David Lamond

Bio: David Lamond is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Business ethics & Contradiction. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 1 citations.

Junzi and rushang: A confucian approach to business ethics

Abstract: A common retort to the introduction of a discussion on 'business ethics' remains a sniggering response that the term itself is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms - ethical ideas and moral behaviour are not possible within the selfish, greedy and amoral world of business.

Targeted values: The relevance of classical Chinese philosophy for illegal wildlife demand reduction campaigns

Abstract: The illegal wildlife trade is a global conservation priority, prompting a rise in interventions aimed at reducing the demand for wildlife products. Research shows that designing campaigns to target the values held by a specific audience is an effective way to alter their behaviour. However, many demand reduction campaigns are grounded in the perspective of Western morality. This is problematic when the recipients of these campaigns frequently reside in East Asia, where they are exposed to the historical and cultural praxis of Confucianism and Daoism. This paper examines some of the central concepts of classical Chinese philosophy to see how they could be used by practitioners to design effective behaviour change campaigns in the future. Acknowledging that the East Asian cultural sphere has a long history of consumptive wildlife use, reflecting an instrumentalist and anthropocentric approach to wildlife, we still find potential for appealing to a relational ethic. There is a fundamental metaphysics that all of nature is unified, interconnected and interpenetrating. Qi is the vital force of the universe that links inorganic, organic and human life‐forms, creating the basis for a profound reciprocity between humans and the natural world. We also consider some of the key virtues in Chinese philosophy, and how they could be interpreted through the lens of demand reduction for illegal wildlife products. This includes li, ritual propriety, and ren, the inner moral force which keeps us in balance. Finally, we cover influential scriptures, identifying many historical verses that are relevant to modern conservationists.

Junzi virtues: a Confucian foundation for harmony within organizations

Abstract: The classical literature on Confucianism exhorted leaders to practice five core virtues as the basis for becoming a noble person (Junzi) and for sustaining harmonious communities built on trust and good example. We present a theory about how the senior management in modern corporations, by enacting the five Junzi virtues through virtuous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and practices, might inspire virtue-based relationships between superiors and subordinates and between employees. We argue that if middle managers and employees observe and experience that their firm’s ESG policies and practices are virtuous, they would feel encouraged to practice those virtues in their own behavior, and thus embody and promote interpersonal harmony. We provide three types of illustration for our theory. First, we map the five Junzi virtues to the content of a specimen ESG report. Second, we map seven subtypes of servant leadership behavior of middle managers to the five Junzi virtues. Third, we map seven types of employee organizational citizenship behavior to the five Junzi virtues.