Corporate Governance Insight

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

How Ancient Wisdom Guides Corporate Governance


Affiliations
1 Professor of Management , Stillman School of Business Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ 07079, United States
 

This paper provides some selected codes of conduct from the Laws of Manu that relate to management, particularly its corporate governance function. The Laws of Manu or the Manu’s Code is the most ancient legal code of human behavior that is still so widely practiced in many parts of the world. For the sake of authenticity, these sections are reproduced in Sanskrit from the original manuscript and then interpreted based on the four comprehensive works of the last three centuries, for the use of the scholars and managers of organizations. After providing relevance to the contemporary management functions, the sections of the Manu’s Code included in this work covers codes on treating the superiors; respecting the scholars; picking motivators based on desire or obligations; making an honest living; wealth and welfare; keeping the earth clean; gifting; autonomy and intrinsic motivation; structuring a council of advisors; appointing an assembly; qualifications of envoys; selecting and accomplishing popular goals; setting wages; taxes, and duties; conducting diplomacy and war including what to do on winning; and property rights and wealth. I also discuss some of the controversial issues pertaining to the Manu’s Code and suggest further research for the interested scholars.

Keywords

Codes Of Conduct, Management, Corporate Governance, Organizations
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Aiken, C. F. 1913. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 9. The Laws of Manu.

  • Buhler, G. 1886. Manu Samhita: The Laws of Manu. Sacred Books of the East, vol. 25. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.

  • Flood, G. 2003. The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-3251-0.

  • Jha, G. 1920. Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi. Wisdom Library, https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/manusmriti-with-the-commentary-of-medhatithi/d/doc200102.html

  • Jones, Sir W. 1776. Manusmriti. The Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History (2009). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195134056. See entry for Manusmriti

  • Kak, S. 2012. The Mahabharata and the Sindhu-Sarasvati tradition. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State Univ. Retrieved 12/25/2012

  • Mitchell, S. 2000. Bhagavad Gita. New York: Three Rivers Press.

  • Mukundananda, Swami. 2016. Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God. http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/3/verse/20-21, Retrieved 07/ 23/2016

  • O'Flaherty, D. W., & Smith, B. 1991. The Laws of Manu. New York: Penguin Classics

  • Spodek, H. & Mason, R. 2006. The World's History. Hoboken, New Jersey: Pearson Education. 224, 0-13-177318-6


Abstract Views: 166

PDF Views: 85




  • How Ancient Wisdom Guides Corporate Governance

Abstract Views: 166  |  PDF Views: 85

Authors

A. D. Amar
Professor of Management , Stillman School of Business Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ 07079, United States

Abstract


This paper provides some selected codes of conduct from the Laws of Manu that relate to management, particularly its corporate governance function. The Laws of Manu or the Manu’s Code is the most ancient legal code of human behavior that is still so widely practiced in many parts of the world. For the sake of authenticity, these sections are reproduced in Sanskrit from the original manuscript and then interpreted based on the four comprehensive works of the last three centuries, for the use of the scholars and managers of organizations. After providing relevance to the contemporary management functions, the sections of the Manu’s Code included in this work covers codes on treating the superiors; respecting the scholars; picking motivators based on desire or obligations; making an honest living; wealth and welfare; keeping the earth clean; gifting; autonomy and intrinsic motivation; structuring a council of advisors; appointing an assembly; qualifications of envoys; selecting and accomplishing popular goals; setting wages; taxes, and duties; conducting diplomacy and war including what to do on winning; and property rights and wealth. I also discuss some of the controversial issues pertaining to the Manu’s Code and suggest further research for the interested scholars.

Keywords


Codes Of Conduct, Management, Corporate Governance, Organizations

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.58426/cgi.v4.i2.2022.1-24