Tong Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China

A Case Study of the Influence of Christian Ethics on Business Life
Erscheinungsjahr 2013
ISBN: 978-1-78308-087-8
Verlag: NBN International - Anthem Press
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 180 Seiten, Web PDF

Reihe: China in the 21st Century

Inspired by Max Weber’s thesis on the Protestant ethic, ‘Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Modern China’ sets out to understand the role and influence of Christianity on Overseas Chinese businesspeople working in contemporary China. Through its in-depth interviews and participant observations (involving 60 Overseas Chinese entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the United States), the text discusses how Christianity has come to fulfill an increasingly visible and dynamic function in the country, most notably as a new source of business morality.
Recognizing that China’s economic transition toward a market-oriented economy was not initiated by Christians (or indeed any other religious group), this volume demonstrates the importance of exploring the impact of religious ethics on economics at micro and organizational levels, via the subjective understandings of individuals and small businesses. Significant but often neglected facets of Weber’s thesis arise as a result. Of key importance is the issue of gender differences within the Christian ethos – a crucial aspect of the Protestant ethic that has yet to be systematically studied, but which offers great potential to enhance our understanding of Weber’s work. As a result, the text’s novel application of Weberian sociology to the context of contemporary China can be seen to offer a double return, elucidating both the theory and its subject.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Tong, Joy Kooi-Chin

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgments; List of Tables and Figures; Chapter 1 Introduction: Studying Christian Ethics and Business Life in Post-1978 China; Chapter 2 Religion and Economic Life: The Protestant Ethic and Max Weber’s Legacy; Chapter 3 Overseas Chinese Christian Entrepreneurs in Post-1978 China (Shanghai): Business, Faith and Ethics; Chapter 4 Religious Motivation and Entrepreneurial Spirit; Chapter 5 Business–Faith Integration: Three Types; Chapter 6 Communities of Faith: Fellowships for Overseas Chinese Christian Businesspeople in Shanghai; Chapter 7 Female Entrepreneurs: Four Stories; Chapter 8 Conclusion and Research Implications; Bibliography; Index

Über Autor(innen)

Joy Kooi-Chin Tong is Assistant Professor of Intercultural Studies at Indiana Wesleyan University, and was previously a postdoctoral research associate at the Center on Religion and Chinese Society at Purdue University, USA.