Qian Zhao is going to present a working paper on 'Empirical Research of Moral Background in China’s Business Ethics Education'

There are two levels of business ethical research. One is the behavioral level, about moral and immoral behavior/practices. The other one is the normative level. According to Abend(2014), there should be a third level, the moral background study. The moral background supports, facilitates, and enables behavioral and normative levels of morality. 

In this chapter, I would like use moral background theory as an empirical tool to examine business ethicists’ work in top Chinese business schools and try to reveal their different types of moral background. It can reveal the different path of the comprehensive evolution of business ethics education in China since 2000 as well as how moral background changes along with socioeconomic transition.

Qian Zhao is going to present a working paper on 'Civilization as Moral Background of Business Ethics'

“Ethical vacuum” in business in China is now a conclusion held by many domestic and western scholars. However, this conclusion is too easy to reach. It seems that contemporary China doesn’t have a unified, dominant and consistent ethical understanding. Indeed, one can observe moral pluralism but also moral confusion. And there is a strong call on businessmen to “acting ethically” by business ethicists. Business ethics in China deserves a profound research through moral background study which will help us better depict the difference. In this chapter, by employing the framework of moral background (Abend, 2014), I mainly analysize the empirical data from interviews and written resources of one China local business association. I argue, civilization is one type of moral background of Chinese business ethics. It emphasizes on civilized and cultured personal character.

Qian Zhao offers a working paper on 'Trial Comparative Research of Chinese and Britain Cultural Entrepreneurs in pre-modern Time'

My research is on Chinese young cultural entrepreneurs under socio-technological innovations in China. In a close observation of Chinese entrepreneurs, we can observe an interesting phenomenon that a group of Chinese entrepreneurs, especially some famous successful ones have many cultural actions in their economic activities.
In this paper, I would like to turn to historical comparative analysis of cultural entrepreneurs in Britain and China in pre-modern time and try to answer the questions as following: how should we view this cultural entrepreneurship phenomenon, unique or ubiquitous? How they acted as cultural entrepreneurs? Where did their cultural propensity come from? As a part of my dissertation in the topic of cultural entrepreneurs, I am also very interested in the research of the evolvement of cultural entrepreneurs in history, to find the source and course.
I suppose, given that business and personal values were so closely intertwined, we should find answers in the culture and its relation with entrepreneurs’ certain values. What is less discussed is a set of cultural values that pertain to entrepreneurs’ cultural activities.

Professor Dr. Carsten Herrmann-Pillath appointed “Distinguished Visiting Professor of Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University” 2015-2017

Professor Dr. Carsten Herrmann-Pillath, Fellow for economics at the Max-Weber-Centre, University of Erfurt, working on „China’s Economic Culture“ has been appointed „Distinguished Visiting Professor of Schwarzman Scholars at Tsinghua University” for the years 2015–2017. Tsinghua University, Bejing is an international place of research with the Schwarzman Scholarships supporting scholarly exchange between leading Western scholars and China; the university campus hosts the famous Schwarzman College where like at Oxbridge, Harvard or Yale advanced studies are registered and, together with the fellows, enjoy the interdisciplinary international scholarly exchange.
Professor Dr. Hartmut Rosa, the director of the Max-Weber-Centre together with all its fellows and members is pleased about the nomination of one of its fellows, and sees in it a further strengthening of the contacts between the Max-Weber-Centre and China.