Article: Long-term evolution of business ethics in Hong Kong Journal: International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics (IJBGE) 2025 Vol.19 No.1 pp.45 - 66 Abstract: This paper applies the distribution dynamics analysis (DDA) technique in business ethics research using proprietary data measuring the general public's perception of business ethics levels in 206 major companies operating in Hong Kong. The data is comprehensive and longitudinal, consisting of 10,773 interviews collected between 2012 and 2016, transformed into a summary score of the perceived business ethics standards of Hong Kong companies, i.e., the relative Confucian business ethics score (RCBES). The study documents a slow long-run convergence process in business ethics levels across the companies operating in Hong Kong towards the RCBES value of 1.02, i.e., slightly above the average RCBES equal to 1. The results also indicate the emergence and migration of two convergence clubs with a smaller and larger group of companies clustering to the RCBES values below (0.87) and slightly above (1.02) the average value. The paper offers several implications and avenues for future research directions. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Long-term evolution of business ethics in Hong Kong

Authors: Tsun Se Cheong; Felix Tang; Andy Cheng; Michal Wojewodzki; Sunny Chan

Addresses: Department of Economics and Finance, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ' Department of Marketing, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ' Department of Economics and Finance, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ' Department of Economics and Finance, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ' Department of Marketing, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Abstract: This paper applies the distribution dynamics analysis (DDA) technique in business ethics research using proprietary data measuring the general public's perception of business ethics levels in 206 major companies operating in Hong Kong. The data is comprehensive and longitudinal, consisting of 10,773 interviews collected between 2012 and 2016, transformed into a summary score of the perceived business ethics standards of Hong Kong companies, i.e., the relative Confucian business ethics score (RCBES). The study documents a slow long-run convergence process in business ethics levels across the companies operating in Hong Kong towards the RCBES value of 1.02, i.e., slightly above the average RCBES equal to 1. The results also indicate the emergence and migration of two convergence clubs with a smaller and larger group of companies clustering to the RCBES values below (0.87) and slightly above (1.02) the average value. The paper offers several implications and avenues for future research directions.

Keywords: business ethics; Confucian business ethics score; CBES; distribution dynamics analysis; DDA; convergence club; mobility probability plot; MPP; Junzi virtues; Hong Kong.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2025.142899

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 2025 Vol.19 No.1, pp.45 - 66

Received: 06 Aug 2022
Accepted: 28 Feb 2023
Published online: 02 Dec 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article

Title: Long-term evolution of business ethics in Hong Kong

Keep up-to-date