Title

Eastern traditional business values : mercantile patron Gods in Hong Kong = 東方傳統企業價值 : 香港的行業神崇拜

Authors

Kwok-keung CHOW

Document Type

Paper Series

Publication Date

11-1-1997

No.

013-978

Abstract

During the past decade there has been an increasing recognition in business organizations of the importance of establishing their organizational culture in Hong Kong. Executives and managers want to know how to manage organizational culture for achieving excellence in performance but they always ignored some important functions played by the worship of mercantile patron gods. This paper represents the culminated review of a series of case studies based on many interviews with some traditional guilds, trades and organizations in Hong Kong on their worship practice of their mercantile patron gods from a variable perspective of organizational culture. It acknowledges that col1ective activities such as rites, rituals and ceremonies through the worship of respective patron gods allow inferences about underlying meanings in their context which will possibly affect the cohesiveness, belongingness, morale etc. of both employers and employees and thus overall organizational effectiveness. It can therefore provide management with an innovative perspective of taking a positive view towards mercantile religion as an integral part of their cultural system.

Comments

HKIBS Working Paper Series 013-978