Business Administration According to Sublime States of Mind : An Analytic, Appreciative and Applicative Study

Abstract

This research is a qualitative research. The objective is to analyze Four Sublime States of Mind, and to create a new knowledge about Buddhism-based business administration. The result indicated that Four Sublime States of Mind consisted of loving kindness (Metta), compassion (Karuna), sympathetic joy (Mudita), and equanimity (Upekkha). When these dhamma principles were applied for the business administration based on moderate postmodern paradigm, the business operation would aim at the public happiness and benefits. Any product and service production and business innovation would also regard the social and environmental responsibility. The businesses would not exploit or take advantage on consumers, but they would take account of the quality and cost-effectiveness as well as the good quality of life. The business operators would consider the beneficence, and seek for the participation to obtain cooperation rather than competition. They would be delighted to other business operators, give love and care to their co-workers, partners, suppliers, have fairness in their business administration, set up the corporate governance system to retain rights and righteousness to all stakeholders in their business, and to protect consumers to obtain the good quality of life and happiness. The new knowledge relating to the Buddhism-based business administration includes the business operation under loving-kindness (Metta), beneficence and sharing (Karuna), communications for social wellness (Mudita), and offering righteousness by protection, safeguard, and care (Upekkha). The core value of the business administration based on Four Sublime States of Mind is “To put yourself in someone else’s shoes” by driving all 3 related sections: (1) persons related to business; (2) goods and service; and (3) nature and environment. The business administration based on Four Sublime States of Mind would make the business become a part of the society to help improve the quality of life of people in the country securely and sustainably.