Abstract
Since the 16th National Congress of Communist Party of China (16th NCCPC) in 2002, more and more private entrepreneurs have appeared on the political arena in China. The article first describes the state of the phenomenon, and analyzes the reasons and the related ethical issues of private entrepreneurs participating in politics. For this purpose, the article begins by suggesting a framework of analyzing the ethical analysis of corporate political actions, then applies it to a case study of the phenomenon, and finally, makes some policy suggestions to the government for regulating the practice of private entrepreneurs’ involvement in politics.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Abbreviations
- PC:
-
the People’s Congress
- CPPCC:
-
the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference
- CPC:
-
the Communist Party of China
- CPA:
-
corporate political action
- 16th NCCPC:
-
16th National Congress of Communist Party of China
References
Bachrach P., Baratz M.: 1962, ‹Two Faces of Power’, American Political Science Review 57, 947–952
Baron D.: 1995, ‹Integrated Strategy: Market and NonMarket Components’, California Management Review, 37(3): 47–65
Berlin , I.: 2002, Four Essays on Liberty, Oxford University Press, 1969. Expanded edition: Liberty, (Oxford University Press, London).
Blattberg C: 2000, From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics: Putting Practice First, (London: Oxford University Press)
Cavanagh Gerald F., Moberg, Dennis J., Velasquez, Manucl: 1981, ‹The Ethics of Organizational Politics’, Academy of Management Review 63, 363–374
Clawson Dan, Marvin J. Karson, Allen Kaufman: 1986, ‹The Corporate Pact for a Conservative America: A Data Analysis of 1980 Corporate PAC Donations in Sixty-Six Conservative Congressional Elections’, in Lee E. Preston (ed.), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy, Vol. 8. Greenwich, CT: JAI, pp. 223–245
Crowder G: 2002, Liberalism and Value Pluralism, (London: Continuum Books)
Dworkin Ronald: 2000, Sovereign Virtue: The Theory and Practice of Equality, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press)
Eismeier Theodore J., Philip H. Pollock III: 1987. ‹The Retreat from Partisanship: Why the Dog Didn’t Bark in the 1984 Election’, in Alfred A. Marcus, Allen M. Kaufman, David R. Beam (eds.), Business Strategy and Public Policy (New York: Quorum), pp. 137–147
Frederick William C., Post, James E., Davis, Keith: 1992, Business and Society: Corporate Strategy, Public Policy, and Ethics. Seventh Edition. (New York: McGraw Hill)
Gale J., Buchholz R: 1987, ‹The Political Pursuit of Competitive Advantage: What Business Can Gain from Government’, In A. Kaufman, D. Beam (eds.), Business strategy and public (New York: Quorum), pp. 231–252
Garrett Thomas: 1966, Business Ethics (Prentice Hall, Inc., N.J: Englewood Cliffs)
Getz Kathleen A.: 1997, ‹SelectingCorporate Political Tactics’, in: B. M. Mitnick (ed.) Corporate Political Agency: The Construction of Competition in Public Affairs (Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications), pp. 242–273
Grimaldi Jennifer: 1998, ‹Ethical Business Around The World: Ethics and the Political Activities of us Business’, Business Ethics: A European Review 7(4), 245–249
Hillman Amy, Gerald Keim: 1995,’International Variation in the Business-Government Interface: Institutional and Organizational Considerations’, Academy of Management Review 20:193–214
Hoberg, George, Jr. Risk: 1990, ‹Science and Politics: Alachlor Regulation in Canada and the United States’, Canadian Journal of Political Science 23(2), 227–237.
Hamilton J. Brooke Hamilton III, David Hoch: 1997, ‹Ethical Standards for Business Lobbying: Some Practical Suggestions’, Business Ethics Quarterly 7(3), 117–129
Keffer Jane M, Hill Ronald Paul: 1997, ‹An Ethical Approach to Lobbying Activities of Businesses in the United States’, Journal of Business Ethics 16(12/13), 1371–1380
Keim Gerald D., Barry D. Baysinger: 1993, ‹The Efficacy of Business Political Activity: Competitive Considerations in a Principal-Agent Context’, in Barry M Mitnick (ed.), Corporate Political Agency: The Construction of Competition in Public Affairs. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, pp. 125–147
King Martin Luther Jr.:1958, Stride Toward Freedom, The Montgomery story (New York: Harper & Row)
Lenway S., & Murtha T.: 1994, ‹The State as Strategic in International Business Research’, Journal of International Business Studies 25:513–535
Lindblom C. E.: 1977, Politics and Markets (New York: Basic Books)
Lukes S.: 1974, Power: A Radical View (London: Macmillan)
Markowitz, Steven: 1984, ‹Ethical Rules for Corporate PAC-Men’, Business and Society Review (summer) 21–25.
Masters Marick E, Barry D. Baysinger: 1985, ‹The Determinants of Funds Raised by Corporate Political Action Committees: An Empirical Examination’, Academy of Management Journal 28,654–664
Masters Marick E, Gerald D. Keim: 1986, ‹Variation in Corporate PAC and Lobbying Activity: An Organizational and Environmental Analysis’, in Lee E. Preston (ed.), Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy, Vol. 8. Greenwich, CT: JAI, pp. 249–271
Masters Marick E., Gerald D. Keim: 1985, ‹Determinants of PAC Participation among Large Corporations’, Journal of Politics 47,158–173
Mitnick B. M.: 1993. ‹Political Contestability’, in B. M. Mitnick (ed.), Corporate Political Agency: The Construction of Competition in Public Affairs (Newbury Park, A: Sage)
Mundo Philip A.: 1992. Interest Groups: Cases and Characteristics (Chicago: Nelson-Hall)
Oberman W. D.: 2004, ‹A Framework for the Ethical Analysis of Corporate Political Activity’, Business & Society Review 109 (2), 245–263
Oberman William D.: 1993, ‹Strategy and Tactic Choice in an Institutional Resource Context’, in Barry M. Mitnick (ed.), Corporate Political Agency: The Construction of Competition in Public Affairs (Newbury Park, CA: Sage), pp. 213–241
Plotke David: 1992, ‹The Political Mobilization of Business’, in Mark P. Petracca (ed.), The Politics of Interests: Interest Groups Transformed (Boulder, CO: Westview), pp. 175–198
Raz J: 2004, The Practice of Value, (London: Oxford University Press)
Dworkin Ronald: 2000, Sovereign Virtue: The Theory and Practice of Equality, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press)
Santana-Melgoza Carmen, Frank Shipper, Marianne M. Jennings: 1991. ‹Toward a Theoretical Model of Corporate Political Activity and Economic Success’, in John E Mahon (ed.), International Association of Business and Society Proceedings (Boston: Boston University Press), pp. 291–317
Spiller Pablo T.: 1990, ‹Politicians, Interest Groups, and Regulators: A Multiple-Principals Agency Theory of Regulation, or ‹Let Them Be Bribed’, Journal of Law and Economics 33, 65–101
Weber Leonard J.: 1996, ‹Citizenship and Democracy: The Ethic of Corporate Lobbying’, Business Ethics Quarterly 6(2), 253–259
Weber Leonard J.: 1997, ‹Ethics and the Political Activity of Business: Reviewing the Agenda’, Business Ethics Quarterly 7(3), 71–79 (In Chinese)
Dong Ming: 2005, ‹Comment on the Participation of Private Owner in Politics’. Journal of Parity School of C.P. C Ningpo Municipal Committee 1, 16–22
Fan Gang: 1996, the Political Economic Analysis of Progressive Reform (Shanghai:Shanghai Far East Publishers).
He Pengchang: 2001, ‹The Full-Time Institution and the Perfection of the Institution of People’s Congress’, People’s Congress Studying 11, 4–8
He Qiechuan: 2003, ‹The Full-Time of the Deputy Is a Progressive Process’, People’s Congress Studying 6, 1
Hu Chi: 2005, ‹How should No-Pubic Economy Adapt Market Environment’, Chinese Cadres Tribune 3, 22–24
Lu Xueyi: 2002, A Research Report on Cotemporary Chinese Social Strata (Social Sciences Academic Press).
Qiao Xinsheng: 2003. ‹The Chinese Election Institution Should be Perfected Soon’, Renminwang (http://www.people.com.cn): Apr.21.
The Chinese Private Enterprises Research Group: 2003, ‹A Report on the Development of China’s Private Enterprises’, Caijing Magazine 2.
The Development and Reform Committee of the State Council, The Research Room under the State Council: 2005, ‹Sustain and Lead the Development of Non-Public Economy Unhesitatingly’, Contemporary Economy 3, 1.
Wang Yufan, Xi Luoxi: 2003, ‹Unscramble the Phenomenon of ‹Xu Guanju’’, 21st Century Business Herald (Jan. 29)
Wu Jinglian: 2002, ‹Radically Reform, Distinguish Wrong and Right: on Guard Crony Capitalism’, Pioneering with Science & Technology, 2, 4–6
Wu Jinglian: 2003, ‹Build a Market Economy of Law’, China Reform 11, 14–16
Wu Jinglian: 2004, ‹Market Economy Should Watch Out for Crony Capitalism’, Decision and Information 1, 31–33
Xie Xiangwei: 2003, ‹A Brief Comment on the Full-Time Deputy to National People’s Congress’, People’s Congress Studying 6, 4–7
Xu Jialiang: 1995, ‹Separation of Powers and Combination of Legislative and Executive Powers: The Meaning of System Comparison between China and American’, Quarterly Journal of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences 2, 86–95
Yan Kan: 2005, ‹The Survival of the Rich under Macro-Control’, New Fortune 5, 45–56
Zhang Jingping: 2004, `The Change of Power: from Government Officials’ Going into Business and Businessmen’s Participating in Politics’ (Zhejiang People’s Publishing House)
Zhang Weiying: 2001, ‹The Bepuzzlement of Chinese Entrepreneurs’, 21st Century Business Herald (June 21), A 4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tian, Z., Gao, H. & Cone, M. A Study of the Ethical Issues of Private Entrepreneurs Participating in Politics in China. J Bus Ethics 80, 627–642 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9460-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9460-y