A Chinese style of HRM : exploring the ancient texts

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevant sayings and stories of the ancient Chinese sages in relation to the style of Chinese human resource management (HRM).

Design/methodology/approach – Related texts generated from the quotations and stories from four Chinese sages, Guanzi, Hanfeizi, Xunzi and Yanzi, were translated and analyzed and their thinking regarding ruling the state and managing the people was discussed in line with the thoughts from the mainstream and modern Western management gurus such as Warren Bennis, Peter Drucker, Mary Parker Follett, Douglas McGregor, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Elton Mayo and Jeffrey Pfeffer.

Findings – It was found that there were striking similarities in thoughts and call for actions to address key issues in HRM by both old and contemporary, east and west thinkers across 2,500 years. The main concerns are to select the right leaders and managers and recruit the right people; create attractive organisational culture and environments that promote a participative management approach to encourage, empower and engage employees to achieve desirable outcomes; uphold the people-centred management principles; and focus on designing reward schemes that emphasise service and contribution instead of position and profits.

Originality/value – There is much to be learned from the past to address the present people management issues among modern organisations both inside China and perhaps from other parts of the world. It was as difficult to take seriously the principles-based ruling and management approaches in ancient times as it is today. However, if these principles had been put into practice, the world would have had fewer of the corporate corruption scandals and less of the mischievous behaviour in the state that are manifested in today's society, but more productive population, effective organisations, ethical governments and harmonious environment; hence less global human suffering.

Traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and intellectual property law in the Asia-Pacific region

Contents

* The international debate about traditional knowledge and approaches in the Asia-Pacific region / Christoph Antons
* How are the different views of traditional knowledge linked by international law and global governance? / Christopher Arup
* Protection of traditional knowledge by geographical indications / Michael Blakeney
* An analysis of WIPO's latest proposal and the Model Law 2002 of the Pacific Community for the Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions / Silke von Lewinski
* The role of customary law and practice in the protection of traditional knowledge related to biological diversity / Brendan Tobin
* Can modern law safeguard archaic cultural expressions? : observations from a legal sociology perspective / Christoph Beat Graber
* Branding identity and copyrighting culture : orientations towards the customary in traditional knowledge discourse / Martin Chanock
* Being indigenous' in Indonesia and the Philippines / Gerard A. Persoon
* Indigenous heritage and the digital commons / Eric Kansa
* Traditional cultural expression and the internet world / Brian Fitzgerald and Susan Hedge
* Cultural property and "the public domain" : case studies from New Zealand and Australia / Susy Frankel and Megan Richardson
* The recognition of traditional knowledge under Australian biodiscovery regimes : why bother with intellectual property rights? / Natalie Stoianoff
* Protection of traditional knowledge in the SAARC region and India's efforts / S.K. Verma
* The protection of expressions of folklore in Sri Lanka / Indunil Abeyesekere
* Traditional medicine and intellectual property rights : a case study of the Indonesian jamu industry / Christoph Antons and Rosy Antons-Sutanto.

Sui generis protection for plant varieties and traditional agricultural knowledge : the example of India

Explores the sui generis protection of intellectual property, particularly patents, in biotechnology and traditional agricultural knowledge under Indian law. Focuses on the impact of amendments to the Patents Act 1970 and of the Plant Variety Protection and Farmers' Rights Act 2001 and Biological Diversity Act 2002.

Traditional knowledge, biological resources and intellectual property rights in Asia : the example of the Philippines

The relationship between traditional knowledge and intellectual property rights has become a topic for intensive debates at the national level, in various international settings and within and among different UN agencies, including the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UNESCO, UNCTAD and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). However, a consensus on a definition of traditional knowledge has yet to emerge due to persistent differences in perception. On the one hand, indigenous communities hold locally specific and holistic views of traditional knowledge, which are difficult to place within the framework of current intellectual property rights. Governments of developing countries, on the other hand, mostly focus on clearly defined aspects of traditional knowledge and their interpretation in the national interest and as expressions of national culture. Asian governments, in particular, have advocated the latter view. The Philippines provide an exception due to a tradition of recognising indigenous people as separate "cultural communities". However, the practical implementation of so-called "community intellectual rights" thus far is largely confined to access and benefit sharing rules, compensation requirements for traditional farmers and defensive protection measures such as digital libraries documenting traditional knowledge.