
• The Great Learning
• The Doctrine of the Mean

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• On Learning Ethics, Confucius says
• At 15, I had set my heart on learning
• At 30, I firmly took my stand
• At 40, I had no delusions
• At 50, I knew the decrees of heaven
• At 60, my ear was willing to receive the truth
• At 70, I could follow what my heart desires
  without trespassing on what was right.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• His system of ethics is presently well known in
  the Pacific Rim communities, including Japan,
  Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan,
  Vietnam, Malaysia, China, etc.
• AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Angered by the bonuses received by AIG executives
  Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) on March 16,
  2009, said
• The first thing that would make me feel a little
  bit better towards them if theyd follow the
  Japanese model and come before the American
  people and take that deep bow and say Im sorry,
  and then either do one of two things resign, or
  go commit suicide.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius is famous in the West for his sayings
  (some authentic and many others fabricated).

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• War Does Not Decide Who is Right,
• War Decides Who is Left.
• Notwithstanding the lack of authenticity of this
  quote, Confucius was interested in politics, from
  the vantage point of preventing wars and
  promoting social harmony.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• Man is born for uprighteousness. If a man loses
  his uprighteousness and yet lives, his escape
  from death is because of mere good fortune.
  Analects Book IV, Chapter XVII

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• Do not impose on others what you do not wish
  imposed on yourselves. Analects Book V, Chapter
  XI and Analects Book XV, Chapter XIII

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• Let the states of equilibrium and harmony exist
  in perfection, and a happy order will prevail
  throughout heaven and earth, and all things will
  be nourished and will flourish. Doctrine of the
  Mean Chapter 1.5

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• When agreements are made according to what is
  right, and what is spoken can be made good. When
  respect is shown according to what is proper, one
  keeps from shame and disgrace. Analects Book I,
  Chapter XIII

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• When people are led by laws and uniformity
  sought to be given them by punishments, they will
  try to avoid the punishment, but will have no
  sense of shame. If they are led by virtue, and
  uniformity be given them by the rules of
  propriety, they will have a sense of shame and
  moreover will be good. Analects Book II, Chapter
  III

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• What do you say about killing the unprincipled
  for the good of the principled? Sir, in carrying
  out your government, whye should you use killing
  at all? Let you manifested desires be for good
  and the people will do good. Analects Book XII,
  Chapter XIX.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• When hearing a lawsuit, I am like any other
  tribunal. What is necessary however, is to cause
  the people to have no lawsuits. Analects Book
  XII, Chapter XIII and The Great Learning, Chapter
  IV.

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• A student asked What makes a good government
  officer?
• Confucius answered
• One who knows a sense of shame and when sent to
  any quarter will not disgrace his princes
  commission. Analects Book XIII, Chapter XX.1

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius says
• There is government when the prince is the
  prince, and the minister is minister, and when
  the father is father and the son is son. Analects
  Book XII, Chapter XI.2

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Confucius once met Laozi (Lao-tzu) and he said
• I know that birds can fly, fish can swim, and
  beasts can run. Snares can be set for things
  that run, nets for those that swim and arrows for
  tht which fly. But Dragons! I shall never know
  how they ride the wind and cloud up the the sky.
  Today I saw Laozi. What a Dragon!

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• Guanxi is the art of managing relationships in
  China and centers on the concept of reciprocity.
  In the West, we sometimes use the word
  connections.
• Closely related are the concepts of ganqing,
  renqing, mianzi and lian.
• Modern practice is complex, subject to change and
  you can ask, What would Confucius say if he saw
  it today?

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Confucius The Key to Doing Business in the
Pacific Rim in the 21st Ceutury

• CONCLUSION
• Confucian ethics and philosophy have universal
  applicability to modern business relationships
  anywhere in the world.