Chinese Ethics Research Articles

Relationship between apelin and new-onset atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting: a prospective cohort study and retrospective case-control clinical trial

Background: Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease as a chronic degenerative disease is the most common type of organ damage caused by atherosclerosis. Coronary artery bypass grafting is an internationally accepted treatment for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease. However, new-onset atrial fibrillation is a common complication after grafting, and its initiation and maintenance might be associated with levels of the peptide apelin. Methods/Design: A prospective cohort study and retrospective case-control clinical trial will be performed at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, General Hospital of Shenyang Military Region, China. We will recruit 120 patients without a history of atrial fibrillation and scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting. (1) Cohort study: patients will be assigned to two groups according to preoperative plasma apelin levels: high apelin (> 250 pg/mL) and low apelin (≤ 250 pg/mL). Seven days after surgery, the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation will be compared between the two groups. (2) Case-control study: those patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation will comprise the atrial fibrillation group, and those without will form the control group. MRI findings, and levels of plasma apelin, brain natriuretic peptide, and hypersensitive C-reactive protein, will be compared between the two groups 7 days postoperatively. Discussion: This trial is designed to investigate whether apelin can be used as an indicator to predict postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, and to provide an objective basis for the clinical selection of a preventive intervention program for atrial fibrillation. Trial registration: This trial was registered at ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT02807532). Ethics: The study protocol has acquired written approval from the Chinese Ethics Committee of Registering Clinical Trials (approval No. ChiECRCT-20150011), and will be performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki formulated by the World Medical Association. Informed consent: Written informed consent will be obtained from each subject.

Female-Christ Warriors: A Study of the Church of Almighty God / 征战的女基督

Abstract Previous research has paid much attention to the conflicts between the Church of Almighty God and its exterior world but ignored the fact that the relationship between them is not always in high tension and that the church is only selectively destructive of the exterior world. By analyzing the relationships between its members and between CAG and other churches and society, this paper discusses how CAG uses high-tension practices, mainly expressed as rejecting and vandalizing the exterior world, as a development strategy to repudiate its background of Chinese traditional family ethics and obscure its sources in Western religions, thus also strengthening its followers’ commitment.

Trouble in the Middle: American–Chinese Business Relations, Culture, Conflict and EthicsTrouble in the Middle: American–Chinese Business Relations, Culture, Conflict and Ethics, by FeldmanSteven P.. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. 505 pages, paperback.

Trouble in the Middle: American–Chinese Business Relations, Culture, Conflict and EthicsTrouble in the Middle: American–Chinese Business Relations, Culture, Conflict and Ethics, by FeldmanSteven P.. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. 505 pages, paperback.

The issue of enforcement in Chinese corporate governance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss two important aspects of enforcement of ethical standards: indirect enforcement, that is the Confucian approach, and common law enforcement. In the context of Confucianism, one must adopt the ethical teachings in a moderate or “middle” way. We should not be too attached to the liberal interpretation of the Confucian texts but must have the wisdom to apply the concepts case-by-case. The issue then is if there are no legal consequences or punishment, then how we can ensure that someone will continue to comply with the standards. Design/methodology/approach – The authors analyze the Confucian texts in relation to the enforcement of the ethical standards. The authors investigate the Entity Maximization and Sustainability Model by referring to the exit option, the voice option, the influence exerted on the board of directors, the sending of the Confucian representatives to sit on the board of directors, the oppression remedy and statutory derivative actions. The authors adopt a comparative study approach and argue that the Confucian enforcement of ethics can fill in the gap where common law rules of procedure cannot reach in the context of Chinese corporate governance system. Findings – By referring to the Confucian teaching, there are several ways to encourage the superior to follow the ethical standards, namely, education, fear of punishment by society, peer pressure, intrinsic value, continuing education and codification of Confucian value/moral standards. In addition, there are several enforcement options based on the Entity Maximization and Sustainability Model, which is highly relevant to the enforcement model of Confucianism. Originality/value – It is the first of its kind in strengthening the enforcement of Chinese business ethics by adopting the Confucian approach and common law approach. The two are not mutually exclusive but complementary with each other to bring the enforcement of Chinese business ethics to the next level.

The transformation of Chinese business ethics in line with its emergence as a global economic leader

Purpose – This paper aims to present the evolution of Chinese business ethics and CSR policy. China currently has business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) concerns primarily because its economy is in evolution. As the Chinese economy is in transition from the late 1970s from a command–Communist economy to a more hybrid system Beijing model (a system based on a capitalist market controlled through bureaucracy), much has to be understood if one wants to participate in its vast economic potential. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on the building of a model that depicts the evolution of business ethics in China as a base for further research. Findings – With the rapid development of the Chinese economy, opportunities are opening up to Chinese entrepreneurs and connected officials. This has led to money worship and, in some cases, thorough unethical behavior. The uncertain and ever-changing rules of the game generate opportunity for business ethics and CSR problems. This wealth creates temptation and incentives to cut corners to get rich fast. Much research has tried to explain business ethics in China through the understanding of Guanxi (Chinese social network of reciprocal business relations common in Confucian cultures), but in my view, the evolutionary aspect of it is missing to explain the present and future situation. Whereas considerable research has dealt with the growth of Chinese industries in recent years, the key relationship between changes in its economy and shifts in Chinese business ethics has been neglected. This paper presents the evolution of Chinese business ethics and CSR policy. Originality/value – The paper illustrates the evolution of Chinese business ethics and how one has to adapt if one wants to succeed in its ever evolving and maturing market. A model is presented that can assist in future research in the area.

Promise keeping, relational closeness, and identifiability: An experimental investigation in China

We experimentally investigate some key features of internet peer-to-peer (P2P) lending: the borrower specifies the amount of money required and makes a contingent promise about the value of the generally higher repayment prior to the investor's decision to lend the required sum or not. We examine the role played by two factors related to traditional Chinese culture and ethics: whether (i) guanxi, relational closeness between the actors and (ii) the ability of the actors to observe each other's identity after the repayment decision (identifiability or mianzi concerns) affect the borrowers' decisions to make the promised repayments and ultimately the consequent aggregate realized social benefits. Using a two-by-two factorial design, we conduct four experimental treatments in China and also perform the identifiability treatment in New Zealand as a cultural control. We find that in China both manipulations were positively and significantly related to the probability of a repayment promise being kept. Moreover, these two factors were substitutes for each other. In New Zealand, there was no significant identifiability effect on promise keeping. Over time, relational closeness and identifiability both led investors in China to accept more proposals, resulting in more investment and the creation of greater social surplus.

Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture by Robin R. Wang (review)

Reviewed by: Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture by Robin R. Wang Ian M. Sullivan (bio) Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture. By Robin R. Wang. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Pp. 205. isbn 978-0-521-16513-6. Robin Wang’s latest book, Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture, is an indispensable contribution to Chinese studies. Wang highlights the diverse uses of yinyang throughout two thousand years of Chinese cultural development in order to deepen the complexity of the concept for the Western reader and to bring it to life as a full-fledged thinking paradigm. She argues that yinyang “serves as a horizon for much of Chinese thought and culture … in the sense that although the terms are invoked in particular contexts for concrete purposes, they imply a deeper cultural background and a paradigm for thinking about change and effective action” (p. 5). Wang utilizes three methodological approaches to develop the yinyang thinking paradigm. The first approach is descriptive and historical in that it draws from texts familiar to a Western audience, such as the Yijing and Daodejing, as well as those less familiar, such as the Guiguzi, Heguanzi, Wenzi, and Zhouyi cantong qi, in order to illustrate how widely utilized the concept of yinyang is in Chinese culture and also to demonstrate that while many of these uses are different, there is an underlying structural unity across the diverse array. The second approach is philosophical in that it works to develop yinyang as a conceptual thinking paradigm. To accomplish this, Wang explores the function of yinyang in the fields of Chinese cosmology, epistemology, ethics, medicine, and visual interpretation. The third approach is pragmatic in that Wang emphasizes the practical and strategic functions of yinyang that overlap with the conceptual elements in ethical, medicinal, and interpretive practices. The order of the chapters proceeds through five areas of Chinese thought and culture. Chapter 2 focuses on the cosmological functions of yinyang and articulates the notions of the Dao 道 (the way), qi 氣 (vital force or energy), yi 易 (changes), and taiji 太極 (the great ultimate). In chapter 3, Wang explores the logic of yinyang through an examination of how yinyang and lei 類 (kinds) parse the world and relate elements of the natural and social orders. Various strategies (shu 術) of yinyang are the topic of chapter 4. Here Wang examines how yinyang can be used efficaciously to integrate “being, thinking, and doing” (p. 20). Chapter 5 focuses on the embodied dimensions of yinyang and is a study of the yinyang structure that informs medical understanding and practices of bodily self-cultivation (xiushen 修身). Wang emphasizes the importance of the rhythm, balance, and transformation of yinyang for health in traditional Chinese medicine. Chapter 6 is structured around the notion of [End Page 656] xiangshu 象數 (images and numbers) and serves as the conclusion to the project. It culminates in an explication of the “visual thinking” and the “analogical reasoning” found at the heart of the yinyang thinking paradigm and the practice of reading yinyang visual symbolization. From the project’s ambitious aims and Wang’s exemplary scholarship emerges a must-read for anyone interested in Chinese philosophy. Ian M. Sullivan University of Hawai‘i ian2@hawaii.edu Copyright © 2015 University of Hawai‘i Press

Medical Professionalism in China and the United States: A Transcultural Interpretation

As in other societies, medical professionalism in the Peoples' Republic of China has been rapidly evolving. One of the major events in this process was the endorsement in 2005 of the document, "Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter," by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (hereafter, the Charter)(1). More recently, a national survey, the first on such a large scale, was conducted on Chinese physicians' attitudes toward the fundamental principles and core commitments put forward in the Charter. Based on empirical findings from that study and comparing them to the published results of a similar American survey, the authors offer an in-depth interpretation of significant cross-cultural differences and important transcultural commonalities. The broader historical, socio-economic, and ethical issues relating to salient Chinese cultural practices such as family consent, familism (the custom of deferring decisions to family members), and the withholding of medical information, as well as controversial topics such as not respecting patients' autonomy, are examined. The Chinese Survey found that Chinese physicians supported the principles of the Charter in general. Here we argue that Chinese culture and traditional medical ethics are broadly compatible with the moral commitments demanded by modern medical professionalism. Methodologically and theoretically-recognizing the problems inherent in the hoary but still popular habit of dichotomizing cultures and in relativism-a transcultural approach is adopted that gives greater (due) weight to the internal moral diversity present within every culture, the common ground shared by different cultures, and the primacy of morality. Genuine cross-cultural dialogue, including a constructive Chinese-American dialogue in the area of medical professionalism, is not only possible, but necessary.

On Matteo Ricci’s Interpretations of Chinese Culture

On the contribution to introducing Western learning to China by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), the 16th -century Italian Jesuit missionary to the Ming Dynasty, abundant research has been done; however, not so on his contribution to introducing Chinese learning to the West, and if so, not profoundly. Though Ricci‟s understandings of Chinese culture were found in every aspect of Ming Dynasty lives, this essay focuses on four important and representative aspects, and analyzes the political system of a government guided by philosophers, the confused outlooks of religious sects, Chinese ethics compared to Christian tenets, and the unique qualities of the Chinese language. It discloses Ricci‟s moderate (middle-of-the-road) attitude toward Chinese culture, especially his efforts to reconcile Confucianism and Christianity as well as his prejudice against Buddhism and Taoism, which shows on the one hand his broad-mindedness as a humanistic missionary, and on the other the historical or rather religious limitations of his absolute faith as a pious Catholic. Narrow-minded or broad-minded, Ricci‟s role as the first scholar who introduced Chinese learning to the West should not be neglected. One should bear in mind that it is Ricci who laid the foundation for European sinology.

An Empirical Investigation of Chinese Online Consumer Ethics

In the Chinese online consuming context, this study proposes 12 hypotheses and constructs a conceptual model to investigate the relationship between ethical ideologies and unethical behaviors. The empirical results successfully supported these hypotheses and clearly explained the mechanism that the three aspects of ethical ideologies (Idealism, Relativism and Machiavellianism) influenced four typical online unethical behaviors in varying degree. And this study in the online context makes contribution to the researches with topic of unethical behaviors. Besides, this study also brings managerial suggestions for practice.

略論儒家養老觀及其當代價值

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.儒家的養老觀念具有深刻的思想根源。它有形上根據，也有現實原因。從表現形式上看，儒家的養老觀蘊含在儒家的“孝道”思想之中，由於孝道在儒家那裏既有著形上的天道根源，亦發揮著宗教性的功能，這使得蘊含在這一孝道思想中的養老觀念也兼具了這兩種思想特徵，即儒家養老觀既是形上的天道的要求，同時又具有宗教性關懷的內蘊。基於血親的自然情感因素和人對老年生活狀態的憂慮則構成了儒家養老觀念現實的、直接的緣由。這種由孝道維繫的養老觀念決定了儒家對“老人”界定的特殊性和養老方式的特殊性。在家庭中，“老”是相對於盡孝的義務而言的，而社會層面的“老”則需要加以特殊規定，以便於社會層面的養老實踐。而在養老方式上，這種由孝道維繫的養老觀也決定了家庭或子女是主要的、基本的養老場所和主體，但國家或政府在宣導、維護這種養老觀念上，以及為家庭養老創造必要的物質條件和保障方面，則負有絕對的義務和責任。China’s citizens are growing old at an alarming rate. The increase in the country’s elderly population has created profound social and economic complications that can be solved only by appropriate policies and moral decisions on caring for aging people. Who will take care of the elderly? Should elderly people depend on their families or on the government? The author of this paper shows that filial or familial piety—the Confucian ideal of moral responsibility for one’s elderly relations—is intrinsic to the traditional Chinese value system, and should continue to shape Chinese society today. The author contends that filial piety is the key ethical principle of Confucianism based on its metaphysical foundation of the Dao. Instead of talking about the rights of elderly people, we should emphasize the moral duty of their adult children.However, the traditional emphasis on filial piety has been challenged by social changes in the last few decades, especially since China’s economic reform. There are fewer and fewer households with “three generations under one roof,” due to China’s urbanization and one-child policy. More and more people are choosing to invest in institutional care (such as nursing-home care and residential care) as an alternative to traditional familial care. Despite these changes, the author maintains that filial piety, as the core value of the Confucian ethical system, should play an important role in modern Chinese society. Supporting one’s elderly relations (both emotionally and financially) offers not only a practical solution to the problem of elderly care in China, but also an ethical way for family members to fulfill their moral duties and maintain family solidarity. Although Western approaches to community care that combine formal and informal sources of support may in some cases help to meet the welfare needs of vulnerable elderly people in China, a complete rejection of traditional filial piety is far from appropriate. The author concludes that commitment to the traditional ethical value of filial piety enables people to live together in peace and harmony.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 2849 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Organ donation in China: current status, challenges, and future development.

Development of effective immunosuppressive agents and advances in surgical practice are the main reasons for the success of transplantation in China. In some key areas such as liver, lung, and kidney transplants, Chinese transplant success rates are similar to the rates in developed countries. Organ donation also has developed rapidly. However, China is facing a serious organ shortage that restricts clinical treatment and medical research. This shortage is due to imperfect laws and improper management of organ donation, as well as Chinese traditional ethics. Finding an efficient way to make the number of donated organs keep pace with the need for organ transplants and to optimize allocation of organ resources is a long-term and arduous task. In some ways, Chinese organ donation nowadays is constrained more by legal issues than by medical issues. The current status of and challenges facing organ donation in China are analyzed with respect to ethics, management, laws, and policy, and the future development of transplantation in China is discussed.

The enigma of the Chinese diamond industry

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the evolution of Chinese business ethics over time and how it impacts business. While much research attention has been directed toward China and its various industries, the Chinese diamond industry has been largely neglected. This industry is the second in size and fastest growing globally. It is interesting to examine its evolution over time and how external factors affect the firms’ business ethics behavior.Design/methodology/approach– Exploratory field work involving the interview of major players was undertaken, complemented by extensive desk work, was used to create a base for future in-depth research of the secretive Chinese diamond industry.Findings– A paradox was identified in the Chinese diamond industry, namely, that while Chinese businesses tend to follow a relational governance model, China’s diamond industry tends to use rational mechanisms of governance and exchange, a paradox that is explained by mitigating factors.Research limitations/implications– Future studies should use a quantitative questionnaire with a larger set of Chinese diamond firms to further examine the paradox found. Future studies could also examine whether the transformation from a system based on social networks to a system based on market forces as found in the Chinese diamond industry is an indicator of an ethical and business evolution of the whole Chinese industry. This may illustrate the rationalization of the Chinese economy and its progression toward Western models of exchange as it further opens up to the West.Originality/value– This paper is a pioneering work on the business ethics and strategy implemented by firms in the Chinese diamond industry.

Institutional ethical analysis of resident perceptions of tourism in two Chinese villages

Existing research on perceptions of tourism has mainly focused on the empirical study from the perspectives of management, sociology, statistics and other disciplines. However, the ethical or philosophical perspective has been relatively neglected. Many issues related to institutional ethics have not been given sufficient attention by tourism academics. This article will test the effect of tourism on institutional ethics from a new perspective: by comparing the residents’ perceptions and attitudes towards tourism's impact in the villages of Zili and Maxianglong in Kaiping County of Guangdong Province where they share similar geographical locations and demographic features. Findings show that due to different levels of tourism development, the residents’ pursuit of institutional ethics varies. In particular, citizen ethics cannot be derived from traditional Chinese ethics. In fact as the level of tourism increases, the awareness of being involved in public affairs becomes stronger and the pursuit of a fair distribution and a focus on public interest becomes more obvious. For example: (1) a more developed tourism industry results in a larger demand for equal distribution from residents; (2) as the tourism industry develops, resident awareness increases as well as the ability to participate in public management; (3) with the development, resident demands for democracy become more obvious; and (4) with the development of the tourism industry, residents pay more attention to public interests and the construction of public spaces, and they acquire more of a public spirit.

Ethical and institutional frameworks for interactional justice in public organizations: a comparative analysis of selected Western and Chinese sources

This paper explores both differences and points of contact between selected contemporary theories of public ethics in the West and China. China is in a greater state of flux in this connection, with new, eclectic approaches to ethical justification for moral agency gaining prominence. There are thematic parallels between East and West in their distinct strains of institutionalism (in which neither individual moral agency nor the justice claims of individuals have much play). However, there are recent Chinese theoretical proposals – many incorporating Western sources – that address this quandary, namely the institutional overdetermination of moral agency. These proposals are joined to contributions from feminist and liberation ethics in a critical reconsideration of overridingness in formal ethics. Contemporary Chinese ethics connect moral claims to kin, community, and reciprocity networks, particularly as traditional philosophy is recovered in new theoretical syntheses. The grounding of Confucian ethics in kin and community offers an instructive contrast to formal Western ethical systems, as do radical strains of Western ethics that suggest that transcendence is found in the self's extension toward others in need. This paper considers these ethical themes in connection with hypothetical instances of interactional justice in organizations.

The evolution of Chinese business ethics

Purpose– This article aims to present a historical overview of the evolution of business ethics in China and highlights the ways in which its ethical structure lags behind its rapid economic expansion. Understanding Guanxi, the Chinese social network of reciprocal business relations common in Confucian cultures, has long been recognized as one of the major success factors when doing business in China (Hwanget al., 2009). Recognizing the significant impact of Guanxi and its influence on everyday dealings in China is, thus, crucial for Western firms. Whereas considerable research has dealt with the growth of Chinese industries in recent years, the key relationship between changes in its economy and shifts in Chinese business ethics has been neglected although it impacts the ways Westerners, in particular, both clinch deals and judge Chinese firms. The implications of this disparity for global business are discussed.Design/methodology/approach– The discussion draws on the academic literature and the researchers’ experience in how business and business ethics are conducted between Western and Chinese firms. This paper presents a content analysis of theoretical articles and compares them to conceptual and empirical approaches, with an emphasis on a pragmatic approach to fostering a better understanding of the evolution of Chinese business ethics and its implications on business practices.Findings– Maps the evolution of business ethics in China and need to adapt to an ever changing business environment.Originality/value– This study offers a new insight to the evolution of Chinese business ethics and highlights its importance in business interactions. It illustrates the co-evolution of business ethics in parallel with the advancement of the Chinese economy. This paper is the first paper that addresses the issue of the evolution and formation of Chinese business ethics and links it to economic progress and opening up to the West.

Ethical issues in Chinese aesthetic surgery.

Guided by the medical ethics principles of "four principles plus scope," Chinese aesthetic medical practitioners have proposed some extremely valuable ethical principles combined with the construction of aesthetic medicine and the requirements of clinical practice such as the principle of general nonmaleficence, the principle of local minimal invasiveness, the principle of informed consent, and the principle of respect and confidentiality. Chinese aesthetic surgical ethics provide valuable guidance for the practice of aesthetic medicine. Adherence to the ethics of Chinese aesthetic surgery provides an essential guide for the practice of aesthetic medicine in China. These principles protect both the medical practitioner and the patient, helping them to avoid unnecessary risks and disputes and ultimately promoting the sustainable development of aesthetic medicine.

Weber and the Concept of Adaptation: the Case of Confucian Ethics

Throughout his work Weber made extensive use of a concept of adaptation, usually associated with evolutionism, but he was as critical of it as he was of historical materialism and in his concern for identifying the precise importance of ideas in explaining historical developments he rejected both grand narratives. We can detect through examining the sequence of his writing on Chinese ethics how his idea of adaptation to the world evolved over time to the point where he found it of limited use for China but still applicable to the Jesuits, who on their own experience of China were authors of an ethical concept of adaptation that antedated Darwin and coloured Weber's thought. He shifts emphasis from adaptation to tension (Spannung) which takes on equivalent importance to autonomy (Eigengesetzlichkeit) and rationality in explaining the impact of ethics on economic action.

A Study on the nature of the ancient Chinese ethics and its development

A Study on the nature of the ancient Chinese ethics and its development

Modes and Implications of International Online Engineering Ethics Education: Reflections on the Experiences of Several Universities

Considering China's need to strengthen/for strengthingengineering ethics education and the rapid development of online education, this paper introduces the current status of online engineering education in several foreign countriesanalyzes the modes of online engineering ethics education adopted by universities such as the University of Nebraska, Indiana University, Virginia Tech, and Deakin Universit andpoints out that their basic format involves the use of independent modules and discussion forums and their main characteristic is the emphasis on active learning, self-directedness, and interaction, and evaluates the effectiveness of such education. These foreign experiences have implications for Chinese engineering ethics education: China should strengthen engineering ethics education, promote innovative teaching methods including the shift from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness, consider postgraduate and continuing education as the first target of online engineering education, use discussion as a major educational strategy, provide support at the university level, and train teachers and students before class starts. All these measure can be used as references to facilitate universities in China in using online education as a new means to promote engineering ethics education.