Among the five Junzi virtues, ‘Xin (trustworthiness)’ scored the highest, therefore pointing out that there is a high level of trust for Hong Kong enterprises, including honouring commitment to customers and acting in a trustworthy manner. ‘Yi (righteousness)’, however, scored the lowest and reflected respondents’ perception that companies might disregard the public’s best interest for the sake of greater profits.
As for the risks of business ethics, the strongest concern was fairness to customers (30%), followed by public safety (27%) fairness to employees (16%), corruption (14%) and financial integrity (13%).
In addition to the award presentation ceremony, a dialogue with business leaders on the topic: “Moving Forward from the Pandemic: Reflections and Strategies for the Future” was hosted during the event. Ms Kathryn Ho, Deputy CEO of International Housewares Retail Co. Limited, and Mr Maurice Kong, Chairman of the Institute of Dining Professionals shared that as the world begins to recover from the pandemic, business and organisations are looking for ways to improve efficiency and streamline their operations. Technology has always been a powerful tool for achieving these goals, but the pandemic highlighted the need for even greater reliance on technology to maintain the productivity and profitability.
President Simon Ho also presented the Junzi Corporation Award for Exemplary Business Practices, and Professor Robin S Snell conferred the Corporation Awards (Small and Medium Enterprises) to the Awardees. Other award presenters included Ms Mary Suen, Founder and Executive Chairman of Chief Happiness Officer Association; Mr Eugene Liu, Managing Director and Head of Consulting, RSM; and Dr Raymond Wong, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programmes), College of Business, City University of Hong Kong. HSUHK will continue to promote business ethics, the spirit of the five Junzi virtues, and create a good business environment as Hong Kong continues moving forward towards a brighter future.
At the event, Dr Thomas Man, Associate Dean (Enterprise and Business Engagement), announced the HSUHK Business Ethics Index, and Dr Belinda Yau, Assistant Professor of Department of Accountancy of HSUHK, shared the methodology of the Junzi Survey.