Ethical Thinking On Shanxi Merchants' Talent Management

Chinese commercial civilization goes back to ancient times. As an important merchant group in late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Shanxi merchants are glorious for a time in Chinese history. In the course of running business, Shanxi merchants not only create the name of a shop lasting for a century, but also form beneficial work ethic, industry system and talent management ethics which have a far-reaching influence on the contemporary era. Talents are the first resources of engaging in commercial activities, so the competition between shops is mainly about the competition between talents. Strengthening talent management plays a vital role on the development of Shanxi merchants. By making a thorough inquiry into Shanxi merchants' management of talents in late Ming and early Qing dynasties, this paper studies the moral heritage of Shanxi merchants'selection and appointment, training and education, incentive and constraint of talents from an ethical point of view, deepens the rich content of Shanxi merchants'management of talents, hoping to inspire the reflection of talents issues of the day.This paper is divided into three parts:The first part is mainly about Shanxi merchants'selection and appointment of talents. The selection and appointment of talents is an important prerequisite to the business practices of Shanxi merchants. Shanxi merchants adhere to certain ethical principles in the selection of talents. They know their subordinates well enough to assign them jobs commensurate with their abilities. The reasonable management idea of selecting and appointing talents implies certain value demands and moral heritage.The second part is mainly about Shanxi merchants'training and education of talents. The training and education of talents is an important part of Shanxi merchants'talent management. Every employee in the shop must go through strict and arduous apprenticeship training and practical training by integrating study with application, improve their professional skills and work ethic by continuous learning, in order to establish the ethical idea of mercantile career and running business with moral integrity and make a perfect combination with "the way to run business" and "the way to conduct oneself.The third part is mainly about Shanxi merchants'incentive and constraint of talents. Shanxi merchants cannot manage talents well without a fair and reasonable incentive and constraint mechanism. On the one hand, they use the employee salary system of making recompense according to the amount of labor expended and the system of employees holding their shares depending on the labor expended to motivate talents and promote win-win cooperation by taking effective incentive measures; on the other hand, they make strict rules in shops and stores and constraint talents through spiritual and moral force, in order to assure regular systems, and allow talents to consciously improve their moral attainments to achieve their all-round development.